NAIROBI— A rift inside Somalia's troubled government intensified on
Wednesday as the president and prime minister traded accusations of abuse of
power, plunging the country deeper into a political crisis.
اضافة اعلان
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble
have publicly feuded in recent days over key national security appointments,
exposing fresh divisions in an administration that is behind on
elections and
threatened by an Islamist insurgency.
Roble on Wednesday accused the president, better known as Farmajo, of
obstructing a closely-watched inquiry into the disappearance of a young
intelligence agent, as the issue mushrooms into a power struggle between their
respective offices.
"That is a dangerous existential threat to the country's governance
system," said Roble, who described a pattern of interference in the
investigative remit of Somalia's justice agencies.
Roble angered the president by firing the head of the National Intelligence
and Security Agency (NISA) over his handling of the high-profile disappearance
case this week, and putting another man in charge.
Farmajo said the sacking was "illegal and unconstitutional" and
overruled his prime minister, naming another appointee to the top job, and
appointing the dumped intelligence chief as his national security adviser.
Tense capital
The public spat has raised the political temperature in Mogadishu, where
military units close to Farmajo's office were seen stationed outside NISA
headquarters.
"The situation is tense, and many in the agency are confused now. Some
senior officials seem to have taken sides," one NISA officer told AFP in
condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, journalists at state-run media outlets reported being instructed
not to broadcast messages from Farmajo, whose four-year mandate expired in
February before fresh elections were held.
"We have been told by the minister to stop reporting on matters from
the president's office related to the political conflict," a staffer at
the Ministry of Information told AFP on condition of anonymity.
A Swedish-trained civil engineer and political neophyte, Roble was appointed
prime minister by Farmajo in September last year after his predecessor was
ousted in a no-confidence vote by parliament.
But the two men have frequently clashed in recent months, with the row
threatening to throw an already fragile electoral process into deeper peril.
The international community has encouraged both leaders to focus on the
elections, which are already months behind schedule.
"We urge Somali leaders to de-escalate the political confrontation
surrounding this investigation and, in particular, avoid any actions that could
lead to violence," read a statement Tuesday issued by the UN Assistance
Mission in Somalia.
Election impasse
Farmajo's mandate was extended by parliament in April, setting off deadly
gun battles in the streets of Mogadishu.
Roble was appointed to ease the political tensions and deliver elections,
and a new timetable to a vote was cobbled together.
But the process fell behind, and Roble has accused Farmajo of trying to
reclaim "election and security responsibilities" from him.
Elections in Somalia follow a complex indirect model, whereby state
legislatures and clan delegates pick lawmakers for the national parliament, who
in turn choose the president.
The next phase is scheduled between October 1 and November 25.
Analysts say the election impasse has distracted from Somalia's larger
problems, most notably a violent insurgency being waged by Al-Shabaab.
The Al-Qaeda allies were driven out of Mogadishu a decade ago but retain
control of swathes of countryside, and the capability to stage deadly attacks.
Last week, NISA said the intelligence officer abducted near her home in June
was killed by the militants.
But the insurgents promptly — and unusually — denied any role in the
disappearance of 25-year-old Ikran Tahlil, whose family has accused NISA of
murdering her.
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