MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Reports from the town of Baidoa in south Somalia’s Bay region say a dispute has erupted between the regional president Abdiasis Mohamed Laftagaren and the federal Minister of Justice Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, as political wrangling intensifies in the Horn of Africa nation ahead of elections, Caasimada Online news website reported on Wednesday.
It came after months of tensions between the two officials, but their dispute surfaced after the regional president banned the minister, who comes from the region, from arriving the town of Baidoa, the seat of power for Somalia’s Soutwest state.
Somali Minister of Justice paid a visit to key towns in the regional state without Laftagaren’s authorization, drawing rebuke from one of Somalia’s most feared regional presidents, who publicly boasts about achievements to crash dissent.
In a speech delivered weeks ago, Laftagaren said his administration would deal with opposition politicians vying for parliamentary seats in the upcoming polls just like the fighters of the Al-Qaeda-aligned militant group Al-Shabaab.
Nur and Laftagaren’s wrangling reached new heights weeks after rift between the Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo – a key supporter of the Southwest president who had inserted him in power by a military force – and the Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble came to public attention.
Contact us: info@somaliguardian.com
