An opposition politician in Somalia, Senator Ilyas Ali Hassan, has accused foreign firms of exploiting natural resources in the country.
Senator Hassan said that Somalis have not been benefiting from the illegal exploitation of their mineral resources.
Somalia, which is rich in minerals, has enacted laws to stop the exploitation.
The Senator, who is a member of the Himilo Qaran Party, has not mentioned the foreign companies by name, though.
Senator Hassan, who also serves in Senate’s Natural Resources Committee, accused government agencies of colluding with the exploitative foreign firms.
His sentiments come hot on the heels of President Mohamed Farmaajo’s signing of the Petroleum Law earlier this year.
The signing of the controversial law elicited sharp reactions and criticisms across the country.
Additionally, Senator Hassan’s views appear to be aimed at the government’s recent auctioning of oil deposits to ExxonMobil and Shell.