Mudug
Mudug's divided Galkayo (Puntland north, Galmudug south) embodies Somalia's federal fragmentation, the stability gradient from north to contested south.
Mudug straddles the boundary between Puntland and Galmudug federal member states, the administrative division that reflects rather than resolves the clan dynamics shaping Somali politics. Galkayo, split between Puntland control in the north and Galmudug in the south, exemplifies the fractured governance that federal structures attempt but fail to integrate.
The region's central position between relatively stable Puntland and more contested southern territories creates transitional dynamics where governance capacity varies by neighborhood. Commercial activities exploit whatever stability exists, traders adapting to conditions that formal systems cannot normalize.
Al-Shabaab's presence in southern Mudug contrasts with Puntland's relative security in the north, the gradient from stability to conflict that the region physically embodies. Whether federal coordination can overcome the fragmentation that Mudug displays—or whether divided governance remains the best available outcome—tests whether Somalia's federal experiment can succeed where unified governance failed.