Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed

This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by their given name, Mohamed, and not as Abdullahi Mohamed.

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
Mohamed in 2020
Leader of the Tayo Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 May 2012
Preceded by	Position established
14th Prime Minister of Somalia
In office 1 November 2010 – 19 June 2011
President	Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
Preceded by	Abdiwahid Elmi Gonjeh (acting)
Succeeded by	Abdiweli Mohamed Ali
9th President of Somalia
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 February 2017
Prime Minister	Hassan Ali Khaire Mahdi Mohammed Gulaid (acting) Mohamed Hussein Roble
Preceded by	Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Personal details
Born	(1962-03-11) 11 March 1962 Mogadishu, Somali Republic
Citizenship	Somali, American (renounced in 2019)
Political party	Tayo
Spouse	Saynab Abdi Moallim
Children	Four
Education	State University of New York at Buffalo (BA, MA)

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Somali: Maxamed Cabdullahi Maxamed, Arabic: محمد عبدالله محمد born 11 March 1962), is a Somali politician who is the founder and chairman of the Tayo party and a candidate in the 2021 Somali presidential election. He was Prime Minister of Somalia for six months, from November 2010 until June 2011. He served a term as the 9th President of Somalia from 16 February 2017 and acting president since 8 February 2021. Since his presidential term expired on 8th February 2021, the federal state Presidents of Puntland and Jubaland and the Council of Presidential Candidates no longer recognise Mohamed as the President of Somalia, but he remains in office, despite public protests in Mogadishu. International partners of Somalia, including UN, US, UK, EU and IGAD, do not support an extension to Mohamed's mandate.

Background

Early and personal life

Mohamed was born in Mogadishu. Mohamed is from the Marehan, a sub-clan of the Darod, the largest clan in Jubaland. His father was well known in Waberi District as Formaggio, the Italian word for "cheese", and as a result Mohamed was nicknamed "Farmaajo". His parents were activists affiliated with the Somali Youth League (SYL), Somalia's first political party. During the 1970s, his father worked as a civil servant in the national Department of Transportation. Mohamed attended a boarding school in Somalia. When the civil war started in 1991 he was studying in the US and he claimed political asylum.

While living in Buffalo, in the United States Mohamed was a registered Republican Party member. Mohamed is a Somali citizen. Prior to August 2019, he also held American citizenship, which he voluntarily renounced.

Mohamed is married to Saynab Abdi Moallim, the First Lady of Somalia. The couple have four children - two daughters and two sons - who still reside in the United States, as of 2019.

Early career

He worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia in an administrative capacity from 1982 to 1985. Between 1985 and 1988, Mohamed acted as First Secretary in the Somali embassy in Washington. After his arrival in America he put himself through school and achieved entry to the University of Buffalo. He graduated with a bachelors degree in history in 1993.

From 1994 to 1997, Mohamed was chosen as an at-large Commissioner for the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, and worked there as the finance chairman. He also served as case manager for a lead abatement program in the city from 1995 to 1999. Between 2000 and 2002, Mohamed was a minority business coordinator for the Erie County Division of Equal Employment Opportunity.

From 2002 until his appointment as Prime Minister in late 2010, he worked as Commissioner for Equal Employment at the New York State Department of Transportation in Buffalo. During this time he also completed his Masters Degree in Political Science from Buffalo University with his thesis titled, ‘U.S. Strategic Interest in Somalia: From the Cold War Era to the War on Terror’ and taught leadership skills and conflict resolution at Erie Community College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY).

Prime Minister (2010–2011)

Appointment

On 14 October 2010, Mohamed was appointed the new Prime Minister of Somalia. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon congratulated Mohamed on his new role, and commended the Somali leadership for having reached a consensus on procedural arrangements that facilitated a transparent and consultative confirmation of the Premier. On 1 November 2010, Mohamed was sworn into office at a ceremony held in the presidential residence, Villa Somalia.

New cabinet

On 12 November 2010, Mohamed named a new Cabinet, as per the Transitional Federal Government's (TFG) Charter.

