MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and his Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble had given the green light last month to sign a controversial oil exploration deal with a US-based company, Goobjoog radio reported on Tuesday.
Both the president and Prime Minister disowned and invalidated the offshore oil exploration deal struck by the Minister of Petroleum Abdirashid Mohamed Ahmed with Coastline Exploration, and said they had been engaged in consultations over the matter in statements via their social media accounts. read more
“The alleged production sharing agreement purportedly signed by the Minister of Petroleum with a foreign entity regarding Somali oil reserves is illegal, unacceptable since it wasn’t done through legal avenues. I will take all appropriate measures to protect our national resources,” Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble said.
A company source familiar with the issue told Mogadishu-based Goobjoog radio that both of Somalia’s most powerful leaders – the President and Premier – had been aware of the deal and had supported it before being signed by the Minister of Petroleum in the United Kingdom.
It was a surprise that Farmajo and Roble changed their position about the deal, he added, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official stressed that Coastal Exploration is waiting for the results of an investigation launched by Somali Prosecutor General and denied claims that the inking had not undergone legal procedures.
Earlier, Somali Minister of Petroleum, in an interview with VOA Somali, said the President had been aware of the signing of the exploration deal covering 7 oil blocks in Somalia but backtracked on it following a social media backlash, an assertion later denied by a spokesman for the presidency. read more
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