Somali President Farmajo renounces his U.S. citizenship

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo on Thursday renounced his United States citizenship.

According to a statement by the Somalia Director of communications, Abdinur Mohamed Ahmed to the media houses, Farmanjo relinquished his citizenship despite the country’s constitution allowing dual citizenship.

“This follows the completion of the required legal and immigration processes that had been initiated after the president’s election,” the statement reads.

Farmajo spent his formative years in the U.S. and also worked there.

He returned to Somalia in 2010 where he served as Prime Minister until he was elected the country’s ninth president in 2017.

Most federal MPs and ministers in the current government have been said to have dual citizenship including the current prime minister Hassan Ali, an issue that has prompted debate by many politicians in the country.

The 57-year-old president has been battling the Al Shabab militia in the country that has been a menace for over a decade affecting majorly Somalia and the Kenyan border.

After his term expires in 2020, Somalia looks forward to holding its first one person and one vote election between 2020 and 2021.