The allotted ministerial positions were significantly reduced in number, with only 18 administrative posts unveiled versus the previous government's 39 portfolios. Only two Ministers from the previous Cabinet were reappointed: Hussein Abdi Halane, the former Minister of Finance and a well-regarded figure in the international community, was put in charge of a consolidated Ministry of Finance and Treasury; and Dr. Mohamud Abdi Ibrahim was reassigned to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The remaining ministerial positions were largely assigned to technocrats new to the Somali political arena: Abdihakim Mohamoud Haji Faqi, a former diplomat, was appointed one of several Deputy Prime Ministers in addition to the important post of Minister of Defense; the diplomat Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar resumed duties as Foreign Minister, a position he had already held in the past; Dr. Maryan Qasim Ahmed joined the government as Minister for Women and Family Affairs; Dr. Abdi Shakur Sheikh Hassan Farah as Minister for Internal Affairs and Security; Abdirashid Khalif Hashi as Minister of Housing and National Rebuilding; Abdulkareem Hassan Jama as Minister of Information; and Abdullahi Abyan Noor as Minister for Justice and Religious Issues.

President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed welcomed the new Cabinet and encouraged parliament to endorse the appointments. Parliament approved Mohamed's new government on 27 November 2010. 251 of the 343 lawmakers that attended the voting session endorsed the Cabinet, while 92 legislators opposed it.

Reforms

In his statement to the UN Security Council on his first 50 days in office, Mohamed stated that his administration had initiated the implementation of a full biometric register for the security forces which was to be completed within a window of four months. Members of the Independent Constitutional Commission were also appointed to engage Somali constitutional lawyers, religious scholars and experts in Somali culture over the nation's scheduled new constitution, a key part of the government's Transitional Federal Tasks. High-level federal delegations were dispatched to defuse clan-related tensions in several regions.

To improve transparency, Cabinet ministers fully disclosed their assets and signed a code of ethics. An Anti-Corruption Commission with the power to carry out formal investigations and to review government decisions and protocols was also established so as to more closely monitor all activities by public officials. Furthermore, unnecessary trips abroad by members of government were prohibited, and all travel by ministers now require the Premier's consent. A budget outlining 2011's federal expenditures was also put before and approved by members of parliament, with the payment of civil service employees prioritized. In addition, a full audit of government property and vehicles was to be put into place.

He also appealed for international support for the Transitional Federal Government and for AMISOM, saying that AMISOM were carrying the weight of military strategy, security, police mentoring and training, medical aid and humanitarian aid alone.

Senior Advisor Abdirahman Omar Osman, mentioned Mohamed's attention to road repair, reopening public schools and the regular payment of soldiers and civil servants as issues which brought him support from the people during his brief tenure.

Kampala Accord

Main article: Kampala Accord

The Kampala Accord was an agreement overseen by the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and the U.N. Special Envoy to Somalia Augustine Mahiga to bring an end to the 'transitional' phase of the TFG. The parliamentary speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden said he could not work with Mohamed and so as part of the terms of the agreement, Mohamed was asked to resign. Sharif Hassan had been skeptical of President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's decision to appoint Mohamed as Prime Minister and Mohamed had appointed the cabinet without much input from him, which would have led to Sharif Hassan having difficulty getting parliamentry support for programs. Announcement of Mohamed's proposed resignation was immediately met with violent protests in various cities.

Resignation as Prime Minister

After Mohamed announced his resignation, thousands of civilians, many government soldiers, and some legislators marched through the streets of Mogadishu, demanding that he be reinstated. Attacks on hotels in which members of parliament were staying and at least five deaths were reported. Additional demonstrations against the Premier's resignation were held in Galkacyo, a key trading city in the north-central Mudug region, as well as in Belet Hawo in the far south.

In response, Mohamed released a statement through the state-run Radio Mogadishu commending the military for its rapid response and urging its troops to exercise restraint. He also appealed to the public to calm down, and indicated that "I have seen your expressions and heard your calls[...] You are part of the decision making—what you want must be heard." Additionally, in a press conference, the Premier called for the immediate release of all protestors who had been detained, and stated that his administration would launch an independent investigation into their arrest. Weighing in on the demonstrations, Mogadishu's Mayor Mohamed Nur suggested that putting the issue before Parliament for approval would be a democratic course of action.

