Friday July 7, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somali Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abshir Omar Jama, has refuted reports claiming that he resigned from his post on Thursday.
He clarified that he is currently on a business trip abroad. In a statement posted on his social media, he emphasized, "The rumours of my resignation are baseless and aimed at confusing the public. I am currently abroad on a business trip."
Just a day ago, the Minister attended the ministerial meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. During this meeting, he also engaged in discussions with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, exploring potential prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan and Somalia.
In recent hours, there have been rumours and reports suggesting the resignations of both the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance. These reports indicate their alleged discontent with what they perceive as undue intervention by the presidency in their respective ministries.
These developments follow Tuesday's disclosure by the Attorney General, Sulayman Mohamed Mohamoud, who revealed the identities of 18 high-ranking Somali officials. This list includes both former and current directors of the Immigration Agency, all of whom are wanted in connection with a significant corruption investigation. The officials have been charged with crimes related to $21 million reportedly missing from government coffers during financial hardship for the country.