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Rift threatens Somali government
[Al Jazeera] Somalia's prime minister could be forced from his post amid an escalating dispute with the Horn of Africa nation's president. Sharif Ahmed, the Somali president, called for "changes" to the UN-backed transitional government when parliamentarians met in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, on Wednesday. A motion calling for a vote of no-confidence in Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke, the prime minister, was then put forward and MPs will return on Thursday so the ballot can take place. Local media reported that Sharmarke had met ministers and MPs at the presidential palace in Mogadishu on Tuesday to discuss the dispute with Ahmed and said he would welcome a resolution to the situation but would not resign. "The dispute could not come at a worse time, the current situation in the country can not withstand such a fallout, during my travel abroad the dispute became even worse but I do not intend to resign, the parliament has not voted to withdraw its confidence," Sharmarke said. "That is why I am carrying on my duties. The parliament should be in full control over government bodies - that is the only way out of this crisis." The president previously moved to oust the prime minister in May but failed to win parliamentary support for his removal. The rift between Sharif Ahmed and Sharmarke has worried United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society, African Union and regional officials, prompting them to warn that the dispute threatens the already fragile government and would assist groups seeking to topple the administration. "The current divisions between the leadership of Somalia's Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) are unhelpful and potentially very damaging," a joint statement was signed by Augustine Mahiga, the UN chief's special representative for Somalia, Boubacar Diarra, his counterpart from the African Union, and Kipruto arap Kirwa from the regional body IGAD, said. Posted by: Fred 2010-09-16 |
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