Hassan Sheikh on the spot for "consolidating" power, sidelining senior officials

WASHINGTON , ( GO) - Even after the renaissance euphoria which brought him to power, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is on the receiving end of promoting state capture through consolidation of power, in which only inner circle members are allowed to execute crucial state responsibilities.

For a long time, Somalia presidents have been blamed for trusting few individuals in executing state responsibilities, with tangible evidence being when former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo used ex-spy chief Fahad Yasin to run errands on his behalf, triggering a revolution in the country.

During his first day visit to the US, Hassan Sheikh chose to work closely with his only trusted lieutenants, a move which critics argue that it's setting a wrong precedent in the country, which is fresh from the authoritarian rule as witnessed in Farmajo's stint in power. 

A photo taken at the Department of Defense in the US did not show Somalia's ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs in a meeting with State Department Secretary Antony Blinken and his Defense counterpart Llyod Austin III. However, they were directly responsible for the meeting.

Villa Somalia’s chief of staff Hussein Sheikh, state minister for presidency Abshir Bukhari, and state minister for foreign affairs Ali Omar [Ali Bal’ad], who are all close to the president, were in the talks. The three are junior compared to the ministers in charge of the departments.

State minister for foreign affairs Ali Omar [Ali Bal’ad], said to be the de facto head of the ministry, works directly with the president more than he would work with Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, who is the leader of the government and in charge of implementation.

Sources in Villa Somalia told Garowe Online that PM Hamza Abdi Barre is not even aware of some of the issues Mohamud discussed with US officials as most of the work is going on in the president’s office. It's the responsibility of the PM to coordinate government activities.

Last Thursday, during the weekly cabinet meetings, Garowe Online learned that the PM did not chair the conference despite having the responsibilities to do so. It's not clear why the PM decided to skip the meeting of his cabinet.

The political analysts warned of the negative consequences of the president’s power consolidation as Somalia is currently a federal country where power and resources are shared at the Federal and state levels. In the last government, state and FGS leadership were persistently at loggerheads.

This issue is expected to be felt in the next sessions of the Federal parliament, according to analysts, who argue that the president could be veering off the tradition of the country and the constitution, which has spelled the separation of powers within the executive.

Hassan Sheikh domiciled his campaigns on economic revival and effective operations against terror groups in the country, where he promised to respect the rule of law besides working harmoniously with all states. This is his second stint as the president of the federal government of Somalia. 

GAROWE ONLINE