Somali President suspends PM over corruption allegations, election spats

Somali President Mohamed Farmajo said Monday he has suspended Prime Minister Mohamed Roble over corruption allegations.

Farmajo accused Roble of being involved in corruption and misuse of public lands in a statement, which came a day after he accused Roble of failing to steer the electoral process to a successful conclusion.

"The work and powers of the Prime Minister have been suspended pending an investigation," Farmajo said.

Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled will be the acting prime minister, Farmajo said, noting that Roble will remain suspended until the conclusion of the investigations into Roble.

Farmajo called on all government officials to refrain from misappropriating public lands and to abide by the laws and regulations of the country.

The president's statement came hours after Roble made two appointments, which Farmajo believed to be aimed at disrupting the ongoing investigations by the defense ministry.

Analysts say the current political rift between the two top leaders will again delay the electoral process slated to conclude by early 2022. Parliamentary elections which began on Nov. 1 have already been suspended after only 24 out of 275 lawmakers have been elected.
The country's electoral body had set December 24 as the deadline for the completion of the parliamentary elections.

(ANI/Xinhua)