Saturday 1,March 2025 {HMC} Somali State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Mohamed Omar Balcad has denied accusations by former Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs obstructed his diplomatic passport clearance for travel to South Africa.
Speaking to a local television station on Friday, Minister Balcad stated that the South African government had inquired with Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding Roble’s delegation and confirmed that the delegation had been invited to the country.
However, in a statement shared on Facebook by MP Abdullahi Arab, he alleged that Minister Balcad personally blocked the clearance letter and refused to process it through the Ministry’s archives.
“When we realized the letter was blocked and time was running out, I approached the Speaker of Parliament to obtain a visa. Some members of the delegation were unable to travel.”
Former Prime Minister Roble also weighed in on the controversy, revealing that his delegation had submitted an application at the Somali Embassy in Kenya, which remained pending for 20 days, resulting in some delegates missing the trip.
Despite the bureaucratic hurdles, Roble arrived in South Africa last week using his Swedish passport, which he holds as a naturalized citizen. He was accompanied by a delegation that included former Minister of Education Abdullahi Arab, former State Minister for Planning Gaani, and former Banadir regional secretary-general Xiireey.
According to reports, several delegation members ultimately traveled using European passports.
