SOMALIA: Agreement signed by the Minister of Petroleum is rejected by both the Prime Minister and Villa Somalia!

The Minister of Petroleum of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Abdirashid M.Ahmed has announced that he has signed signed 7 Production Sharing Agreements with COASTLINE EXPLORATION LTD.

Minister Abdirashid announced the agreement on his Twitter account.

We are pleased to announce that we have signed 7 Production Sharing Agreements with COASTLINE EXPLORATION LTD. It is a victory for the Somali people.
I thank the President of FGS for supporting the process and encouraging us to complete this task. pic.twitter.com/MZgyzotCXN

— Eng. Abdirashid M. Ahmed (@EngAbdirashidd) February 19, 2022

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said:

The alleged agreement signed by the Minister of Petroleum regarding Somalia’s oil affairs is illegal and therefore null and void. The Prime Minister will take legal action in response to this act of treason. This act violates the National Assets and the legacy of the coming Generations of the Somali Nation.

A statement posted on Villa Somalia’s Facebook page stated that the agreement was unconstitutional and read as follows;

Repeal of the Petroleum Package Agreement signed by the Minister of Petroleum Mogadishu, 19 February 2022: The Presidency of the Federal Republic of Somalia declares that the agreement signed by the Minister of Petroleum and Minerals has not been consulted with President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.

In light of the Presidential Decree of 7 August 2021 which barred any agreements being reached during the elections, we hereby declare that the agreement signed by the Minister of Petroleum is not valid.

The President reiterates his call on all government agencies to refrain from misappropriating public funds at this critical time and to hold everyone accountable for misappropriation of public funds and any action that could damage the reputation of the government and its institutions.