Somalia's president on Thursday appointed a Somali-American former diplomat, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, as his new prime minister, filling a post vacant for almost two months, dpa reported.
"After many consultations, I have decided to announce Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed as Somali Prime Minister," Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed told reporters in the presidential palace.
Abdullahi, a 48-year-old educator with a masters degree in political science, takes over from Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, who resigned in September after a long-running power struggle with the president.
Abdullahi specializes in conflict resolution, leadership and project management, the president's office said in a statement.
In-fighting in Somalia's Transitional Federal Government has hampered efforts to combat an Islamist insurgency that has run for over three years.
Insurgent group al-Shabaab has the government, backed by African Union peacekeepers, hemmed into a small area of the capital Mogadishu.
The conflict has turned into a bloody stalemate, in which civilians caught in the crossfire bear the brunt of the casualties.
Sheikh Sharif and Sharmarke, the Western-educated son of a respected Somali leader assassinated in 1969, raised hopes of peace in Somalia when they came to power in early 2009.
However, al-Shabaab continued its efforts to gain power unabated, accusing Sheikh Sharif - a former ally of some insurgent leaders - of selling out to the West.
Over 21,000 people have died in the insurgency, which kicked off in early 2007.
The chaos-ridden Horn of Africa nation has not had an effective central government since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.