Confusion Surrounds Somali contracts

Somalia’s petroleum ministry says it has no knowledge of plans to review a series of contracts, including an oil exploration agreement with the UK’s Soma Oil & Gas. On 17 September the Financial Times reported that the government planned to rewrite or cancel nine big contracts on the advice of a new donor-backed committee, set up in the wake of scandals at the central bank. However, petroleum ministry director general Farah Abdi Hassan told African Energy: “I’ve seen the Financial Times article. It must come from another part of government, as we don’t have any information on that.” Soma is equally in the dark.