President of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed stated Monday that he is suspending Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, widening the political schism between the country’s top officials.
According to a spokeswoman for President Mohamed, also known as Farmajo, the move was taken in response to an investigation into an illegal acquisition of public land involving Prime Minister Roble.
The prime minister accused Mohamed of obstructing parliamentary elections, prompting Roble’s suspension.
Earlier this year, the feuding leaders agreed to enable 101 delegates to choose members of parliament, who would then choose the future head of state.
Observers fear that the feud between Farmajo and Roble will divert attention away from the ongoing threat posed by the al Shabab insurgent group, which has fought the central government in an attempt to seize power and impose sharia law in Somalia, which has been wracked by chaos and conflict since the overthrow of former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
