Somali president appoints new prime minister

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia

Somalia's new president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has appointed Hassan Ali Khaire as prime minister on Thursday.

Mohamed Abdullah Farmajo, who was inaugurated as Somalia's new president on Wednesday amid tight security in the country's capital Mogadishu, made the announcement in a short statement on his Twitter account.

"I want to announce as president of the Somali federal republic that Hassan Ali Khaire, will be the new prime minister. I wish him well in his new job, he needs support from Somali people," Farmajo wrote.

Khaire said he had accepted to become prime minister via his Facebook account.

"I accepted and welcomed to become Somalia's 17th official prime minister," he wrote.

The president will have to submit his name to parliament for approval before the prime minister can form his cabinet.

Born in the central region of Galgaduud in 1968, he holds a dual Somali-Norwegian citizenship.

A former executive director of British oil explorer Soma Oil & Gas, he also worked for the Norwegian Refugee Council as regional director.

Farmajo flew to Saudi Arabia Thursday for his first foreign trip as president.