Saturday May 27, 2023
Outgoing US Ambassador to Somalia, Larry André Jr and Somalia's Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, Abshir Omar Jama, meet at the US Embassy in Mogadishu on May 9, 2023. CREDIT: U.S. Embassy Mogadishu, Somalia
Mogadishu (HOL) - A confidential letter from the U.S. Embassy in Somalia to the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abshir Omar Huruse, has been leaked, revealing a disturbing security incident at the outgoing Ambassador's farewell event at the Diplomat Freight Service (DFS) camp last week. The incident, involving U.S. Embassy security personnel and Somali close protection officers, has heightened tensions between the two nations.
In the leaked letter, the U.S. alleges that the security teams of the Somali Prime Minister and the President of Southwest State acted unprofessionally and assaulted members of the U.S. security team, threatening violence. According to U.S. Charge d'Affaires ad interim Timothy Trenkle, these teams disregarded agreed-upon security protocols and escalated tensions at the event.
"Diplomatic staff were at the gate at the time of the incident, putting them at risk of physical and psychological harm," Trenkle wrote in the letter.
The source of the leak is currently unknown, and both the U.S. Embassy and the Somali government have yet to comment on the unauthorized release of the letter.
The U.S. Embassy urged the Somali government to discipline the individuals involved in the security incident and ensure that such dangerous behaviour is not repeated. This call for adherence to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations underlines the seriousness of the violation.
According to Article 29 of the Vienna Convention, a diplomatic agent's safety and dignity must be protected by their host country. Trenkle said the behaviour exhibited by the Somali security teams directly violated this international agreement.
The U.S. said it has video evidence of the event and has offered to share it with the Somali government's staff. Trenkle also expressed a desire to discuss ways to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The letter added that the issue would also be raised with the Somali Ambassador in Washington.
The Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to publicly respond to the letter.