MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo is facing mounting pressure to step down, days after he was accused by his Prime Minister of attempting to overthrow the government in a “failed coup attempt”, an assertion his spokesman has dismissed as groundless.
In a conference held in Mogadishu on Thursday to denounce the alleged coup attempt, dozens of politicians, elders and other intellectuals called on Farmajo to resign, nearly a year after his constitutional term expired.
In a stinging attack on the embattled Somali leader, ex-president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Farmajo exercised numerous attempts to plunge the country into civil war – from attacking the residences of opposition leaders to arranging a coup against the government’s civilian institutions – and “nothing left for him other than shooting himself”.
Farmajo must vacate the presidential compound immediately, knowing that “there is life after presidency”, Mohamud added.
The leader of Wadajir opposition party Abdirahman Abdishakur called on the President and the armed forces’ chiefs, who warned defense and security forces not to exceed their mandate and meddle in politics, to step down over their involvement in attempts to oust the Prime Minister and hijack the electoral process.
On Monday, US congresswoman Ilhan Omar called for the departure of Somali President from office as intensifying wrangling led to buildup of forces and military escalation.
“Farmaajo is a year past his mandate,” she tweeted. “It’s time for him to step aside, and for long overdue elections to proceed as soon as possible.”
Contact us: info@somaliguardian.com
