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Foreign Affairs minister gives nod to IGAD border opening as Immigration Dept rejects

Storyline:National News
Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Awad said border opening by IGAD members was beneficial to Somalia contrary to Immigration Department which has maintained the country is not ready for such a move. File photo: courtesy

Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Awad has endorsed the free movement of persons within the IGAD bloc terming it beneficial for Somalia contradicting earlier position by the Immigration Department which noted the country was not ready for the arrangement.

Responding to earlier comments by the Immigration Department in a TV interview Wednesday, Awad said Somalia was comfortable with the idea and that the government supported it.

“We’re comfortable; in fact we encourage it. We welcome the region’s borders to be open, the economy of the countries in the region to be integrated,” said Awad. “Somalis and Somalia will benefit very much from such open border.”

Awad noted the opening of the borders would be of much significance for Somalis given their distribution across neighbouring countries such as Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia.

“In any case,” Awad noted, “It is the goal of Africa and AU to have the whole of Africa open borders.”

But Immigration Department director Mohamed Koofi said Monday the country would not be assenting to an open border agreement among IGAD member countries noting Somalia was not ready since it first needs to have full control of its borders.

Addressing an IGAD conference on consultations to open borders by IGAD members Monday in Mogadishu, Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Ambassador Ali Mohamed Ali said the free movement of persons and goods was necessary for development in the region.

“We believe that the free movement of persons and goods is important to all the countries given that it will spur development. We all know how the European Union started and how people can now move by only using their identity cards,” noted Ambassador Ali.

The 8 member trade bloc spanning over 5.2 million-square kilometer is exploring options of opening its borders to boost trade and economic integration in the region.