Somali premier suspends intelligence chief; president objects

Reuters
·1 min read

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's prime minister on Monday suspended the intelligence chief, a move the president called unconstitutional.

The dispute over Fahad Yasin, the director of Somalia's National Intelligence Service Agency (NISA), erupted after days of tension in the capital Mogadishu over the mysterious death of Ikran Tahlil Farah, a female NISA officer, more than two months ago.

Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Roble announced he had suspended Yasin and named another official to temporarily lead the agency, after Yasin declined his request on Saturday to deliver a report within 48 hours on Farah's death.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed then issued his own statement saying the prime minister's move was unconstitutional. "(Yasin) should continue being the director of NISA," the statement read.

(Reporting by Abdi Sheikh, Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Maggie Fick and Kevin Liffey)