US to impose visa restriction on Somali officials accused of undermining polls

The US government has announced that it has placed visa restrictions on Somali government officials involved in “undermining democracy” in Somalia by rigging the electoral process.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the ban would extend to current or former government officials and their immediate family members.
The US officials did not name anyone who has been placed under visa restrictions specifically but said that the individuals are complicit in manipulating the electoral processes through harassment, intimidation, arrest, and violence.

Blinken called on Somalia’s federal member state leaders to complete the long and drawn out parliamentary process in a “credible and transparent manner” by February 25.

The statement comes as Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo marks the beginning of his second year in office without a legal mandate to govern.