Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, called Farmajo

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Somali Maxamed Cabdulaahi Maxamed , short name Farmajo; * 1962 in Mogadishu ) is a Somali politician. He was Prime Minister of Somalia from October 2010 to June 2011 . On February 8, 2017, he was elected the country's new president . He was President of Somalia from February 16, 2017, and President-in-Office since February 8, 2021. The states of Puntland and Jubaland have not recognized Mohamed as President of Somalia since the end of his original term .

biography

Mohamed was born in Mogadishu in 1962 and comes from a clan in the Gedo region in southwest Somalia. He is of Muslim faith and has both Somali and American citizenship.

1985–1989 he was a tax officer in the Somali embassy in the USA and worked in the Somalia State Department before emigrating to the USA in 1990 .

From 1989 to 1993 he studied history at Buffalo University and graduated with a bachelor's degree. During this time he obtained American citizenship. He also has a Master of Arts in Political Science, he with the master thesis on US Strategic Interests in Somalia from the Cold War to the War Terror (to German:, strategic US interests in Somalia from the Cold War to the War on Terror ' ) obtained.

From 1994 to 1997 he worked for the Buffalo City Housing Department as a finance officer, and from 1995 to 1999 in a lead management program. From 2000 to 2002, he served in the Erie County's Equal Opportunities Office, and then served in the Buffalo Transportation Department.

Mohamed is married and has two sons and two daughters.

Political career

On October 14, 2010, President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed appointed him Prime Minister of Somalia after his predecessor Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke resigned from office following internal disputes. Because of his relatively young age and experience in the United States , his appointment met with a positive response. On October 31st, Mohamed was elected by parliament.

His new cabinet consisted of only 18 ministers, as opposed to 40 ministers in his predecessor. In addition, only two old ministers were accepted into the new cabinet. Among other things, the following positions were awarded:

In a speech, he said that restoring security to Somalia was a top priority . He also announced that he would take action against corruption in the government.

Elections 2017

The general election was viewed by experts as one of the most corrupt political events in the country's history. Amid widespread reports of vote buying, investigators estimated that at least $ 20 million was paid in bribes. Much of the money used came from foreign nations with interests in Somalia, who hoped the candidates they sponsored would advance their interests. After sitting, parliament voted on who would become president.

Mohamed's campaign was heavily supported by Qatar and the Qatari currency was led by Fahad Yasin in Mohamed's campaign. Mohamed won the presidency in the second ballot. Mohamed had campaigned for the promises of a new constitution, a person, a voice and the abolition of Al-Shabaab.

Controversy

As Prime Minister he came under fire in December 2010 because his government had signed contracts with two foreign companies without parliamentary approval. This involved an order for the training of the presidential guard with the security company Saracen International as well as the assignment of the administration of the Mogadishu airport to the company SKS.

Attempted impeachment

In December 2018, the legislature filed an impeachment motion against Mohamed. The announcement came after a raid on opposition leader Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, a member of the rival Habar Gidir clan. The motion was eventually invalidated after fourteen of the MPs whose names appeared on it claimed they had never signed it.

Relations between Kenya and Somalia

In December 2020, Mohamed accused Kenya of meddling in Somalia's internal affairs in a diplomatic dispute that resulted in Somalia severing diplomatic ties with neighboring Kenya and giving Kenyan diplomats seven days to leave Mogadishu. The Kenyan government denied the allegations, saying the Somali government was ungrateful to Kenya for the support their country has given to Somali refugees and its efforts to bring peace in Somalia. A report by the IGAD's commission of inquiry found no evidence of Kenya interfering in Somalia's affairs.

Support for Ethiopia's military in Tigray

Reports of an estimated 4,000 to 7,000 prospective Somali soldiers fighting in Tigray sparked protests in Mogadishu. The demonstrators, made up of families of soldiers, said they had not had contact with their relatives since they left for training in Eritrea or security work in Qatar. Ethiopia and Somalia deny that any Somali soldiers are involved in the conflict. In June 2021, the UNHCR confirmed that Somali troops had been withdrawn from Eritrea to fight in Tigray.

Freedom of the press

Amnesty International produced a report in February 2020 entitled “We Live in Eternal Fear”, which focuses on the deterioration in freedom of the press in the country since President Mohamed took office in February 2017.

Demonstrations and clashes over election delays

On February 19, government forces opened fire on peaceful protesters demonstrating against the election delays. Opposition candidates alleged that Mohamed tried to have them murdered at the demonstrations and said he was orchestrating a coup.

