MOGADISHU, Somalia Apr 24 (Garowe Online) - Somalia's interim government is embroiled in a bitter struggle for survival as upwards of 300 MPs seek to elect a new parliament Speaker. But a new dispute brewing between President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and Finance Minister Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden is worsening an already volatile situation, Radio Garowe reports.

Inside sources tell Somali news agency Garowe Online that Finance Minister Sharif Hassan has been secretly encouraging Somali MPs to pressure the resignation of parliament Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed "Madobe," who has been in power since Feb. 2007.

The sources add that the Finance Minister opposes parliamentary oversight and accountability regarding the management of government funds. Some MPs have already accused the Finance Minister of financial mismanagement, saying that the salary of lawmakers, troops, and civil servants is "missing."

President Sheikh Sharif [center] and Finance Minister Sharif Hassan [left]

African Union troops (AMISOM), who guard the Villa Somalia presidential compound in Mogadishu, were instructed to "forbid Cabinet ministers from entering the President’s office," according to reliable sources that chose not to be named in print for security reasons.

Accordingly, Cabinet ministers were instructed to hold their meetings at the office of Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake, according to AMISOM sources quoting Finance Minister Sharif Hassan.

Somali Information Minister Dahir Ghelle, who is a close friend of President Sheikh Sharif, was reportedly denied entry into the president's office by AMISOM peacekeepers.

When the President found out, AMISOM commanders informed him that the order to forbid Cabinet ministers came from the Finance Minister.

President Sheikh Sharif was "reminded" by the AMISOM commanders his previous statement declaring that AMISOM troops "should obey" the orders of the Finance Minister, who has been a close ally of the President until now.

The international community has expressed worry regarding the parliamentary dispute, where some 300 MPs led by some of Mogadishu's notorious ex-warlords, MP Mohamed Qanyare and MP Muse Sudi Yalahow, have called for a new Speaker's election.

Government delegations from Ethiopia and Djibouti have arrived in Mogadishu to mediate among Somalia's top government leaders.

Its not clear what happens next, but Finance Minister Sharif Hassan is playing a leading role in dividing the Somali transitional federal parliament in order to avoid financial accountability, which he fears will expose widespread corruption at the Ministry of Finance.

Somalia's current interim government is the 15th attempt by the international community to restore national order since the collapse of the central government in 1991.

Islamist insurgents have vowed to overthrow the government, which they accuse of being a puppet of the West. The Islamists want to create a new Islamic government for Somalia and impose their own version of Shari'ah law.

Upwards of 21,000 people have been killed since the insurgency began in early 2007.

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Source: Garowe Online