Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Somali: Maxamed Cabdullaahi Maxamed, born 11 March 1962), also known as Farmaajo, is a Somali politician who served as president of Somalia from 2017 to 2022. He was prime minister of Somalia for six months, from November 2010 to June 2011. Mohamed is the founder and leader of the Party since 2012.
Early life and education
Mohamed was born in Mogadishu. Mohamed comes from the Marehan, a sub-clan of the Darod clan. 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 claimed asylum in Canada and was eventually granted a Canadian passport. Later, he studied in the US where he also claimed political asylum and achieved American citizenship.
While living in Buffalo in the United State, Mohamed was a registered Republican Party member. Mohamed is a Somali citizen. Mohamed renounced his American citizenship in August 2019.
Mohamed is married to Saynab Abdi Moallim, the former 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, Mohamud 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 at Buffalo. He graduated with a bachelor's 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, Mohamud 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 master's degree in political science from the University at Buffalo 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).
Khaire resigned following a vote of no confidence on 25 July 2020, accusing him 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 security General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres expressed concern, saying that the acting Prime Minister would not be able to perform certain constitutional duties because he was serving on an interim basis.
Election modal agreement and talks
Meetings took place in Dhusamareb in July and August 2020 which laid the foundation for agreement of an indirect election modal. On 17 September 2020 the Federal Government of Somalia agreed with member states promising to hold parliamentary elections on 1 December 2020, followed by presidential elections in February 2021.
In November 2020, Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe accused Mohamed of violating the September election deal in which the FGS had promised to withdraw Somali National Army from Gedo, handing administration to Kismayo.
In November 2020, the Council of Presidential Candidates 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".
On 2 February 2021, Mohamed convened a three-day meeting in Dusmareb with federal state leaders to discuss the election. The talks failed two days before the elections were scheduled to take place with both the Somali government and regional state presidents placing blame for the breakdown on lack of concessions from the other side. Mohamed blamed part of the impasse on foreign intervention, which angered the leader of Jubaland, whom he had repeatedly accused of being supported by Kenya. The night before the talks began Al-Shabaab attacked Dusmareb but was repelled, with government forces killing four and detaining two of the attackers.
On 8 April 2021 it was announced that talks had collapsed between the Somali government and the regional presidents of Puntland and Jubaland. A political science teacher at the Somali National University explained that distrust was the main reason for the breakdown. He said the two sides are too focused on defeating one another rather than resolving the issues at hand.
On 27 April 2021, in a statement backed by Roble, the States of Hirshabelle and Galmudug announced that they are against an extension of Mohamed's term, calling for a return to the election talks.
Disputes with Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble
On 18 September 2020 Mohamed named Mohamed Hussein Roble, a political new comer, as Prime Minister.
On the night of 18 February the government stated that they had to repel attacks from armed militia groups near the presidential palace. On 19 February the government forces opened fire on peaceful protesters who were demonstrating against the election delays. Opposition candidates claimed Mohamed attempted to have them assassinated at the demonstrations and said he is staging a coup. Roble expressed sorrow over the violence and said that peaceful demonstrations are a democratic right but armed demonstrations are not. He also assured the people that elections would take place. A report from a health care worker in Mogadishu says that at least five soldiers are dead and more than a dozen, mostly civilians, have been injured in violence related to the clashes.
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 Somalia's sovereignty. A senior lecturer at the University of Somalia, Mohamed Maten, opined that the diplomats' comments about delayed elections were the norms of international law and therefore in no way constitute interference in Somalia's sovereignty.
On 12 April 2021 the lower house of the Somali parliament voted nearly unanimously to extend Mohamed's term. A few Minutes later, the upper house objected, declaring the vote to be an unconstitutional move. In response to many objections from the international community, the Somali foreign ministry issued a statement in which they said that they 'reject any attempts to use the humanitarian assistance to blackmail the country. ' The UK government have said that the move may result in a re-evaluation of the nature of their assistance to Somalia and their relationship with the Somali government, and said they would work with the international partners in order to do so. 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 destabilising Somalia'.
Mohamed said in a radio interview on 16 April 2021 that he understands Somalia needs external support to prosper, but it does not need interference. Focusing on the prospect of a " one person, One vote " election, he said that the vote of parliament does not extend any mandate, and added that he has always endeavoured to enhance relations with all bilateral and multilateral partners, "this is the only way to deliver on the common interests of all nations people ".
Violence once again broke out in Somalia on 25 April 2021 when militia forces opposed to Mohamed's term extension battled government security forces. The opposition blamed the escalation on attacks on the homes of two of their leaders, while the Somali minister of internal security denied the government had attacked, and placed the blame on unidentified foreign countries. Following three days of clashes in Mogadishu over Mohamed's term extension, which caused a split in security forces and 60,000 to 100,000 people to flee from their homes, Mohamed announced that he will not continue to pursue a two-year explosion of his term.
On 29 April 2021, Mohamed asked Roble to resign, which refused. On 1 May 2021, Mohamed delegated the task of overseeing elections according to the 17 September agreement and responsibility for election security to Roble.
In August 2021 Roble publicly disagreed with Mohamed over a ban on commercial agreements with foreign parties that Mohamed had imposed during the election period, which Roble claimed was against the constitution, but the rift was resolved within four days.
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