A Maltese port manager has been shot dead in Somalia’s northern semi-autonomous Puntland state, officials say. Paul Anthony Formosa, who was the construction project manager for DP World, was killed inside Bossasso port.
Islamist militant group al-Shabab has said it carried out the attack. Puntland, an arid region of north-east Somalia, declared itself an autonomous state in 1998, in part to avoid the clan warfare in southern Somalia. The state is a destination for many Somalis displaced by violence in the south. Mr Formosa killer was shot dead on the spot, Mohamed Dahir, a local security official, told AFP news agency.
Mr Formosa was manager for P&O Ports, a subsidiary of the Dubai-based DP World, one of the world’s largest port operators. The company won a 30-year deal in 2017 worth $336m (£260m) to develop and manage the Bossasso port. Many residents opposed the deal and staged protests during which at least one person was killed. They said that the deal would increase taxes at the port.
DP World has a similar accord for Berbera port in the neighbouring region of Somaliland, which has declared independence from Somalia. The federal Somali government declared the agreements null and void, accusing the operator of violating the country’s sovereignty. Subsequently, the Somali parliament passed a bill banning DP World from Somalia.
