The interim Somali government on Saturday rejected a last-ditch deal brokered by their parliament speaker to restart talks to avert war with a powerful Islamist movement threatening their slim authority. The decision came after a cabinet meeting about the agreement reached by parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan and the Islamists on Friday, seen as a last best hope at avoiding a conflict that could engulf the Horn of Africa. “The cabinet sees the speaker’s meeting with the Islamists as personal and one that is not representative of the government,” Information Minister Ali Ahmed Jama “Jangali” told Reuters, reading from a statement issued by the cabinet. Full Story
“The stated agreements are non-existent.”
