Thursday May 1, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali Lower House Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur (Aden Madoobe) has banned four federal cabinet ministers, who are also serving members of Parliament, from attending the upcoming sessions of the House of the People due to security concerns.
In a statement issued Thursday, Speaker Madoobe said the Parliament’s Sub-Committee on Legislation will recommend appropriate disciplinary measures against the ministers, in line with the House’s bylaws.
The move comes after the four lawmakers were seen engaging in Wednesday’s heated altercation on the floor of Parliament, during which they allegedly threatened opposition MPs.
The ministers barred from the unnamed number of sessions are:
1. Mohamed Abdulqaadir Haaji (Jeego), Deputy Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation
2. Omar Ali Abdi, State Minister of Defense
3. Isaaq Mohamed Mursal, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
4. Mohamed Osman Omar, State Minister of Family Affairs
The decision follows the Speaker’s earlier suspension of 20 other lawmakers for their roles in the same incident, which erupted during a session marred by violence and verbal clashes.
Tensions escalated over the controversial removal of MP Abdullahi Hashi Abiib, whom the Speaker expelled in March for failing to attend two consecutive sessions without an excuse. Opposition lawmakers have condemned the decision as politically motivated and illegal.
During Wednesday’s session, rival factions of MPs physically confronted each other, prompting intervention by parliamentary police. The incident has drawn sharp criticism from civil society leaders and opposition politicians, who warned that the Speaker’s actions are undermining democratic institutions and eroding the integrity of Somalia’s legislature.
