Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi renounces US citizenship - report

The President of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo has renounced his citizenship of the United States, according to the humanitarian journalist Moulid Hujale. The journalist posted the information on his official Twitter account adding that 38% of the federal MPs of Somalia have dual citizenship. The issue of Somali politicians with dual citizenship and their loyalty to the country has been a major debate in the Somali political discourse

BREAKING:Prez @M_Farmaajo renounces his US citizenship! What a bold step!The issue of Somali politicians w/ dual citizenship & their loyalty to the country has been a major debate in the Somali political discourse.38% of the federal MPs hv dual citizenship, who would follow suit? pic.twitter.com/V6qn8ajAWS

— Moulid Hujale (@MoulidHujale) August 1, 2019

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo has been serving as the 9th and current President of Somalia since 16 February 2017. He was previously a Prime Minister of Somalia from November 2010 until June 2011 and is the founder and Chairman of the Tayo Political Party.

While dual citizenship is accepted for politicians in Somalia, other African nations that have experienced similar diasporas are not quite as accepting. In Liberia, politicians and intellectuals have debated for years whether dual citizens should be allowed to hold power, especially after the 2006 election of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first democratically elected female president in Africa, who has dual Liberian/German citizenship.