MOGADISHU, Somalia – Amid pressure from the international community over his decision to approve the lower house’s decision seeking to extend his term by two years, incumbent Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has hired a foreign lobby group in an attempt to push for his Washington DC visit.
Over the past week, Farmajo has been under pressure from the international community among them the United States to drop its bid to extend the period and concentrate on pushing for dialogue for the sake of peace and quiet.
And Somalia has now retained New Jersey-based lobbying firm LFA Holdings last month to help organize a U.S. visit for outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, according to a new application to the U.S. Department of Justice. The archive says the LFA is expected to help set up meetings with members of Congress and think tanks, but does not mention the executive.
“The LFA’s area of work includes, but is not necessarily limited to, support for a US congressional visit,” LFA CEO Luis Aleman wrote in a letter to agreement with Somali Ambassador Ali Sharif Ahmed. “LFA will also help strengthen relations with the private sector for FDI opportunities (foreign direct investment).”
According to a report published on the Foreign Lobby, the LFA is to be paid $ 150,000 for the work, based on Aleman’s individual registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Aleman is the only registered lobbyist on the account.
The letter of agreement is dated March 22, just three days after Foreign Minister Antony Blinken issued a statement urging Somalia to hold elections “immediately”. Somalia was due to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in February, but they have been delayed due to disagreements over the electoral process between the federal government and the leaders of the country’s five regional states.
On April 13, Blinken issued yet another statement, saying the United States was “deeply disappointed” by the federal government’s decision to approve a bill extending the mandate of the president and parliament by two years. President Mohamed’s four-year term officially ended in February.
“The implementation of this bill will pose serious obstacles to dialogue and further undermine peace and security in Somalia,” Blinken said. “It will force the United States to reassess our bilateral relations with the Somali Federal Government, to include diplomatic engagement and assistance, and to consider all available tools, including sanctions and visa restrictions, in response to efforts to undermine peace and stability.”
The embassy of LFA Holdings and Somalia in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
A few years ago, Farmajo revoked his U.S. citizenship, a move that was informed by the U.S. decision to frequently question his administration. The United States is one of the largest financiers of the Horn of Africa, struggling with stability.
Tibor Nagy, a former US assistant secretary of state for African affairs under President Donald Trump, said the Somali president may be throwing himself at new allies in Washington amid the deeper skepticism of the Biden administration.
According to him, Farmajo was gifted to appeal to Western aid donors, but faces experienced African hands in the Biden administration, including UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and the nominee for this position, formerly Ambassador to Sudan Mary Catherine “Molly” Phee.
“I think the Somalis recognize that they will not be able to sell their bill to the administration, so why not start with Congress,” Nagy told the Foreign Lobby Report. “I can assure you that there is a great deal of cynicism on the part of Somalia on the part of Congress.”
Somalia’s priorities include maintaining US foreign aid, which topped $ 137 million in last year’s budget request, most of which was in “peace and security aid” to help combat the threat posed by Al-Shabab and other extremist groups.
Farmaajo has also spoken out against Trump’s decision last fall to withdraw the roughly 700 U.S. troops from the country. The top military commander of the U.S. African Command, General Stephen Townsend, told a Senate panel on Thursday that the withdrawal had created “new layers of complexity and risk” in the country.
To help improve Somalia’s fortunes in Washington, the embassy has approached a businessman in New Jersey with deep ties to Africa. Aleman’s LinkedIn page shows him as the CEO of Ethiopian Wild Coffee, a specialty import / export company.
Last month, he revealed delayed lobbying activities for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s embassy, including helping organize meetings for President Felix Tshisekedi during his visit to Washington in April 2019. Aleman told the Justice Department when he registered as a foreign agent back in March 2019 that the company’s compensation for the services would take the form of “discussion of ongoing services.”
Somalia has only limited lobbying support beyond the LFA, according to a review of lobbying applications.
Abdirahman Abdishakur, the leader of the Wadajir party, has condemned the movement, saying the only thing Farmajo can save from the sanctions is to return to the tent for talks. He told taxpayers that they are part of Farmajo problems in Somalia as their money is wasted on foreign companies.
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