Somalia kicks out CARE boss over ‘political meddling’

Somalia has kicked out the head of humanitarian agency following accusations of ‘meddling in politics’ close to two years after the UN boss in the country was shown the door over similar accusations.

The Ministry of Education Tuesday declared CARE International Country Director Iman Abdullahi no longer welcome in the country citing political involvement and undermining government policies and procedures.

“As the Country Director for CARE Somalia, you disregard the government policies and procedures,” Education Minister Godah Barre said in a letter. “It’s unfortunate that under your leadership, you have been undermining government processes by meddling in politics.”

The Education Minister, in a letter dated August 18 decried what he termed as ‘creating unnecessary tensions among the Federal Member States and the Federal Government and derailing progress in the education sector’ by the aid worker.

The aid development platform DEVEX reported the parent agency CARE USA had received the minister’s letter and ‘is working towards a solution with the Federal Government of Somalia, CARE Somalia and relevant stakeholders.”

NO LONGER ALLOWED

Abdullahi now joins the rank of former UN head in Somalia Nicholas Haysom who was shown the door by the Federal Government on January 1, 2019 following his remarks over the political skirmishes in Baidoa ahead of the presidential poll there in December 2018. Haysom had challenged the Federal Government to explain its role in the developments which cost the lives of 15 civilians.

In the letter Tuesday, Barre also accuses the agency’s boss of ‘a campaign to derail progress of the education sector by creating mistrust among the Federal Government of Somalia and its counterparts, including doors and education partners’.

The Minister further noted the decision to kick out the aid worker was arrived at following failure to resolve the issues with CARE’s regional office.

“Therefore, this letter serves as an official notice to you, Mr. Iman Abdullahi as you will no longer be allowed to work in Somalia,” the letter read adding, “Effectively immediately, your entry into Somalia will be revoked.”