Somali president suspends premier’s power to hire, fire officials

By Magdalene Mukami

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Thursday suspended the prime minister’s power to hire and fire officials, accusing him of taking “rush and hasty decisions.”

This came after Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Roble removed Internal Security Minister Hassan Hundubey Jimale last week and replaced him with Abdullahi Mohamed Nur.

According to the presidency, there were "no working relations between the president and the prime minister."

Tensions mounted between Mohamed and Roble after they chose different individuals to head the country’s spy agency earlier this month.

Last week, the prime minister suspended Fahad Yasin, director of the spy agency, saying he failed to provide reliable evidence of investigations into the alleged killing on an intelligence agent in June.

Roble appointed Bashir Mohamed Jama as the agency's interim head, while the president named Yasin Abdullahi Mohamed.

The presidency accused the prime minister of infringing the country’s constitution by overstepping his mandate.

The escalating rift between the top political leaders has caught the attention of foreign missions amid heightened political tensions in the country.

Foreign missions and the UN in a joint statement called on the two leaders to resolve their differences, saying the rift could derail the ongoing election process.