The opposition parties in the country have urged Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo to block ‘secretly’ plan to sign oil blocks deal with two companies.
In a letter addressed to President Mohamed Farmaajo and Prime Minister Mohamed Roble, the opposition presidential candidates said the covert plan could be ‘danger to the future, standing and unity of the Somali Nation’.
“The reported secret agreement the ministry is going to sign is against all the laws and regulations on natural resources that have been approved by the Federal Parliament and agreement between federal government and federal member states,” the letter read in part.
According to the opposition, the signing of the deals in a secret manner also risks the country’s debt relief process and erode gains made thus far in riding the Horn of Africa nation of the crippling debt burden.
The opposition identified the companies seeking the deal with the petroleum ministry as Coastline Exploration Inc and Liberty Petroleum Corporation.
Wadajir Party leader Abdirahman Abdishakur has urged the government to make process transparecy saying “any agreement on the drilling for oil must be transparent, thoroughly debated, evaluated, agreed upon & approved by the Parliament, before it is signed.
