By HAN News Desk
MOGADISHU – Somali lawmaker and veteran politician Prof. Mohamed Omar Dalha has claimed that foreign powers have long sought to prevent Somalia from exploiting its natural resources and are now contributing to the ongoing conflict in Sudan for similar strategic interests.
In an interview shared with local media, Prof. Dalha alleged that “Sudan’s discovery of oil was one of the triggers of the current war,” adding that “those same governments that once blocked us from developing our own oil and mineral resources are among those now fueling the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Sudan.”
The lawmaker’s remarks come amid growing speculation linking Somalia’s Puntland region to alleged involvement in Sudan’s conflict — claims he dismissed as false and damaging.
“The accusation that Puntland’s territories are being used by another country to attack Sudan deeply affects us and is a serious defamation,” Prof. Dalha said. “The Somali government bears a major responsibility in addressing such allegations.”
He emphasized that Somalia’s airspace and territorial sovereignty are under the full control of the Federal Government in Mogadishu, not any regional administration.
“What is being used is Somali airspace, which today is legally controlled by the federal government,” he noted. “Therefore, the responsibility does not lie with Puntland alone but with Somalia as a whole.”
Dalha’s comments reflect broader regional concerns about the geopolitical competition surrounding Sudan’s war, which has drawn in external actors accused of backing rival sides — the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — for influence and access to Sudan’s natural wealth.
