Somalia sacks defense minister, close friend of Turkey: What to know
Somalia’s prime minister announced a major overhaul of a slew of cabinet positions, including that of the country’s defense minister who has spearheaded closer ties with Turkey.
As part of a broader cabinet shake-up, Somalia has replaced its Defense Minister Abdiqadir Mohamed Nur— reportedly due to US pressure over the minister’s ties to Turkey.
What happened: Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre announced on Monday a major cabinet reshuffle ahead of his unveiling of a five-year National Transformation Plan, which includes government reform and economic recovery plans.
The reshuffle included a host of new ministers, but the most surprising replacement was that of Nur, who was reassigned as minister of ports and maritime transport. His replacement, Jibril Abdirashid Hajion, was previously Somalia’s minister of commerce and industry.
The news website Middle East Eye, citing two sources familiar with the situation, reported that the reassignment of Nur was the result of repeated pressure from US military officials who were concerned about Nur’s leadership in advancing military collaboration with Turkey, as well as the lack of coordination with US forces in and around Somalia.
