Puntland State Leader Arrives In Kismayo For Madobe’s Inauguration

The leader of Somalia’s Puntland regional state, Said Abdullahi Deni, has arrived in the southern city of Kismayo to attend the inauguration of Jubbaland leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam alias Madobe.

Deni, who was accompanied by almost 50 members of his government, was received at Kismayo airport by Ahmed Madobe and officials from Jubbaland state.

Last week, a plane carrying former presidents of Galmudug and South-West states, Abdikarim Hussein Guled and Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, arrived in Kismayo to attend the inauguration of Madobe.

Former Somali presidents Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud are also expected to travel to Kismayo from Mogadishu.

The federal government on 23 September banned former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed from travelling to Kismayo to attend Madobe’s inauguration, a move condemned by the Somali opposition.