Mr Mudey, a long-time ally of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, told local media he was stopped from boarding a plane in Mogadishu on the orders of the South-West state regional administration.

Barawe is in South-West state.

But the privately-owned Hiiraan Online news portal said that “the order to prevent Mr Mudey from travelling was reportedly issued by Fahad Yasin", President Farmajo's security adviser.

Neither Mr Yasin nor the South-West state administration have commented on the accusations.

The development comes as a 25 February deadline looms for the completion of long-delayed legislative elections.

Last week, the US announced visa restrictions on unnamed Somali politicians it accused of "undermining the democratic process in Somalia".