The Somali embassy in Rome, Italy, has been rocked by controversy after the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalled its ambassador to Somalia, Abdirahman Sheikh Isse.
The ministry appointed Ahmed Abdirahman Sheikh Nur as the Charges d’Affaires, but the ambassador opposed the foreign ministry’s decision, arguing that the new acting appointee must come from within the embassy.
Ahmed Abdirahman Sheikh Nur, who previously worked as the Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of Somalia in Lusaka, flew in from Mogadishu at the end of March to take over the embassy.
“Every time I go on holiday, the embassy’s work is run by an acting representative of the embassy, and if a new deputy is to be appointed, he or she must be an employee of the embassy,” said Ambassador Abdirahman Sheikh Isse.
According to the Issa, Ahmed Abdirahman Sheikh Nur and two of his entourage entered the embassy building. They then refused to allow the ambassador and staff members to enter the building.
Sources say the three members are inside the embassy and that Ambassador Abdirahman Sheikh Isse hopes to call Italian security forces on Tuesday to intervene.
Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a memo on April 6 affirming Somalia’s decision to recall the ambassador and said that it would be issuing the necessary identification to Ahmed Abdirahman Sheikh Nur.
A statement from Somalia’s foreign ministry on March 28 said Ambassador Abdirahman Sheikh Isse had been summoned for internal consultations.
