MOGADISHU, – Armed Somali soldiers blocked the main entrance of Boosaaso General Hospital on Saturday, protesting months of unpaid salaries in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, witnesses and security officials said.
The troops, part of Puntland’s regional security forces, set up roadblocks outside the facility in Somalia’s commercial hub on the Gulf of Aden, disrupting access for patients and families seeking urgent medical care.
“We are left with no choice. We have not been paid for months, and our complaints are ignored,” one protesting soldier told reporters.
Residents said the closure endangered lives, as ambulances and patients were turned away. Medical staff warned that prolonged disruptions could delay treatment for trauma and maternity cases.
Puntland authorities did not immediately comment on the standoff.
The protest comes hours after Puntland’s president, Said Abdullahi Deni, presided over the graduation of nearly 500 new police recruits in Carmo.
During their training, recruits also staged brief strikes over allowances, highlighting persistent pay and welfare grievances across the regional forces.
Security analysts say Puntland, long seen as relatively stable compared to southern Somalia, faces growing financial strain. Delayed salaries and poor welfare for its armed forces have triggered repeated mutinies, raising concerns over morale and the region’s ability to contain militant threats.
As of late Saturday, the situation in Boosaaso remained tense, with no indication of when the roadblock would be lifted.