Somalia opposition calls on foreign oil firms not to sign deal with government

The Somali opposition has warned US oil firms not to sign deals with the Somali government, according to a statement posted on the Twitter account of one of the opposition leaders.

The opposition announced in a statement posted on Monday that the federal government in Somalia is planning to sign a secret oil deal with two foreign oil firms.

As specified by the statement, signing the deal with the government would “pose a great danger” to the future of Somalia and its natural resources.

Leader of the Wadajir Party Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame communicated in a letter sent to the top officials in Somalia that the law: “States that any agreement on the drilling, exploration or search for oil in the country must be transparent, thoroughly debated, evaluated and agreed upon, and finally approved by the House of the People of the Federal Republic of Somalia, before it is signed.”

As explained by Warsame, the Council of Presidential Candidates (CPC) in Somalia strongly opposes the secret deal between Coastline Exploration Inc and Liberty Petroleum Corporation.

The covert agreement would be signed just a month before the current government’s term in office ends, the opposition details in the letter, noting that the timing of the oil deal “creates strong suspicions.”

READ: Somalia stadium suicide attack: Death toll rises to 15