MOGADISHU, Somalia Sep 14 (Garowe Online) - A group of lawmakers in Somalia have rejected a new deal between the governments of Somalia and Djibouti, which states that Djibouti will be the base for anti-piracy training and operations, Radio Garowe reports.

MP Mowlid Ma'ani told the BBC Somali Service that the new agreement is "illegal" and warned against its consequences.

"Recently, we [parliament] removed our feet from mud after the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) signed a maritime agreement with Kenya, and I see this [Djibouti deal] as new mud," said MP Ma'ani.

He noted that Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake inked a deal with the federal State of Puntland in northern Somalia, allowing Puntland to be the base for anti-piracy operations.

"It is unfortunate…but a Minister cannot change an agreement signed by a Prime Minister," he added. Puntland's president, Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed "Farole," has warned the TFG not to violate the agreement signed in Galkayo on August 23. READ: Puntland leader warns Somalia govt, urges Somaliland peace

MP Ma'ani said the Somali Minister of Marine Transport should have signed the agreement. Mr. Abdirahman Ibbi, the Somali Minister of Fisheries, signed the agreement on September 11 in Djibouti with Mr. Ali Hassan Bahdon, Djibouti's minister of transportation.

Mr. Ibbi is a member of Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's delegation, which is currently in Djibouti and expected to travel to the United States.

There is a rift developing between President Sheikh Sharif and Prime Minister Sharmake. According to government sources in Mogadishu, the Prime Minister was "unaware" of the new deal signed in Djibouti, which many see as a violation of the Galkayo agreement.

Source: Garowe Online