MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s former Minister of Petroleum, Abdirizak Omar, who was sacked on Sunday, has revealed that his dismissal resulted from a fallout with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud over mounting grievances from certain communities in Hirshabelle state regarding the region’s contentious clan-based power-sharing system.
Omar, formerly a trusted ally and longstanding confidant of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said he grew increasingly at odds with the President over the handling of rising tensions in Hirshabelle state. His clan, which has long opposed the region’s clan-based power-sharing system, went so far as to announce their intention to break away from the state.
While Omar attributed his dismissal to his position on the power-sharing disputes in Hirshabelle state, reports indicate that the real source of the rift between him and President Mohamud lay in contentious disagreements over advance payments from oil drilling contracts awarded to several foreign companies.
Few could have predicted that Omar, a former minister under President Mohamud’s previous term, would be dismissed so suddenly and cast aside so decisively. However, Omar reaffirmed his commitment to advancing the interests of his country and advocating for the communities in Hirshabelle state.
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