Garowe(Mogadishu24)-Puntland State’s Information Minister, Mohamud Aidid Dirir, criticized Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Tuesday, describing him as “weak and tired” following his briefing on the outcome of the National Consultative Council (NCC) meeting.

Dirir asserted that the NCC meeting had ended in failure, contradicting Prime Minister Hamza’s claim that discussions were still ongoing.

“His facial expression showed exhaustion and disappointment,” Dirir said, adding that the Prime Minister was pressured to claim the meeting was continuing despite it having already collapsed. “There is no meeting. It has already failed,” he stated, referring to the wider political tensions within Somalia’s federal system.

Dirir further criticized the leadership of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, suggesting that his government had reached its breaking point and was in its “final stage.”

He compared the current situation to the downfall of the previous administration, hinting that President Hassan might soon face a similar fate. “It used to be ‘Come out, Mohamed,’ and now it will be ‘Come out, Hassan,'” Dirir remarked, referring to political calls for the resignation of former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.

The Puntland official also praised Jubaland State President Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) for his decision to withdraw from the NCC meeting, stating that had he not done so, “he would have been beheaded.”

Dirir urged Somali scholars and politicians to come together in consultation to safeguard the future of the country’s state-building process.

This latest exchange highlights the growing rift between Somalia’s Federal Government and its regional states, especially as discussions over electoral issues and state-building continue to face challenges.