On 11 June 2011, Mohamed released a statement indicating that the Kampala decision ought to be presented in Parliament for debate and appraised according to the laws stipulated in the national constitution. The Premier also stated that he would only step down if lawmakers voted to uphold the accord. This was echoed by the Cabinet, which indicated in a press release that, after having convened to discuss the Kampala decision, the Ministers agreed that the accord must be put before Parliament for evaluation. In addition, over 200 parliamentarians reportedly sought to urge the Prime Minister to reconvene Parliament so as to deliberate the decision, indicating in a separate statement that the accord deprived MPs of their legislative role vis-a-vis the government.

On 12 June 2011, President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed released a statement wherein he condemned the violent protests, referring to arson attacks which he described as "illegal". He also suggested that some government officials were financing the rallies in Mogadishu, and warned that al-Shabaab was exploiting the gatherings to launch terrorist attacks, referring to two suicide attacks which were claimed by Al Shabaab, one in the port of Mogadishu which killed a civilian and the second which killed the Somali interior minister Abdishakur Sheikh Hassan.

In an interview on 16 June 2011, the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs of Italy, Alfredo Mantica, expressed support for Mohamed's position with regard to the Kampala agreement. Mantica stated that the Italian government believed that the accord ought to be reviewed in Parliament. He also indicated that "the prime minister has been in office five months. And [it is too] early to judge his work. But what he has done so far has been very positive. It has achieved important results. The government already seemed a miracle[...] The strength of the instability in Somalia is a constant. And the prime minister represents stability."

Al Shabaab's head of policy and regions, Sheikh Hussein Ali Fidow, told reporters on 22 June 2011 that, "[the] Kampala meeting [on] Somalia was aimed to coerce Mohamed to step down".

Following talks with parliamentarians, Sharif asserted on 28 June 2011 that, the Kampala Accord would be brought before Parliament for deliberation.

After his resignation, Mohamed returned to the United States and his old position at the New York State Department of Transportation.

Tayo

In early 2012, Mohamed and members of his former Cabinet established the Tayo ("Quality") political party.

According to Mohamed, the party's primary agenda would revolve around delivering services to Somalia's general population and encouraging the repatriation of Somali diasporans so as to assist in the post-conflict reconstruction process. After stepping down from office, Mohamed had been campaigning in various global destinations to amass support for his new party, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

2012 presidential elections

Main article: 2012 Somali presidential election

In early August 2012, Mohamed presented himself as a presidential candidate in Somalia's 2012 elections but was eliminated in the first round of voting.

2017 presidential elections

Mohamed in 2014

Main article: 2017 Somali presidential election

The election was noted as a "milestone of corruption" amid widespread reports of vote-buying; the New York Times described politicians as "peeling off wads of hundred dollar bills to buy votes", and estimated at least $20 million had changed hands during the parliamentary elections (which directly determined the outcome of the presidential election).

On February 8, 2017, Somali parliamentarians gathered at a high security hangar in Mogadishu Airport to elect Somalia's next president. The voters were limited to 275 members of parliament and 54 senators, In a run-off, he ran against three remaining candidates, until incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud conceded. He became the President of Somalia after receiving 184 out of the total 329 votes by members of the Somali Parliament, thereby defeating former president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. He ran against 19 opponents and was sworn into office on 16 February.

During his inauguration, President Mohamed called on al-Shabaab fighters and other Islamist militant groups to surrender. "To those who work with al Qaeda, al Shabaab and IS (Islamic State), your time is finished," he said at the inauguration ceremony. Somali immigrants in Buffalo, New York, expressed their support and affection for Mohamed. American news sources highlighted his knowledge of American politics as one possible asset to help him as president. At the time of his election, he held U.S. citizenship, which he renounced voluntarily in 2019.

