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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Sep 15 2010 - 16:05:39 EDT
Rift threatens Somali government
A dispute between Somali president and prime minister might lead to the weak
government collapsing, UN and AU have said.
Last Modified: 15 Sep 2010 12:23 GMT
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.
'Potentially damaging'
The rift between Sharif Ahmed and Sharmarke has worried United Nations,
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.
"Those who stood to gain the most from the current divisions were the
extremists who were fighting to take control of the country."
The three diplomats visited the Somali capital last week to try to mediate
between the leaders but as they were holding talks with Sharif the airport
where they were meeting came under attack from armed men and suicide
bombers.
The attack was blamed on the al-Shabab group, which has vowed to topple the
transitional government.
The government holds little sway beyond a few blocks of the capital, while
vast areas of the city and the country are under the control of al-Shabab
and other militia groups.
Mogadishu witnesses almost daily clashes between the groups and government
forces backed by a contingent of more than 5,000 African Union troops.
The transition period set out for the Somali government, which came to power
in 2009, ends next August, but the UN secretary-general said on Tuesday that
the tasks it was established to achieve remain largely unachieved.
"As Somalia's transition period approaches its end, I am concerned that the
transitional agenda remains largely unfulfilled," Ban Ki-moon said in a
report to the UN security council.
"Unity within the Transitional Federal Institutions remains critical for
confidence-building among Somalis and the international community. Now is
the time for the Transitional Federal Institutions to show determination to
complete the transitional tasks."
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