[An Nahar] Somalia's northeastern Puntland...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion...
region said Monday it had cut all relations with the central government in Mogadishu, raising the prospect of further fractures to the already war-torn nation.
In an official statement, Puntland accused the internationally-backed government in the capital Mogadishu of undermining the federal constitution and of ignoring "national reconciliation" efforts.
It also accused Mogadishu of rejecting the fair "sharing of power, resources and foreign aid" among Somalia's multiple regions.
"Puntland government hereby suspends all cooperation and relations with (the) Federal Government of Somalia," an official statement read.
Relations would only be restored if Mogadishu "restores and adheres to the country's genuine provisional federal constitution", as well as consults over security issues and ensures a fair distribution of international aid across Somalia, it added.
There was no immediate response from Mogadishu.
Semi-autonomous Puntland, which forms the very tip of the Horn of Africa along the Indian Ocean coast and the Gulf of Aden, has recognized the government in Mogadishu but runs its own affairs in the region.
Central government, backed by a 17,700-strong African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
force, is struggling to impose its rule over regions following the pushing out of Islamist Shabaab fighters from parts of southern Somalia.
Puntland is only one of several Somali regions to oppose central control, from the breakaway republic of Somaliland along the Gulf of Aden, to statelets such as Jubaland in the far south, where rival warlords claim control.
While relatively stable compared to southern Somalia, Puntland also hosts pirate gangs on its coastline as well as multiple militia forces, while the al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab operate in its rugged Golis mountains.
Puntland's leaders first declared it an autonomous state in 1998, seven years after the collapse of Siad Barre's regime in Mogadishu touched off a cycle of civil unrest which has yet to end.