Three Somali ministers say they have resigned, dealing a further blow to the country's already fragile government.
Culture and Higher Education Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Oomar and State Minister for President Hassan Maollim announced their decision Tuesday in an exclusive interview with VOA's Somali Service.
Both men said the government is failing to make progress on Somalia's many problems.
Later, State Minister for Defense Yusuf Mohamed Siyad, known as Inho Adde, also announced his resignation.
The Somali government has been rocked by internal disputes in recent weeks. The speaker of parliament resigned last month after being shouted down and heckled by other lawmakers.
President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed announced he was firing the prime minister the next day but later reversed his decision.
The disputes have hampered the government's ability to fight Islamist insurgents who control much of the capital and southern Somalia.
The U.N.-backed government controls only a few key sections of Mogadishu with the help of African Union peacekeepers.
Somalia has not had a stable central government in nearly 20 years. International aid agencies say the country's humanitarian situation is among the most dire in the world.
