The President of Somalia Abdullahi Mohamed on Thursday suspended the powers of Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble in the latest power struggle between the two leaders.
The president, also known as Farmajo, accused the Prime Minister of making rush decisions, not having good relations with his office, and violating the constitution.
He cited Articles 87 and 90 of Somalia’s provisional constitution to justify his decision to cut Roble’s powers.
The power struggle comes just days after the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed visited Mogadishu on Monday and called on both men to work towards peaceful elections. The long-delayed presidential elections are set for November.
The decree from the president’s office also halted Roble’s powers of hiring and firing pending the completion of the country’s election process.
Farmajo and Roble have been at odds over the firing Monday of former National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Director Fahad Yassin who was dismissed in connection with the investigation into the disappearance of female spy Ikran Tahlil Farah last June.
NISA had said that Farah was abducted and killed by terrorist group al-Shabab but the militants have denied any involvement.
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.