Somali spy agent death triggers a political crisis

Tension between outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and Prime Minister Moham,ed Hussein Roble appear to be increasing after Roble dismissed Fahad Yasin, the head of National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) and directed Bashir Mohamed Gobe to assume the office as an acting.

The suspension of Fahad came hours after the prime minister met the family of the late Ikran Tahlil Farah who worked with NISA as a cybersecurity expert until her abduction in June this year.

Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble said NISA's report naming Al-Shabaab as the culprit was "not convincing and lacks sufficient evidence". The Al-Qaeda-aligned militant group Al-Shabaab distanced itself from the murder of the female spy agent, hours after the Somali Intelligence Agency blamed the group for the woman’s death.

In a statement by Villa Somalia, president Farmaajo citing number of articles in the constitution, dismissed the directive by prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, a move that could widen the difference between the two top leaders of the federal government. Farmaajo directed Yasin to remain in office.

Ikran's disappearance raised a storm with her family constantly asking the government to explain her disappearance. News of her disappearance circulated widely on mainstream and social media.

The leader of Wadajir opposition party Abdirahman Abdishakur called on the prime minister to dismiss Mr Yasin, order a thorough probe into his alleged role in the disappearance of Ikran Tahlil and restrict his movement.

Fahad Yasin’s ex-deputy said on Friday that the spy chief is planning to arrest an officer in charge of the notorious Jilo’ow Prison in Mogadishu in an effort to clear himself of any involvement in Ikran’s disappearance.

Tensions have been high in central Somalia’s Baladwayne town since Friday following the agency’s claim that the young female spy was dead. 

For months, the mysterious disappearance of Ikran Tahlil raised few eyebrows in elite circles, but now the young woman's fate threatens to trigger a major political crisis, with the president and prime minister at loggerheads.