Government plans three days of mourning for former VP

Somali government has said it will announce three days of national mourning for the death of General Mohamed Ali Samatar, Somalia’s first and only vice president who bowed out Friday at the age of 81 in Virginia, US.

The speaker of the federal parliament, Mohamed Osman Jawari said on Tuesday that Flags will fly half-mast, while preparation funeral service will be ongoing from today.

He pointed that the government assigned committee for preparation of the funeral service for Mr. Samatar

Mr Samatar passed away on Friday morning after he had been suffering from poor health

The body of former First deputy president will be arriving the country from Virginia in the forthcoming days.

Samatar was a General in the Somali Armed Forces and served as Defence Minister (1973-1985) and as Prime Minster of Somalia from 1987-1990. The retired Military general was a key figure in Somali politics throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

He was now facing  trial in the US for crimes against humanity in northern Somalia while serving as an army general and Prime Minister in the military regime of Siad Barre.