The president of Somalia says he suspended the prime minister for corruption, a move the country's prime minister described as a coup attempt, Reuters reports. 

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has accused Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Roble of stealing land owned by the Somali National Army (SNA) and of interfering with a defense ministry investigation.

Mohamed also said he had also removed the commander of marine forces, General Abdihamid Mohamed Dirir, from office to carry out a similar investigation. 

Abdirahman Yusuf Omar Adala, the assistant information minister said earlier on Monday the deployment of security forces around Roble's office should not prevent the prime minister from carrying out his assignments.

In response to the accusations, Roble said the president’s edict was “unconstitutional and aimed at “derailing an ongoing election.” He also gave orders for the security teams to start taking directives from him, instead of the president.

The steps taken by Mohamed "were an open coup attempt against the government and the national constitution," Roble said in a statement posted on the Facebook page of Somalia's state news agency SONNA.

"The aim of the illegal, crooked steps ... is to derail the election and illegally remain in office," the statement continued.

For most of the year, Mohamed and Roble have been on different sides of the political spectrum. Back in April, the two leaders were at odds when Mohamed unilaterally extended his four-year term by two years, prompting army factions loyal to each man to briefly seize rival positions in the capital city of Mogadishu.

The confrontation was eventually resolved when the president placed Roble as leader of security and begin organizing long-delayed legislative and presidential elections. Additionally, parliament reversed the presidential term extension.

According to Somalia's indirect electoral process, regional councils the senate, clan elders are then meant to pick members of the lower house, who then decide on a new president on a date in the future.

On Nov. 1, Somalia held its parliamentary elections which were scheduled to be completed by Dec. 24 but only a few of the 275 representatives have been elected thus far.