MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble declared the Special Representative of the African Union Chairperson Francisco Madeira persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 48 hours.
“The office of the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia has the honor to notify the AU Commission Chairperson that the Somali Government declares the Special Representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson for Somalia (SRCC), Ambassador Francisco Madeira persona non grata,” Somali Premier said in a statement.
“The Somali Government requests the AU Commission to recall Ambassador Francisco Madeira and comply with this request. We welcome the new AU Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and looking forward to working with the new mission head.”
Madeira, a Mozambican who was named to the office in 2015, has been accused of “engaging in acts that are incompatible with his status”.
A leaked audio seemed to show him launch a stinging attack on the Somali Prime Minister, two former presidents and their tribe while at the same time defending the incumbent President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s use of military force against his opponents and in alleged attempts to tighten his grip on power.
Somali President said he did not authorize the move announced by the Prime Minister and invalidated the decision to expel Madeira, months after reports emerged that both men had been secretly cooperating on efforts to crack down on opposition.
“[Farmajo] has received no complaints of interference with its sovereignty and doesn’t endorse illegal action against Amb. Francisco Madeira. Our Foreign policy is not anchored on emotions and vested interests and we value all our state-building process partners,” Somali President said in a statement.
“As an AU founding member, Somalia deeply appreciates AU’s solid role and sacrifice in contributing to Somalia’s peace and stability.”
The embattled Somali leader also instructed Ministry of Foreign Affairs “to convey FGS’s apologies to the AU on the illegitimate and reckless decision from an authorized office”.
On Tuesday, Roble said there were strong local and foreign coalitions working to undermine his government’s last-ditch efforts to conclude ongoing parliamentary polls on schedule and urged Somalis to unify their stance in countering an “invasion” on the country. read more
Hours later, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) published a tweet, saying the Al-Qaeda-aligned militant group Al-Shabaab had plotted assassination attempts on the President and Prime Minister, in what opposition figures labeled a pretext for takeover of power by Farmajo. read more
Somali President has been accused of planning to seize power in a military coup amid an escalating political wrangling with the Prime Minister as he continues meetings with military officials. Several officers have been promoted and a number of others sacked over the past weeks, triggering alarm that preparations for “coup attempt” might have been underway amid brewing tensions. read more
Security of the Premier’s office has been beefed up with additional Somali troops and African Union peacekeepers deployed after warning by the spy agency. Roble attended a meeting held at his request with foreign ambassadors in Mogadishu on Tuesday to inform them that he would hastily shake up the armed forces to prevent potential threats.
Al-Shabaab mocked the statement issued by the Somali intelligence agency and said it will not be dragged into a power fight between the Horn of Africa country’s most powerful leaders. read more
In November, Somalia declared African Union deputy envoy Simon Mulungo persona non grata, with the government threatening at the time that it “will hold accountable AMISOM personnel, particularly those at the leadership level, who are expected to be beyond reproach in their integrity”. There were allegations that Farmajo and Madeira had cooperated on the expulsion of the Ugandan diplomat. read more
Contradictory statements issued by offices of Somali leaders are a sign of heightening dispute over the ongoing elections. Roble is trying to stop Fahad Yasin – the President’s right-hand man – from joining the new parliament while Farmajo continuous to mobilize support from his allies to force the Premier step back.
Speaking at a prayer ceremony held last week for late opposition MP Amina Mohamed, Roble pointed finger at the allies of the President, including Mr Yasin, whom he accused of sending him threats days before she was killed. He linked the assassination to the murder of a female spy Ikran Tahlil last year whose disappearance had been blamed on the Somali spy agency. read more
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