• Mohamed Hussein Roble, the Prime Minister, previously stated that Francisco Madeira had been declared persona non grata for “acts that are incompatible with his status.”
• Roble said the AU representative had 48 hours to leave the country in a statement.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo of Somalia has dismissed a move by the country’s prime minister to expel the African Union’s special representa
ve.
Francisco Madeira had been declared persona non grata by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble earlier for engaging in “acts that are incompatible with his status.”
He said the AU representative had 48 hours to leave the country in a statement.
Mr Farmajo, however, dismissed the move, saying the government “doesn’t endorse any illegal action” and that “our foreign policy is not based on emotions and vested interests against Mr Madeira.”
The retaliation comes amid a tense relationship between President Farmajo and the prime minister that has lasted for years.
Political tensions between the two countries have been blamed for the prolonged delay in the conclusion of parliamentary elections that have been ongoing since February.
In 2015, Mr Madeira, a Mozambican, was appointed to the AU position.
The latest incident occurred just days after the United Nations Security Council and the African Union established the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia.
It will take the place of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), a 22,000-strong peacekeeping force that has been helping the Somali government fight al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab militants for the past 15 years.