Somalia: Public land in and around Mogadishu airport misused

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Public land located in and around Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu, the Somalia capital has been misused in the past few years, Garowe Online reports.

A report by the UN Monitoring Group said Friday that the lands have been given to local and foreign companies by previous Federal Government led Hassan Sheikh Mohamed, without legal process.

In a letter sent to UN sanctions monitors in August, the current Federal Government said only two of these companies, SKA International Group and RA International pay rent to the Central Bank of Somalia.

The Dubai-based SKA was the first foreign contractor to invest in the Mogadishu Airport following a contract with the former Transitional government led by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed in 2010.

These two foreign firms run luxury hotels and other businesses in the Airport which also houses to UN offices and diplomatic missions, including the US and UK embassies, according to the report seen by GO.

The report says Abdullahi Mohamed Nor, the former State Minister for Finance during Mohamud's government has grabbed 344 hectares of the coastal area around the airport complex.

Nor who is currently a member of Somalia's Federal Parliament is constructing a private luxury hotel in the public land around Airport despite calls to break off the construction from Mogadishu municipality.

The Monitoring Group said it has conducted an investigation into the misappropriation of public land in Mogadishu since 2016 and made contacts with the Somali government, before releasing this report.

The public land grabbing may become a threat to peace, security and stability in the conflict-riddled horn of Africa country, said the UN monitors, citing the Somali government.

GAROWE ONLINE