16-year-old Somali boy rejects state job

Feisal Abdullahi Omar, 16, who was appointed as deputy district commissioner. COURTESY PHOTO

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Omar says he was not consulted about the appointment, which are made by Somali clan leaders, and he wants to instead focus on his studies.

A sixteen-year-old Somali student has declined an appointment as deputy commissioner.
Faysal Abdullahi Omar was last week appointed by Hirshabelle State Interior minister Mohamed Ali Adle to the role in Jowhar region.
Jowhar is the headquarters of the south-eastern state of Hirshabelle.
The teenager told the media that taking up the role would make him a target for the Al-Shabaab militants, who continue to reign terror in the Horn of Africa state.
“I am still a student at Sheikh Hassan Barsane School in Jowhar. The minister of Interior Affairs sent me an appointment letter,” Omar told journalists.
“I want to resign from that post because I can’t manage it,” he added.
“I am making it clear that I am unable to perform that responsibility because you have seen the insecurity in the country.”