Farmajo skips Guelleh's inauguration amid strained relations

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The Prime Minister of Somalia Mohamed Hussein Roble has arrived in Djibouti on Friday ahead of President Ismail Omar Guelleh’s inauguration on Saturday.

Roble joins his Ethiopian and Rwandan counterparts Abiy Ahmed and Édouard Ngirente respectively, President Muse Bihi of Somaliland, and other dignitaries invited to the swearing-in ceremony.

On Saturday morning, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has arrived in Djibouti, the capital city of the Republic of Djibouti, to attend the inauguration of President Ismail Omar Guelleh.

Somalia’s outgoing president Farmajo skipped the inauguration, showing his strained ties with regional leaders, including Djibouti and Kenya, accusing them of meddling in his country without any evidence.

Djibouti’s longtime Guelleh won the election with a landslide, securing a fifth term in office amid allegations from opposition parties that he hijacked the tiny country’s democracy.

Guelleh, 73, received more than 98% of the 177,391 votes cast in April 2021, defeating his only rival, a political novice and businessman Zakaria Ismail Farah.

Some people protested a change in Djibouti's constitution earlier in 2011 that allowed Guelleh to seek unlimited terms. He has led the small east African nation since 1999.

GAROWE ONLINE