Somalia's president appoints lawmaker Hamza Abdi Barre as PM

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has appointed lawmaker Hamza Abdi Barre as the country's prime minister with a mandate to form next government.

"The president wishes the new PM utmost success as he leads the government's ambitious reform agenda and calls on Somali people to render him their unwavering support," the presidency said on Twitter on Wednesday.

The 48-year-old MP from the southern state of Jubaland replaces Mohamed Hussein Roble.

"I am very happy that I have your confidence Mr President, and this shows that you believe I can be trusted with this huge task," Barre told a joint news conference, promising "to work day and night" at the job.

"I took this decision after recognising Hamza's knowledge, experience, and ability," Mohamoud told journalists.

"I also ask the new prime minister to accelerate his priority tasks which include issues such as security, droughts, reconciliation ... and to work on improving the country's relationship with the rest of the world," he added.

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Past political tensions

Mohamoud - who previously served as president between 2012 and 2017 - unveiled his choice for prime minister just six days after he was inaugurated at a ceremony in Mogadishu attended by several regional heads of state.

Barre, whose name had circulated widely on social media before his appointment was officially announced, was voted in as an MP in December in Kismayo, the commercial capital of Jubaland, in a long-delayed election process.

Barre has served in several public and political roles and from 2011 to 2017 he was secretary general of the Peace and Development Party (PDP), the precursor to the Union for Peace and Development (UDP) now led by Mohamoud.

With a background in research and academia, the new premier has also been involved in the education sector, co-founding Kismayo University and leading a community-based network that aimed to rebuild the country's schooling system after it was battered by the violence.

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