Friday, December 31, 2010
Somali lawmakers on Thursday demanded suspension of the work of international security firm Saracen in the war-torn country and called on Prime Minister Mohamed Abdulahi to explain government deals with the firm in four weeks' time.
There has been growing controversy over the security firm since it emerged its involvement in the training of an anti-piracy force in the semi-autonomous northeastern Somali state of Puntland.
The Somali premier who was summoned before parliament to explain the agreement it has entered with the South Africa-based international security firm Saracen.
The premier told lawmakers that the government of former prime minister Sharmarkeh signed the deal with the firm to provide training and logistics for local forces and protection to senior Somali government officials.
Lawmakers asked the premier to suspend the work of the firm for the next four weeks until the government of Abdullahi can give the parliament further details of the agreement with the firm.
It has recently surfaced that the security firm was training local anti-piracy force in Puntland with the funding of an unnamed "Muslim country."
Both the U.S. government and African Union peacekeeping forces in Somalia expressed opposition to the move, while lawmakers have been skeptical about the deals saying it affronts "the sovereignty of Somalia."
Source: Xinhua