Presidential term (2017–2021)

Mohamed during his inauguration ceremony in 2017

The fledgling administration was initially praised by the International Monetary Fund for its fiscal reforms, and from diplomatic observers for its efforts to address corruption and waste in the armed forces. Domestically, the nation was divided in its support for the new president, with much of the opposition coming from clans based in the south-central parts of the country.

Somaliland

In February 2020 a meeting between Mohamed and Somaliland leader Muse Bihi Abdi in Addis Ababa was brokered by Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia's capital, but no agreement was reached.

Press freedom

Main article: Freedom of the press in Somalia

Amnesty International produced a report in February 2020 titled "We live in perpetual fear" which focuses on deterioration of press freedom in the country since President Mohamed took office in February 2017.

Reporters without Borders noted in August 2020 that despite the overall danger for journalists in Somalia that efforts were being made to reduce attacks on them, but expressed concern that new media laws fell short of internationally accepted standards. They note that a police officer who shot a journalist dead was convicted and two soldiers were discharged from the military for abusing reporters. The attorney-general's office has also been ordered to investigate the deaths of more than fifty reporters who were killed in the last year.

In September 2020 human rights groups and journalists joined together in criticising Mohamed for remarks he made condemning Somalia's journalists.

Attempted motion for impeachment

In December 2018, lawmakers filed an impeachment motion against Mohamed. The announcement was made following a raid on targeting opposition leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, a member of the rival Habar Gidir clan. The motion was eventually withdrawn after fourteen of the MP's whose names appeared on it claimed that they had never actually signed it.

Ousting of Prime Minister

Hassan Ali Khaire was forced to resign following a vote of no confidence accusing the Prime Minister of failing to deliver promises including improving the national security and implementing a timely one person, one vote election. Removal of Prime Ministers in Somalia is not unusual, with only two of the over ten who have served since 2000 not being dismissed from the post. The Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres expressed concern about the removal, pointing out that the acting Prime Minister would not be able to perform certain constitutional duties because he was serving on an interim basis.

On 18 September Mohamed named Mohamed Hussein Roble, who is a political newcomer, as the new Prime Minister.

Kenya Somalia relations

See also: Kenya–Somalia relations § Diplomatic row with President Mohamed

In December 2020, Mohamed accused Kenya of interference in Somalia's internal affairs in a diplomatic row which resulted in Somalia cutting diplomatic ties with neighbouring Kenya, giving Kenyan diplomats seven days to leave Mogadishu. The Kenyan government denied the allegations, saying that the Somali government is ungrateful to Kenya for the support her country has provided to Somali refugees and its efforts to bring peace to Somalia.

An IGAD fact finding commission report found no evidence that Kenya was interfering in Somalia affairs.

Relations between federal government and member states

Since Mohamed entered office, there has been a worsening of relations between Somalia's federal government and its member states. This has been blamed on his attempts to exert greater political control over the states and force some of them to replace their leaders with his allies. Issues which have suffered as a result of the deterioration in central government's relationships with member states include security arrangements, completion of a provisional constitution and holding elections.

Support for Ethiopia's military in Tigray

Main article: Tigray War

In November 2020, Gedar Andargachew, National Security Affairs Advisor to Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, met with Mohamed in Mogadishu. Mohamed is reported to have shown support for Ethiopia's military action in Tigray, and Andargachew also expressed Ethiopia's will to continue its military support in Somalia.

Disappearances of Somali soldiers

In January 2021, the families of 370 Somali soldiers who were sent to Eritrea for training began protesting in Mogadishu, due to loss of contact with their relatives since November 2019. The parents of the soldiers called on Mohamed to give them information as to their sons' whereabouts after the former deputy of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency, Abdisalan Yusuf Guled claimed the soldiers have died fighting in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Mohamed's office has denied the claim. A parliamentary committee, the foreign affairs and defense committee, has demanded an explanation from Mohamed calling on him to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Asmara for an investigation into the disappearances.

2021 Somali election impasse

Main article: Elections in Somalia § 2021 Elections

In September 2020 the Federal Government of Somalia agreed with member states to hold parliamentary elections on 1 December 2020.

