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Somali Leaders Tussle Over Expulsion of AU Envoy

Somalia's Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Roble expelled the African Union representative Francisco Madeira on April 7, 2022 because of acts incompatible with his status. The order has however been rejected by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo - signalling a new rift between the two Somali leaders.

The prime minister's office said the African Union representative must leave within 48 hours. It did not give details of what Madeira had done that led to the expulsion.

The expulsion order looked set to worsen a political dispute between Roble and the president, which Somalia's supporters worry will distract from its campaign against Al-Shabaab militant group.

Mohamed's office said in a post on Twitter it was the custodian of Somalia's sovereignty and said Roble's order to expel Madeira was an "illegitimate and reckless decision from an unauthorised office".

The two have had a long-running dispute with the latest focus of their rivalry being the delayed parliamentary elections.

The parliamentary elections involve clan elders picking the 275 members of the lower house by an April 15, 2022 deadline. They will then choose a new president.

InFocus

AMISOM Photo / Mokhtar Mohamed / Flickr

The Prime Minister of Somalia, Mohamed Hussein Roble.

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