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Somali premier resigns amid tension

21 September 2010 18:58 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Somali prime minister has stepped down following a weeks-long political turmoil and power struggle with President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, APA reports quoting Press TV.

Premier Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke said he resigned from his post as he was unable to work alongside the president.

"After seeing that the political turmoil between me and the president has caused security vulnerability, I have decided to resign to save the nation and give a chance to others," he said during a press conference on Tuesday.

The two leaders disagree over a new draft of the constitution.

Sharmarke added that he quit office to serve the interests of the nation at a critical juncture.

Analysts maintain that the longstanding political bickering between the two leaders had hampered the fight against al-Shabab fighters and militant groups in the country.

Somalia has been grappling with a deadly civil war that began after the collapse of its central government and the ouster of former president Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991.