Following a six-day conference in Mogadishu, in November 2020, the Council of Presidential Candidates in Somalia issued a statement calling for the dismissal of the electoral commissions and accusing Mohamed of being an impedance to the implementation of the election deal. In it they called on NISA chief Fahad Yasin to step down due to conflict of interest being that he is also the head of Mohamed's re-election campaign.

The Council of Presidential Candidates accused Mohamed of "bypassing the electoral law by stacking the poll committee with his allies". Opposition candidates including Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accused the Federal Government of Somalia of selecting National Intelligence and Security Agency members and civil servants loyal to Mohamed to the Electoral Dispute Resolution Committee. In December the Council of Presidential Candidates accused Mohamed of deployment of Somali National Army troops to offices which host opposition parties. In Haantadheer security forces fired live rounds closing off major city roads, as hundreds of opposition supporters gathered.

Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe accused Mohamed of violating the September election deal in which the Federal Government of Somalia had promised to withdraw Somali National Army from Gedo region, handing administration to Kismayo.

In December 2020 hundreds of opposition supporters marched through the streets of Mogadishu denouncing Mohamed for delays in elections for both chambers of parliament. Mohamed was accused of wanting to subvert Somali nationhood to consolidate power.

After hearing that Turkey planned to send a shipment of weapons and ammunition, including 1,000 G3 assault rifles and 150,000 bullets to Harma’ad, a special unit in Somalia's police, between Dec. 16 and Dec. 18, opposition party leaders wrote to the Turkish ambassador in Somalia urging the Turkish government not to send the shipment, for fear that Mohamed would use it to 'hijack' the upcoming elections.

On 2 February 2021, Mohamed convened a meeting in Dusmareb with federal state leaders in an attempt to break the election deadlock.

Ongoing reasons given for delays to elections include Covid19 and jihadists.

Expiration of presidential term

On 8 February 2021, the Council of Presidential Candidates announced that they no longer recognise Mohamed as the President of Somalia since his term expired without any agreement on the path toward elections to replace him.

In a videoconference on 22 February 2020, James Swan the Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia confirmed that the electoral implementation tensions had been compounded by questions over the legitimacy of Mohamed’s mandate following the expiry of his constitutional term in office on 8 February, and that the growing political tensions threatened Somalia’s State-building progress and even security. He encouraged Somalia’s political leaders to "pull back from confrontation and avoid risky winner-take-all tactics".

After the European Union, United States and United Nations office in Somalia said they would not support a term extension for Mohamed, on 25 March 2021 Information Minister Osman Dubbe warned foreign diplomats not to interfere with Somalias' sovereignty. A Senior lecturer at the University of Somalia, Mohamed Maten, said that the diplomats' comments about delayed elections were the 'norms of international law' and therefore in no way constitute interference in Somalias' sovereignty.

On 27 March 2021 a parliamentary session on COVID-19 was called off and fifteen lawmakers suspended from the next five sessions after claiming the speaker and pro-government members had tried to pass a term extension for the president, a claim which the pro-government members denied. Also on 27 March 2021, the UK issued a statement in which it stressed the urgent need for elections according to the September 17 agreement, saying it would not support 'any actions leading to an automatic extension of previous mandates' or any partial or parallel elections process.

The Lower House attempted a motion on 12 April 2021 to extend Mohamed's term by two years with no elections taking place, which the Upper House declared unconstitutional.Bob Menendez, the chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee referred to the attempt as a 'breach of democratic norms', saying that such actions 'risk destabalising Somalia'.

Violent clashes

Clashes between government forces, protesters and militias have happened several times since the end of Mohamed's original term. Opposition candidates have claimed the president has attempted to have them assassinated and say he is staging a coup. The government has stated that they have had to repel attacks from armed militia groups and Prime Minister has said that "peaceful demonstrations are a constitutional right but armed ones are not." Clan militia leaders have warned of violent retaliation if the government continues to use what they consider dictatorial tactics.

Awards and honours

At the 2019 UN General Assembly in New York, Mohamed jointly received the Concordia Leadership Award with co-recipients Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Eithiopia, and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.

External links

• Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed official Twitter account
• Thesis - U.S. Strategic Interest in Somalia