COUP BY STEALTH

Somalia’s President Accused of Carrying Out ‘Indirect Coup’ After Suspending Prime Minister

The U.S. Embassy urged de-escalation from both sides after the suspension.

Somalia’s president has been accused of attempting to stage an “indirect coup” after suspending his prime minister over allegations that he stole land from the nation’s army. On Monday, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed announced that he was suspending Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Roble in the latest round in a long-running power struggle between them. Roble’s office described the president’s move as “outrageous” and said he’d carry on as prime minister. “What is going on this morning is [an] indirect coup but it will not win,” the prime minister’s ally, assistant information minister Abdirahman Yusuf Omar Adala, wrote on Facebook. The U.S. Embassy urged de-escalation from both sides in the nation, writing in a statement: “We strongly urge Somalia’s leaders to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions in Mogadishu, refrain from provocative actions and avoid violence.”