On Monday, Barre appointed 10 new ministers, deputy ministers, and state ministers, including notable opposition figures from parliament who were spearheading the motion to oust him, in a strategic move to undermine the motion and fracture its support. 

Although the motion lacked the backing of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and no impeachment attempt against a Prime Minister in Somalia’s history has succeeded without presidential support, it had garnered the endorsement of deputy speaker of parliament Sa’diya Samatar and was on the verge of ousting the Prime Minister last week. However, the speaker Adan Mohamed Nur, alerted to the covert initiative while abroad, swiftly adjourned the parliamentary session. 

Barre also appointed a second deputy Prime Minister, a position rarely filled in Somalia’s recent administrations, signaling a deliberate effort to weaken his opposition. 

In Somalia, it has been a longstanding practice that when MPs initiate motions, they are often incentivized with cash bribes, senior government positions, or empty promises, which can lead to renewed retaliatory motions against the officials who made such commitments. 

The Prime Minister is not the only one facing parliamentary scrutiny; his Minister of Foreign Affairs is also confronted with a similar motion, supported by his state minister and other officials. However, it remains uncertain whether he will manage to defuse the situation as adeptly as his Prime Minister.