Term Extension

Mohamed's term of office ended in February 2021. However, disputes over the distribution of power between the individual regional groups prevented a presidential election from being scheduled; Discussions about a possible election mode dragged on. This led to protests against Mohamed, some of which were violent.

Violence broke out again on April 25, 2021 as Somali militias fought against the extension of Mohamed's term of office against government security forces. The opposition blamed attacks on the homes of two of their leaders for the escalation, while the Somali minister of homeland security denied the government had attacked, placing the blame on unknown foreign countries.

After three days of clashes in Mogadishu, which split the security forces and caused 60,000 to 100,000 people to flee, Mohamed announced that he would not extend his term of office for another two years. To end the constitutional crisis, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble was tasked with organizing a presidential election. In November 2021, votes began on the occupation of the two chambers of the Federal Parliament , which are then to elect the president. In the meantime, however, there had been a falling out between Mohamed and Roble, both accusing each other of abuse of office. Mohamed dismissed his prime minister on December 27, 2021.

complain

Four cases have been received and recorded at the International Criminal Court in The Hague against the government of Somalia, under the administration of Mohamed, for crimes against humanity and serious human rights violations during his tenure. The cases were submitted to the ICC in September 2021 by a group of international lawyers led by Yusuf Abdi Farah. Lawyers are working on three other cases.

Awards and honors

At the UN General Assembly in New York in 2019, Mohamed received the Concordia Leadership Award together with fellow recipients Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, and Isaias Afwerki, President of Eritrea.

Web links

Commons : Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Taylor Gee: How an American Bureaucrat Became President of Somalia. In: Politico . February 19, 2017 (English).

supporting documents

1. ^ Farmajo wins presidential election , Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , February 8, 2017.
2. ↑ http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/10/20101014151118984278.html
3. ↑ ^{a b} http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article220990.ece ( Memento from October 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ ^{a b} Archived copy ( Memento from November 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
5. ↑ ^{a b} wgrz.com ( Memento from February 9, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
6. ↑ http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/10/2010103112257922232.html
7. ↑ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/13/c_13604352.htm
8. ↑ http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somali_Premier_Unveils_New_Cabinets.shtml
9. ↑ http://www.allheadlinenews.com/briefs/articles/90029659  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
10. ↑ Jeffrey Gettleman: Fueled by Bribes, Somalia's Election Seen as Milestone of Corruption . In: The New York Times . February 7, 2017, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed November 7, 2021]).
11. ↑ Fahad Yaasiin: Taliyaha awoodda badan ee aan wax badan laga ogeyn . In: BBC News Somali . ( bbc.com [accessed November 7, 2021]).
12. ↑ http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_PM_to_face_Parliament_over_security_training_airport_deals.shtml
13. ↑ Somali lawmakers seek to impeach president amid political crisis . In: Reuters . December 20, 2017 ( reuters.com [accessed November 7, 2021]).
14. ↑ Somalia rejects probe report on tiff with Kenya. Retrieved November 7, 2021 . 
15. ↑ Somalia: SNA recruits fought in Tigray - UN report. June 8, 2021, accessed November 7, 2021 . 
16. ↑ Anna Pujol-Mazzini: Somali men 'forced into Eritrean army' under impression they were signing up for security jobs in Qatar . In: The Telegraph . January 29, 2021, ISSN  0307-1235 ( telegraph.co.uk [accessed November 7, 2021]).
17. ^ Somali Journalists Say President's Remarks Put Them at Risk. Accessed November 7, 2021 . 
18. ^ Somali security forces fire on protest over delayed election. February 19, 2021, accessed November 7, 2021 . 
19. ↑ ^{a b} Somali president in poll U-turn to stop Mogadishu clashes . In: BBC News . April 28, 2021 ( bbc.com [accessed November 7, 2021]).
20. ↑ Declan Walsh, Hussein Mohamed: Gunfire Erupts in Mogadishu as Somalia's Political Feud Turns Violent . In: The New York Times . April 25, 2021, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed November 7, 2021]).
21. ^ The power struggle between the president and the head of government in Somalia is coming to a head , Deutsche Welle , December 27, 2021.
22. ↑ International lawyers sue Farmaajo govt over crimes against humanity. In: Somali Affairs. September 26, 2021, accessed November 7, 2021 (American English). 
23. ↑ Somali leader receives Concordia Leadership Award in US. Retrieved November 7, 2021 .