Somalia PM bans state media from publishing Farmaajo's statements

The state media delated a statement from Farmaajo's office on the appointments [File Photo]

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's state media has been caught in the infighting between Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, in what would potentially compromise the dissemination of information.

For years, the Somali National Television [SNTV] and the state wire agency Sonna have been carrying out stories from all state departments, broadcasting them, and even publishing on their various social media platforms.

But this seemed to be different on Tuesday, as the country tries to come to terms with the death of Ikran Tahlil, a junior employee within the National Intelligence Security Agency [NISA], an incident that has caused ripples within the government.

A statement issued by Farmaajo was initially published on the state media social media sites before being hastily being pulled down minutes later. The president had announced changes within the security departments including the spy agency.

"Mr. Abdisaid Muse Ali is the new Chief of Staff of the Presidency. Mr. Fahad Yassin is the new National Security Adviser to the President. Colonel Yasin Abdullahi Mohamud, is the Commander of the National Security and Intelligence Agency [Acting]," read part of the statement.

This came hours after PM Mohamed Hussein Roble sacked NISA boss Fahad Yasin, replacing him with Lieutenant General Bashir Mohamed Jamah alias Goobe. But the changes made by Farmaajo which contradicts the position of the PM were not published by the state media.

But a journalist with the state media told VOA that officials at the Ministry of Information ordered them not to air or publish President Farmaajo’s new statement about the appointments and changes made at NISA. It's not clear why the decision was made.

And Garowe Online has since established that PM Mohamed Hussein Roble banned the state media from "publishing contradicting statements" by the president. Most news outlets including the independent media depend on the state media for feeds.

This now confirms that the dispute between President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and PM Roble has escalated to other departments, potentially ruining governing of the country. Already, Roble has accused Farmaajo of using Ikran Tahlil's death to disrupt elections.

Roble maintained that Lieutenant General Bashir Mohamed Jamah remains the acting NISA director as he tasked him to lead investigations into Ikran's death. It's not clear what will be the next course of action as the country's politics shift from bad to worse.

GAROWE ONLINE