Puntland and Somaliland Set to Exchange Prisoners in Landmark Agreement

by: Horn Observer Contributor | 30 April 2025 00:53

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Puntland and Somaliland Set to Exchange Prisoners in Landmark Agreement

GAROWE, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) – Puntland and Somaliland are expected to exchange prisoners on Wednesday as a sign to normalise their relations.

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PHOTO: President of Puntland Said Deni and President of Somaliland Abdirahman Irro.

GAROWE, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) – Puntland and Somaliland are expected to exchange prisoners on Wednesday as a sign to normalise their relations.

Sources close to the Puntland presidency have confirmed that nine prisoners currently held in Puntland prisons, who were captured from Somaliland, will be transferred from Garowe tomorrow.

In return, Somaliland is set to release 11 prisoners originally from Puntland.

This marks the first such agreement aimed at normalizing relations between the two neighboring regions, which have long been at odds.

Puntland and Somaliland have been in dispute over the Sool and Sanaag regions. However, in 2023, following a major conflict in Las Anod, a new administration called SSC-Khaatumo was established.

Somaliland considers itself an independent nation, while Puntland is a federal member state of Somalia.

Sources in Hargeisa indicate that this prisoner release reflects a new thaw in relations between Hargeisa and Garowe.

During the Las Anod conflict, Puntland supported the local population with troops, weapons, and finances, which contributed to Somaliland’s defeat in the August 2023 battle.

However, relations between Puntland and SSC-Khaatumo have recently soured, particularly after SSC-Khaatumo aligned itself with the Federal Government of Somalia — a government that Puntland currently has strained ties and deep disagreements with.