The Somali security minister Abdullahi Mohmed Nuur has yesterday ordered the security agencies at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport not to allow the AU envoy for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, to enter the country.
According to a statement from the ministry, Abdullahi Nur has also has instructed the immigration authorities to revoke Madeira’s permit visa.
He also said that the government has temporarily closed “all operations at the MOVCOM terminal” until further notice.
On Thursday, Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has declared Ambassador Francisco Madeira persona non grata after accusing him of “engaging in acts that are incompatible with his status.”
But his accusations were rejected by the country’s president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has called the expulsion an “illegal action” against Madeira, emphasizing that the president alone had the authority to expel a foreign diplomat.
The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, reaffirmed his complete trust and confidence in SRCC Ambassador Madeira. He reiterated the African Union’s continued commitment to support the sisterly nation of the Federal Republic of Somalia in its pursuit to restore lasting peace, security, and stability.
Somalia’s two highest leaders, President Farmaajo and Prime Minister Roble have been at the forefront of Somalia’s protracted political crisis, which has derailed the indirect federal elections for over a year and a half.
