Prime Minister Roble reluctantly
upstages Farmajo
Propelled into the limelight by the negotiations that resulted in
an electoral agreement on 27 May, the Somalian prime minister
Mohamed Hussein Roble is increasingly being seen as presidential
material by certain regional leaders.
Somalian Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble. © @SomaliPM/Twitter
Somewhat despite himself, the Somalian prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble
has found himself cast as the new man of the moment. Weakened and under
intense pressure, the incumbent president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, aka
Farmajo, whose term officially expired on 8 February, was last month forced to
send Roble into battle to negotiate an electoral agreement with the presidents of
Somalia’s five federal member states in the capital Mogadishu (AI, 01/06/21).
Roble acquitted himself impressively and, although he has repeatedly stated that
he harbours no presidential ambitions, several observers now see him as a viable
successor to Farmajo.
They include the Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta and his Djiboutian
counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh (IOG), who would be more than happy to see
Roble installed at the Villa Somalia, the president’s official residence in
Mogadishu. Kenyatta is at daggers drawn with his northern neighbour, and
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