Somali PM, outgoing President feud over seized $9.6m UAE money

By T. Roble

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Barely a fortnight after a precipitous fall-out that drew the country closer to another bout of political crisis, Prime Minister Mohamed Roble and outgoing President Mohamed Farmaajo are at it against- this time, over close to $10 million dollars seized in Mogadishu in 2018.

Roble announced Friday that the $9.6 million seized by sleuths at Adde Adde Aiport in April 2018 was intact at the Central Bank and would be ‘soon’ released to the UAE where the money came from.

Roble also apologized to UAE for the seizure of the funds in a major hit at Farmaajo and his Qatari ally which is at odds with UAE. The PM said the return of the money was a bid to restore diplomatic relations with the Gulf nation which ended its military support to Somalia following the seizure of the money.

But in a quick rejoinder, Farmaajo ordered the Governor of the Central Bank against acting on Roble’s decree noting the funds ‘entered the country illegally.’

In defending its position then in 2018, the UAE said the funds were meant for salaries and rations for the Somali National Army unit it was training in Mogadishu. Then Puntland President Ali Gaas claimed $3.6 million of the sum was meant for the Puntland Maritime Police Force which the UAE had been supporting.

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Following the seizure of the funds, UAE announced an end to its support for 2,047 SNA forces based at General Gordon Academy in Mogadishu. “The UAE has decided to disband its military training programme in Somalia which started in 2014 to build the capabilities of the Somali army,” the Gulf nation said.

“The decision,” UAE said, “Comes in response to Somali security forces’ seizure of a UAE-registered civil aircraft at Mogadishu Airport and confiscation of money destined to pay the soldiers.”

The Federal Government also fired back noting it was no longer in need of the UAE support. “As a government, our duty is to pay the salary of our soldiers and meet all their needs so we would thank Emirati government for training our soldiers and the support they provide us,” then defence minister and current Lower House speaker Mohamed Mursal said.

The new round of feuds between Farmaajo and Roble comes amid an ongoing electoral gridlock as the National Consultative Council (NCC) chaired by Roble meets for the fifth day today with no prospects of a deal.