Nairobi, Kenya (AHN) – The United States on Tuesday expressed concern about the Transitional Federal Government’s (TFG) decision to prevent more than 40 Somali parliamentarians, including those who are American citizens, from leaving Mogadishu on Monday.
Several parliamentarians were threatened with weapons and at least three were physically assaulted by security personnel, according to a statement released by the U.S. embassy in Kenya.
“The majority of the parliamentarians were en route to an elections workshop in Nairobi. Some parliamentarians were en route to a separate event in Ethiopia. Several others were departing on personal travel,” the statement said.
The U.S. said the interim government blocked the parliamentarians’ travel because it opposed their participation in the workshop, which had been organized to discuss modalities for holding elections for the parliaments speaker and president later this year.
“This action follows other efforts by the TFG in recent weeks to stifle peaceful political discussion and to silence its critics,” said the embassy, reminding the TFG of the commitment it made to the United Nations Security Council to enhance reconciliation and complete the transitional tasks that include completing the constitutional process that will end the transitional period and bring sovereignty and legitimacy back to Somalia.
Police at Mogadishu’s Adan Ade international airport on Monday pulled 50 Somali lawmakers from an airline minutes before the flight was scheduled to leave for Nairobi, the capital of neighboring Kenya.
The departures were stopped on an order from Somalia’s ministry of interior and home security, according to a government official.
Awad Ahmed Hasharo, an MP, told reporters in the airport that some of the parliamentarians, who were from parliament’s electoral committee, were called upon to attend a workshop in Nairobi.
“The travel of some members of the parliament was individual. My purpose of trip to Kenya was to check my health,” Hasharo said, condemning the government’s move.
Mohammed Mursal,a Somali lawmaker, said that some of the Somali police at the airport tortured and treated him badly.
“While I was on the small ladder of airplane, a police officer ran towards me and ordered me to get off from the plane. When I dragged my feet from taking his order, he hit his pistol on my chest,” Mursal said.
As the mandate of Somali interim government is due to end in August, wrangling between the Somali president and parliament speaker has apparently spread like a wildfire in transitional federal institutions (TFIs).
The wrangling started in February when the Somali parliament unilaterally voted to extend its mandate by three years. The international community has also condemned the parliament’s decision.
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