NO FLY ZONE: Flights to Kismayu grounded as Govt tightens noose on Madobe

Those intending to fly to Kismayu for Ahmed Madobe’s inauguration or any other business will have to wait until the inauguration ceremony ends as the Civil Aviation Authority bans flights to the southerly coastal city.

Airlines who spoke to Goobjoog News said the Somali Civil Aviation Authority had directed them to suspend flights to Kismayu until Septemeber 26.

“We got instructions from the Somali Civil Aviation Authority to stop any flights to Kismayu from September 23 to September 26,” an official from a local airline said.

The directive came hours after former President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was barred from boarding a plane to Kismayu yesterday. Ahmed and his successor Hassan Sheikh Mohamud condemned the move accusing the Federal Government as using the airspace as ‘a political weapon’.

Madobe’s inauguration is slated for September 26.