European Union workers expelled from Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Two European Union [EU] workers have been expelled by the federal government of Somalia, officials confirmed, for allegedly taking photos of prisoners in a detention center without "consent" from authorities, in what could trigger serious diplomatic fallout.

According to the Ministry of foreign affairs, the decision was made following a request by Attorney General Sulayman Mohamed Mohamud, who demanded that the two be deported from the Horn of Africa nation for "violation of rules and regulations" governing the country.

Those kicked out were Jacek Jozef Ochman of Poland and Ralf Bernhard Gehlig of Germany. The government insists that they were "meddling in the internal affairs of the country" against the established rules. The two, VOA reports, left the country on Tuesday afternoon.

Somalia's government had asked the Europe Union to send the two packing within 72 hours following the offense. The two were working for the European Union Capability Building Mission in Somalia [EUCAP Somalia], reports indicate.

According to sources, the expulsion of the two is related to the detention of Iranian boats and 36 fishermen linked to illegal fishing in Somali waters. The fishermen who were arrested are of Iranian origin according to sources and their apprehension came at the time Somalia is fighting illegal fishing.

VOA Somali obtained a letter sent by Mohamud to Minister of Foreign Affairs Abshir Omar Jama. In it, Mohamud said Ochman and Gehlig visited the prisoners on April 30 at a detention center belonging to the Somali maritime police at Mogadishu's airport and "secretly" took pictures of them.

"A crime has been committed by taking secret photos of prisoners at a security installation to tarnish the reputation and dignity of the nation," the letter said.

In the letter, it was clarified that the decision to expel them was taken after it was established that photo-taking violates the Somali penal code. It said Ochman led the EU team that visited the installation and ordered the pictures, and that Gehlig took them.

The two, sources say, could not be criminally prosecuted due to diplomatic immunity thus the decision to call for their removal from the country. Recently. the Ministry of Maritime Resources claimed a number of foreign vessels had been detected in Somalia's EPZ zone, leading to a serious crackdown against illegal fishermen.

The ministry said illegal fishing constitutes a "significant threat" to Somalia's fishing stock, food security, and marine ecology. It urged all foreign vessels fishing illegally to leave Somalia's waters, failure to which, a stern action was going to be taken against those found in violation of the country's laws.

GAROWE ONLINE