Bartamaha (Mogadishu):- There is no time for further political turmoil in Somalia, the U.N. special envoy to the troubled African nation said.

Somalia appointed Mohamed Mohamed as the next prime minister last week. Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke stepped down in September, citing insecurity and political differences with President Sharif Ahmed.

Augustine Mahiga, the U.N. special envoy to Somalia, said political disputes in the transitional government made it difficult to focus on peace.

“Time will not allow for any further crises within the leadership of Somalia,” he was quoted by the United Nations’ news service as saying.

The mandate for the transitional government ends in August. Mahiga said Somalia should work on a stable government as soon as possible.

The country hasn’t had a functioning central government in decades and the current transitional administration controls only a tiny portion of the capital city.

The government is battling an insurgency led by al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabaab, which wants to establish an Islamic state in Mogadishu.

Two workers with British charity Save the Children were abducted last week by Somali militants. Officials told CNN International one of the workers, a Briton, was still in captivity but was doing well. There was no word on the second captive.

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Source: UPI

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