In a revealing episode of geopolitical turbulence, a small aircraft en route to Hargeisa was recently grounded—not due to mechanical failure or adverse weather, but by a political directive from Somalia’s federal government in Mogadishu. The aircraft, operated by East African Aviation, was denied access to Somali airspace, reportedly because it had previously provided services to clients in the Jubaland administration—one of Somalia’s semi-autonomous federal member states—according to sources familiar with the company’s operations. While disruptions of this nature are not unusual in fragile states, this latest incident throws a spotlight on a far more entrenched issue: the contested nature…