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| Africa Horn |
| Somalia President to resign |
| 2008-12-25 |
| Political turmoil is deepening in Somalia as President Abdullahi Yusuf decides to step down and is to announce his resignation on Saturday. "The president has already written his resignation letter and he is expected to announce it on the coming Saturday," Hussein Mohamed Mohamud, a presidential spokesman, told Reuters, declining to give a reason for the decision. The African Union has hailed the decision as a positive move for the peace process in the Horn of Africa nation. Yusuf has been accused by donor countries and regional governments of being an obstacle to UN-hosted peace talks. "The move is a dignified move on the part of the president. If his decision is to resign, I would congratulate him," said Nicolas Bwakira, the African Union Commission's Special Representative for Somalia. The announcement made by Yusuf's spokesman on Wednesday, came shortly after the resignation of Prime Minister Mohamed Mohamoud Guled. Yusuf sacked former Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein earlier this month and appointed Guled instead. The appointment had been promptly rejected by Parliament and the international community who backed Hussein. Saying he did not want to be an obstacle to peace in Somalia, Guled resigned eight days after the appointment. |
| Posted by:Fred |