ِِAccusing fingers pointed at Somalia's Farmaajo

The assassination of the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency employee, Ikram Tahlil Faleh, overshadows the fragile security situation in Somalia, amid accusations to former intelligence chief, Fahd Yassin, a close associate of outgoing president Farmaajo, of being implicated in her assassination.

The escalation comes to deflect attention from Yassin’s responsibility for Ikram's killing. However, the crisis may draw attention to other infringements committed by the former intelligence chief, especially his suspicious relations with terrorist groups.

Reacting to the developments, Ikram's mother said the President’s actions amounted to interference into the investigation of her daughter’s death and accused Farmaajo of obstructing the investigation process.

The case garnered more attention when Al Shabaab released a statement denying its involvement in Ikram’s murder. Furthermore, her parents accused NISA of her murder and Farmaajo of trying to cover up the crime, a view backed by many Somalis, who have taken to social media to criticize the agency and its role.

The Somali prime minister, Mohamed Hussein Roble fired Yassin over the assassination of Ikram and accused him of mixing politics and security and ordered him to hand over power.

But in a row threatening to derail Somalia’s election process, Farmaajo issued a statement rejecting the prime minister’s decision, calling it “illegal and unconstitutional”.

The presidency asked Yassin, a former Al-Jazeera journalist, to continue leading the agency as per the presidential decree through which he was appointed.

Opposition groups and some regional leaders have backed the prime minister and called on the president to respect the law; while observers warn of a return to April’s political stalemate when armed opposition forces took positions in the capital Mogadishu, protesting against presidential term extension.