Saturday November 20, 2021
MOGADISHU (HOL) - Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Roble has fired his Foreign Affairs Minister in a mini cabinet reshuffle and replaced him with Villa Somalia chief of staff Abdisaid Muse Ali.
Mohamed Abdirizak was shown the door Saturday evening exactly a year after he was appointed to the post. The outspoken foreign affairs minister came to office on November 19, 2020.
The changes also saw the appointment of Mohamud Abdi Hassan alias Pekos as Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister.
In a sharp rejoinder following the sacking, Mohamed termed the dismissal a surprise but said he had earlier submitted his resignation.
“The story of my replacement is a surprise to me, as much as everyone else but follows my offer of resignation a week ago,” the immediate former minister said in a tweet. “ I will update everyone in due course but it has been a pleasure to serve the Somali nation and of course wish my replacement all the best.”
The circumstances surrounding the changes remain unclear.