Speculations on the sacking of Tarsan has been circulating over the past few days after a string of Al-Shabab bombings in Mogadishu.
By Shafi’i Mohyaddin
Friday, February 28, 2014
Mogadishu, Somalia (HOL) - Somali President Hassan Sheik Mahmoud has fired Mr Mahmoud Ahmed Nur “Tarsan” who has served as mayor of the capital since 2010. The president has appointed Brigadier General Hassan Mohamed Hussein (Muungaab) as the new mayor of Mogadishu and governor of the Banadir region.
The appointment comes after several months of speculations that the president was about to replace the former mayor who is seen by many as the most hard-working mayor of the Somali capital since the collapse of the central government in 1991.
The new mayor was appointed in a presidential decree circulated to the media by the presidential palace’s directorate of communication on Thursday.
“After listening to the consultations and suggestions by the prime minister and the minister of interior, President Hassan Sheik Mahmoud has taken the decision to appoint Brigadier General Hassan Mohamed Hussein (Muungaab) as the new mayor and governor of the Banadir region,” the presidential decree reported.
The former mayor of Mogadishu was fired after several years in the post.
“Banadir regional police forces and intelligence agency are ordered to work closely with the new mayor,” the president said in his decree, which comes amid increasing insecurity in the capital.
The new mayor, Brigadier General Hassan Mohamed Hussein (Muungaab) served previously as chief of Somalia’s military court. During his period as the military court leader, he sentenced scores of people to death, including some members of Al Shabab and murderers.
The presidential decree said Brigadier General Muungaab was an expert in the field of justice and security and was expected to tighten grip on the city’s security.
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