The President of the Federal Government of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ‘Farmajo’, is expected to fly out of the country, Tuesday, on an invitation from the Prime Minister of Federal Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed.
Not much of the content of the invitations has been disclosed except that it generally indicates a regrouping of the three leaders of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia whose previous meetings had generated much speculation and controversy.
The departure of Mr. Farmajo, Somalia media has been quick to note, has coincided with the existence of conditions that needed his and his prime minister’s personal attention.
For one, the country is still reeling from the shock and pain of a devastating raid and subsequent siege Al Shabaab conducted in Mogadishu killing an estimated number of over 40 civilians and security agents at Muka Mukarrama Hotel in Mogadishu – a stone’s throw from Villa Somalia, their seat.
In Galmudug State, Farmajo has, as he did before in the Southwest, started to assert his influence using NISA and other specially trained units to capture Adado town – the second seat of that State’s administration. He has also ordered that the State budget supplement the FGS allocated it be deactivated.
A less covered event but, if confirmed far more consequential, falls into this bracket of time, too. The president of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Ghuelleh, marking a commemoration of his party the RPP, has invited regional governments, including the Republic of Somaliland, but has, pointedly left out Somalia. Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Kenya were among the invitees.
The planned departure of the president also coincides with a time PM Kheyre is out of the country. The PM flew out of Mogadishu Sunday – barely 12 hours after the Muka Mukarrama siege was brought to a close.
Observers have voiced their concern stating that the three top leaders of the Federal government – the President, the PM, and the Parliament House Speaker – are virtually living on planes appearing to be on a race on who collects the most boarding pass stubs.
Farmajo’s expected visit to Ethiopia will be his second to that country within three weeks.
