Somalia’s President Suspends Prime Minister Amid Election Spat
Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed states that he has suspended Prime Minister Hussein Roble’s powers, amid accusations of an “indirect coup” in between a protracted feud that has seen both leaders trade allegations over the holding up of parliamentary elections.
The move, which took place on Monday intensified a months-long constitutional crisis and incited fears of violence, prompting the United States to call for calm.
“The president decided to suspend [the] prime minister … and stop his powers since he was linked with corruption,” the office of the president disclosed in a statement, accusing Roble of interfering with an investigation into a land grabbing case.
It added that the marine forces commander was also currently under investigation for corruption and had been suspended.
In response, Roble’s office called the statement “outrageous”, saying on Twitter the attempt to “militarily take over” the office of the prime minister was in breach of the law.
In a separate post, it said Roble remained “fully committed to fulfilling his national responsibility to conduct an acceptable electoral process that culminates in a peaceful transition of power.”
Assistant Information Minister Abdirahman Yusuf Omar Adala called the president’s decision an “indirect coup.”
“What is going on this morning is [an] indirect coup but it will not win,” Adala posted on Facebook, adding that the deployment of security forces around Roble’s office would not stop the prime minister from carrying out his duties.
In a Twitter post later on Monday, the US embassy in Somalia said it “strongly” encouraged Somalia’s leaders “to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions in Mogadishu, refrain from provocative actions, and avoid violence”.
