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US travel ban a blanket condemnation of Somalis-President Farmaajo

Storyline:National News
President Mohamed Farmaajo addressing the media in Mogadishu after meeting with UN chief António Guteress. Photo: Villa Somalia|March 7, 2017
President Mohamed Farmaajo addressing the media in Mogadishu after meeting with UN chief António Guteress. Photo: Villa Somalia|March 7, 2017

Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo has urged the US to lift the travel ban against his country noting the ban was a summary condemnation of Somalis who have contributed significantly to the US economy and society.

Farmaajo said he would be initiating communication with his US counterpart Donald Trump to lift the ban and confine it only to individuals who have been identified as ‘the cause of the problem’.

“We would prefer to see that this travel ban is lifted. Of course we have we have to communicate with the US government because as everybody knows we have a large community of Somalis in the US who I am sure have contributed to the US economy and the US society in different ways,” said Farmaajo during a press conference alongside UN chief António Guteress in Mogadishu Tuesday.

His remarks follows a revised travel ban by President Trump which retained Somalia alongside five other Muslim majority countries. Iraq was dropped in the new order.

US economy

Somalis have played an important role in building the US economy, Farmaajo said noting, “We have to talk about what the Somali community have contributed rather than only few people who may probably have caused a problem.”

The Trump administration has fought to impose the travel ban through a revised executive order after the courts halted the implementation of the earlier ban. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters Monday, “As threats to our security continue to evolve and change, common sense dictates that we continually re-evaluate and reassess the systems we rely upon to protect our country.”

President Farmaajo, also a US passport holder said his administration would bolster efforts on the fight against Al-Shabaab which he termed is the root cause for such travel bans. “That’s why we have to address the security situation here; this the root cause,” said Farmaajo.