The new Prime Minister of the Transitional National Government of Somalia (TNG), Mr. Mohamed Abdi Yusuf, is the 4th Prime Minister to be appointed by Abdulkassim Salad Hassan in three years. Yesterday in Mogadishu he completed the formation of his cabinet. Mohamed A.Yusuf has appointed 37 ministers who are due to be sworn in today. The TNG Government headed by Abdulkassim Salad Hassan is bankrupt, its mandate finished and cannot even assert its influence beyond the walls of Abdulkassim's house.

The transitional parliament of Somalia is yet to ratify the new government but no date has yet been fixed for the ratification. Some of the appointed ministers were members of the former TNG authorities led by Hassan Abshir Farah and Ali Khalif Galeyr. These two former prime ministers were sacked by presidential decree after they were involved in a dispute with TNG leader Abdulkassim Salad Hassan. Mr. Osman Jama Ali, who briefly held the office of Prime Minister, resigned last November.