PM Allies appeal to Ethiopia for intervention

Mogadishu, Somalia (Somali Agenda)–Parliamentarians loyal to embattled Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed have written a letter to Ethiopian Foreign Minister and current chair of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Tedros Adhanom requesting his interference on Somalia’s ongoing political crisis. The letter signed by Abdi Ahmed Dhuxulow an ally of the Prime Minister comes a month after Somalia’s latest political quagmire erupted.

Earlier this week, parliamentarians loyal to the Prime Minister successfully disrupted a debate on a motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister for the third time in a row.

The letter hints that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of pursuing politics of “zero-sum game.” Accusing the president of ignoring constitutional separations of power, the letter threatens an impeachment procedures against the president if he does not relent and come to the negotiating table.

The current political gridlock was triggered after the Prime Minister moved Farah Sheikh Abdulqadir, the powerful Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister to a less prominent role. Critics say the Prime Minister’s action was a calculated move to shape the International Community backed Vision 2016 objectives and influence the upcoming elections in 2016 by taking key presidential allies from critical decision-making positions. The Prime Minister has previously sacked the director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Abdullahi Ahmed Ali, another key ally of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.