Major shakeup in Somaliland cabinet ahead of March 2017 polls

President Silanyo who is expected to step down in March 2017 sent home 18 minister in a major cabinet shake-up Saturday. File Photo: Internet — President Silanyo who is expected to step down in March 2017 sent home 18 ministers in a major cabinet shake-up Saturday. File Photo: Internet

The president of the breakaway Somaliland Ahmed Mohamed Silaanyo made major changes to his cabinet Saturday with ministers being sacked or moved to other portfolios.

According to the new cabinet list, eight new ministers have joined the government, majority of them new faces to replace 18 others who were dropped.

The changes to the government affected key ministries including Water, Planning & International Cooperation and several others.

The 18 ministers were relived of their duties on charges of failing to deliver according to expectation despite there being no regulations or law that specifies cabinet conduct and performance.

The reshuffle which comes a year after the last cabinet shuffle caused by the bitter wrangles over President Silaanyo’s push for re-election, is one of the first major cabinet reshuffling done by Silaanyo.

Somaliland, a breakaway region in northern Somalia has been pushing for self determination for the last 25 years.

Despite lacking international recognition, Somaliland considers itself as an independent state after it declared a unilateral independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, employing its own government and army.