DP World construction manager in Somalia assassinated by Islamist group

A construction manager working on a port project in the Somalian town of Bossasso has today been shot dead by an attack claimed by Islamist group al-Shabaab.

Paul Formosa, 52, was employed by UAE port operator DP World on a scheme to develop the port in northeast Somalia’s Puntland state. The company payed $336m to take over the port on a 30-year concession in 2017.

Mohamed Dahir, an official at the port, told Agence France-Presse: “An armed man shot and killed Paul Anthony Formosa who was the construction project manager for DP World. He was killed inside the port and the security forces also shot the killer on the spot.”

Later reports suggested that there had been two gunmen, both disguised as fishermen, who shot Mr Formosa at a fish market as he was traveling to the port.

Formosa, a Maltese national, was manager at Bossasso for P&O Ports, a subsidiary of the Dubai-based DP World. According to his profile on LinkedIn, had been in the position since August 2017.

A witness, Abdukadir Weheliye, said he heard several shots coming from inside the port and then saw the body of a white man being taken away in an ambulance.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, a spokesman for al-Shabaab, said: “We had warned him but he turned deaf ear. He was illegally in Somalia.”

Further reading:

• Ethiopia and Somalia agree joint development of four seaports
• Surge in building projects after 21 years of anarchy
• Peace dividend: Eritrea to build a new port by 2025
• DP World to invest $440m in Somaliland port