There have been protests at a London conference on the development of Somalia's oil and gas reserves.
Demonstrators accused the government of trying to illegally sell offshore oil exploration zones.
The upper house of Somalia's parliament has boycotted the event, saying there is no agreement yet on how resources will be shared.
The government says the conference is only a presentation of geological findings and the regulatory framework.
It insists that a planned auction of oil blocks has been postponed.
Several days ago, the director-general of Somalia's petroleum ministry told the media that the government was inviting offers from bidders.
(Published by BBC, February 07, 2019)