What lies ahead for Somalia?

Relations between Somalia's Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and President Mohamed Farmajo deteriorated so quickly and the country now faces the risk of renewed violence because of an increasingly bitter stand-off between its president and prime minister.

Roble took on Somalia's powerful National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) last week, criticizing its handling of a high-profile investigation into the fate of a 25-year-old officer, Ikran Tahlil, whose disappearance prompted public outcry.

Tahlil's family has accused NISA of murdering her, a view backed by many Somalis who have taken to streets and social media to denounce the agency and demand justice.

When Roble fired the agency's director, Fahad Yasin, a close associate of Farmajo, the president reacted swiftly, first reinstating and then promoting his old friend to the position of national security adviser.

The prime minister responded by accusing Farmajo of "obstructing" the probe, and said the developments signaled "a dangerous existential threat to the country's governance system".

The public spat has raised tensions in Mogadishu, where military units close to Farmajo's office were seen stationed outside NISA headquarters Wednesday.

On Wednesday night, matters escalated further when Roble sacked security minister Hassan Hundubey Jimale and replaced him with a Farmajo critic, saying the move would "revitalise" the key ministry, which oversees all security, police and intelligence agencies.

The president wasted no time in firing back Thursday, calling the decision unconstitutional, while the dismissed minister accused Roble of dragging the country "into a new conflict".

On Wednesday night, matters escalated further when Roble sacked security minister Hassan Hundubey Jimale and replaced him with a Farmajo critic, saying the move would "revitalise" the key ministry, which oversees all security, police and intelligence agencies.

The president wasted no time in firing back Thursday, calling the decision unconstitutional, while the dismissed minister accused Roble of dragging the country "into a new conflict".

Many fear the spat will throw an already fragile electoral process into deeper peril.

When Farmajo was elected president of Somalia in February 2017, his supporters hoped he could be the answer to corruption and extremism in Africa's most notorious failed state.

But the veteran diplomat triggered a political crisis when he extended his mandate and failed to hold elections, and is now locked in a damaging standoff with Mohamed Hussein Roble, the man he appointed premier just a year ago.