From: Yemane Natnael (yemane_natnael@yahoo.com)
Date: Sat Aug 02 2008 - 12:22:37 EDT
11 Somali ministers resign
Sat, 02 Aug 2008
Eleven
Somali cabinet ministers have resigned in an apparent attempt to topple
Nur Adde from his position as the country's prime minister.
It took less than 20 minutes for the government officials, who made
the announcement during a press conference at Radio Mogadishu near the
presidential villa, to relinquish their posts.
Anonymous sources told Press TV that the ministers had been given
large sums of money as an incentive for turning in their resignations,
in an effort to dislodge Adde as part of the ongoing feud between the
prime minister and the Somali President, Abdullah Yusuf.
The move comes only a few days after the Mayor of Mogadishu,
Mohamed Omar Habeb, was dismissed at the behest of the premier, only to
be reinstated by the president on August 1.
Yesterday, the group resignation was foreshadowed when ministers
released a statement saying," We cannot remain and take responsibility
for what has been done by the prime minister." The statement referred
to the alleged misuse of state funds by Adde.
The Horn of Africa country has been in chaos because of its violent
civil war. In 1991, the repressive leader Siad Barre, was deposed after
which the UN sent in peacekeepers to provide humanitarian aid and
attempt to stabilize the situation. The UN presence, which was welcomed
at first, was gradually viewed with suspicion and eventually led to
violence between peacekeepers and local gunmen, the most well known
incident being the Battle of Mogadishu. The UN withdrew in 1995 leaving
the country no better off than before.
Between 1998 and 2006 various self-proclaimed states rose in
Somalia and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) grew in strength until they
captured the capital in the Second Battle of Mogadishu. The growing
strength of the Islamic movement was followed with further warfare with
other factions such as the Transitional Federal Government, Puntland
and Galmudug and led to the intervention by US-backed Ethiopian forces
in the country.
On December 7, 2006 the leaders of the ICU resigned after the
Battle of Baidoa and the brief final action at Jowhar. In 2007, the US
intervened, conducting airstrikes against the Islamic group's
positions.
Currently infighting and clan warfare continue to plague the
country with no immediate end in sight and the current government
hanging by a thread.
Somalia has also been the focus of more than a dozen peace
initiatives, the most recent of which is a truce agreement, brokered by
the United Nations and signed on June 9 between the Transitional
Federal Government and the ICU movement.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=65424§ionid=351020501
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