MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre replaced his defence minister with the Minister of Commerce and Industry Jibril Abdirashid Hajion Monday as part of a broader cabinet reshuffle.
The appointments included new ministers of ports, trade, transport and sport, the office of the Prime Minister said in a statement. It gave no further details.
In recent weeks government forces and their allies have been struggling to contain an offensive by al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants bent on toppling the government and establishing their own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
(Reporting by Abdi Sheikh, Feisal Omar and Hereward Holland; Writing by Hereward Holland)
