Two thirds of Somali ministers threaten to quit
02 August, 2008
MOGADISHU (AFP) - Two thirds of Somalia's cabinet threatened to resign Saturday over alleged misuse of state resources by the prime minister, opening a fresh political rift and undermining fledgling truce efforts.
"We cannot remain and share responsibility for what has been done by the prime minister," said a statement carrying the names of 10 out of 15 government ministers, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
Only six of the 10 ministers are currently in Mogadishu and the prime minister himself said no official resignation had yet been tendered.
"Ten ministers including myself have so far resigned from the government of Nur Adde (Hasan Husein) and two of them are deputy prime ministers," Minister for Women's and Family Affairs Qadijo Mohamed Diriye told AFP.
"No initiatives were launched in parliament for the last seven months and there was a total misuse of the nation's resources, while the government also failed to ensure security," the statement said.
The prime minister held a press conference in Mogadishu later Saturday, stressing that he had not yet received any resignation letters.
"I did not get official resignation letters from the ministers... I appointed them with official letters and they should bring official letters to leave the job," he told reporters.
The move comes only days after the premier sacked Mogadishu Mayor Mohamed Omar Habeb on corruption charges. But the mayor defied Nur Hasan Husein's order, claiming that it was President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed's decision.
Habeb, a former warlord who ruled the country's Middle Shabelle region before being ousted by Islamists in 2006, was appointed mayor of the violence-torn capital last year.
The latest row created a rift in the government, reflecting tensions between supporters of the president and those of the prime minister.
The fresh crisis in war-torn Somalia comes amid efforts by international and Somali brokers to press on with a peace process aimed at ending the civil fighting that has killed thousands of people in recent months.
Ethiopian troops came to the rescue of Somalia's embattled and internationally-backed transitional government in late 2006, ousting an Islamist militia that had briefly controlled large parts of the country.
Islamist insurgents have since waged a deadly guerrilla war against government targets, Ethiopian forces and African Union peacekeepers.
Civilians have borne the brunt of the fighting, with international rights groups and aid agencies saying that at least 6,000 were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced over the past year alone.
The Horn of Africa nation has been plagued by civil fighting and defied more than a dozen peace initiatives since the 1991 ouster of former president Mohamed Siad Barre led to chaos.
The United Nations sponsored a new peace initiative which led to the signing on June 9 in Djibouti of a truce agreement between the government and the main Islamist-dominated opposition movement.
But the deal led to a split in the opposition, with hardliners insisting Ethiopian troops should leave before negotiations start.
The build-up to the truce agreement -- which has yet to have any substantial impact on the ground -- also sparked tensions between the prime minister and the president, officials have said.
The threatened resignations fueled speculation that parliament could table a motion of no confidence against Nur Hasan Husein, but the prime minister denied he was on the way out.
"This move has been organised by individuals who are against the peace process conducted by the government," he told the press conference.
"I'm not planning to resign unless the parliament that approved my nomination decides to dismiss me."