Somalia PM Hamza Abdi Barre set to reshuffle his cabinet

MOGADISHU, Somalia - For the second time this year, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre is set to reshuffle the cabinet, Garowe Online understands, with the special target being on the strategic Foreign Affairs docket, which runs the foreign policy of the country.

The minor reshuffle shall affect Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, the foreign affairs minister and a close ally of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. He is likely to be moved to the Defence Ministry, the sources said.

The Foreign Ministry portfolio is expected to be handed to a Somali-American figure with close ties to the U.S. Republican Party, in a strategic move aimed at strengthening the federal government’s relations with the Trump administration, sources said.

A political standoff has emerged within the federal government over the appointment of the next foreign minister, as rival factions back competing candidates.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre supports Abdisalan Ali Abdi, the 2nd Deputy Prime Minister, for the post. He believes that Ali has enough experience to handle the complex foreign affairs matters.

Meanwhile, State Minister Ali Omar Balcad, a relative of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and a close confidant, is pushing for an American national with ties to the U.S. Republican Party. President Donald Trump is keen to support Somalia in fighting violent extremism.

The government of the US has been supporting Somalia in the fight against Al-Shabaab and ISIS militants, with President Donald Trump confirming the airstrike in Puntland, which killed a senior official attached to the Islamic State militants.

The US army also trains the Danab Special Forces, who are also critical in the fight against Al-Shabaab militants. The government of Somalia is fighting to defeat the al-Shabaab militants who control the central and southern regions.

GAROWE ONLINE