Somali PM urges ministers to keep out of political crisis | Africa | Worldbulletin News

Somali PM urges ministers to keep out of political crisis | Africa | Worldbulletin News

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed on Monday called on his ministers to keep out of his political dispute with  President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and asked them to concentrate on doing their jobs.
The call came as a response to a petition signed by 14 of his ministers to step down over his differences with the country's president.
In a statement issued by his office, Ahmed said that the petition signed by the 14 ministers had not reached his office, expressing regret over the gesture.
He also called on the signatories not to "become a tool for negating the constitution and state institutions."
Earlier Monday, 14 Somali ministers urged the premier to step down as a way out of an ongoing political crisis that pitted the premier against the country's president.
"Differences between [Somali] President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and his prime minister have had a negative impact on the functioning of the government," a statement that carried the signatures of 14 out of the cabinet's 25 ministers said.
"Therefore, we call on the prime minister to step down for the good of the country, which is facing a serious crisis," the statement added.
Among the signatories to the statement are the ministers of interior, justice, foreign affairs, defense and finance.
The crisis erupted when Ahmed objected to an "unconstitutional" cabinet reshuffle carried out last month by Mohamud, calling on outgoing cabinet officials to ignore the move and carry on with their duties.
On Tuesday, the Somali parliament postponed a session convened to discuss a proposed motion to withdraw confidence from the prime minister.
The session was delayed after opposition MPs chanted slogans against the notion, prompting the parliament speaker to postpone the session indefinitely, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter.
Earlier this month, both the European Union and UN called on the president and prime minister to end their political differences.
Somalia has remained in the grip of on-again, off-again violence since the outbreak of civil war in 1991.
Yet, the country appeared to inch closer to stability this year after government troops and African Union forces drove the Al-Shabaab group from most of its strongholds.