MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s government has issued a directive to security officials at Mogadishu airport, prohibiting several opposition members of parliament from departing the capital, amid mounting political tensions across the country, Caasimada Online news website reported.
Among the MPs barred from boarding flights at Mogadishu airport is Hassan Firinbi, who was captured in a video last week inciting disorder during a live-streamed parliamentary session. The footage shows Firinbi physically assaulting a police officer, who, along with his colleagues, was attempting to secure the Speaker’s area from the MPs fueling the disturbance.
Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, speaking at a press conference in Mogadishu on Saturday, reaffirmed the travel ban imposed on several MPs, including Hassan Firinbi, at the airport. However, the federal government and its security agencies have yet to issue an official statement regarding the matter.
“A travel ban has been imposed on MP Hassan Yare and several other MPs at Mogadishu airport,” ex-president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said. “We met with the MP, and he told us that the video of the altercation [circulated on social media] was edited.”
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