Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
عبدالله يوسف أحمد
Ahmed in 2006
6th President of Somalia
In office
14 October 2004 – 29 December 2008
Prime MinisterMuhammad Abdi Yusuf
Ali Muhammad Ghedi
Salim Aliyow Ibrow (acting)
Nur Hassan Hussein
Mohamoud Mohamed Gacmodhere (Unrecognised)
Preceded byAbdiqasim Salad Hassan
Succeeded byAden Madobe (acting)
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
1st President of the Puntland
In office
1 August 1998 – 13 October 2004
Vice PresidentMohamed Abdi Hashi
Preceded byposition established
Succeeded byMohamed Abdi Hashi
Personal details
Born(1934-12-15)15 December 1934
Galkayo, Italian Somaliland
Died23 March 2012(2012-03-23) (aged 77)
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Resting placeGalkacyo, Qabuuraha Cabdulaahi Yuusuf
6°47′05.2″N 47°26′43.2″E / 6.784778°N 47.445333°E / 6.784778; 47.445333
CitizenshipSomalia
Yemen
SpouseHawa Abdi Samatar
Children4
EducationRussian Military School
Ukrainian Military Camp
Alma materSomalia National University
Military Academy of Modena
M. V. Frunze Military Academy
AwardsGold Medal
Silver Medal
Hero
Signature
NicknameYeey (wolf)
Military service
AllegianceItaly Trust Territory of Somaliland
(1950–1960)
Somalia Somali Republic
(1960–1969)
Somalia Somali Democratic Republic
(1969–1978)
Somalia Somali Salvation Democratic Front
(1978–1982)
Branch/service Somali National Army
Somalia SSDF
Years of service1950–1978
Rank Lieutenant colonel[1]
Battles/warsBorder War of 1964
Ogaden War
Border War of 1982
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Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed

President of Somalia,President of Puntland

1998-2004(Puntland),2004-2008(Somalia)

Government(Puntland)

Government(Somalia)

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Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (Somali: Cabdulaahi Yuusuf Axmed, Arabic: عبدالله يوسف أحمد‎; 15 December 1934 – 23 March 2012) was a Somali politician and former military officer. He was one of the founders of the rebel Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF), as well as the Puntland state of Somalia, the latter of which he served as the first president. In 2004, Yusuf also helped establish the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), which he led as President of Somalia from 2004 until 2008.

Yusuf was a career soldier in the Somali National Army, participating in the 1964 Border War and Ogaden War against Ethiopia. After Somalia's defeat in the Ogaden War in 1978, he led a failed coup against President Siad Barre, marking the start of the Somali rebellion. Following the coup's failure, Yusuf established the Somali Salvation Democratic Front in Ethiopia and began fighting alongside Ethiopian forces against the Somali army.[2] During the 1982 Ethiopian-Somali War, he led SSDF forces.[3] Frustrated by the operation's failure and the SSDF's surrender to the Somali government, the Ethiopians jailed Yusuf until the Derg regime collapsed in 1991.[4]

After his release, Yusuf returned to his home region and helped establish the Puntland government in 1998. He later joined an Ethiopian-backed coalition of warlords opposing the Somali Transitional National Government (TNG) formed in 2000.[5] In 2001, a power struggle with Jama Ali Jama over Puntland's presidency ensued. While Yusuf claimed his mandate had been extended, many traditional elders rejected this and chose an acting president until Jama Ali was elected in November 2001.[6] In May 2002, with Ethiopian military assistance, Yusuf ousted Jama after accusing him of ties to terrorism.[7][8]

In 2004, Yusuf became president of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). He received Ethiopia's backing and approval, in exchange for dropping Somalia's long-standing claim to the Ogaden region.[9] Despite widespread opposition within the TFG and without cabinet or parliamentary approval,[10][11] Yusuf controversially requested Ethiopian troops to support his administration against the Islamic Courts Union during 2006. By the end of the Ethiopian military occupation in December 2008, much of the country had fallen to the insurgency and Yusuf was threatened with international sanctions over his refusal to support national reconciliation. The TFG parliament moved to impeach Yusuf after accusing him of being a dictator.[12][13] On 24 December 2008, he resigned from the presidency,[14][15] leading to the dissolution of his government.[16] After he resigned he was given political asylum in Yemen.[17]

Yusuf died in the United Arab Emirates on 23 March 2012.[18][19]

  1. ^ "Xinhuanet". Archived from the original on 15 November 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
  2. ^ Gebrewold-Tochalo, Belachew (2009). Anatomy of Violence: Understanding the Systems of Conflict and Violence in Africa. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-7546-7528-0. In 1982 SSDF was commanded by Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who was commander of the SNA (Somali National Army) during the Ethiopian-Somali War. After deserting the Somali Army, he began to fight together with Ethiopia against the Somali army.
  3. ^ Dool, Abdullahi (1998). Failed States: When Governance Goes Wrong!. Horn Heritage. pp. 240–241. ISBN 978-0-9525241-9-9.
  4. ^ Mukhtar, Mohamed Haji (25 February 2003). Historical Dictionary of Somalia. Scarecrow Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-8108-6604-1.
  5. ^ "Profile: Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed". BBC News. 29 December 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2024. He was a member of an Ethiopian-backed coalition of warlords that blocked previous attempts at restoring order. As a result of this opposition, the authority of the Transitional National Government (TNG) formed in 2000 was undermined.
  6. ^ "About 30 killed in renewed fighting in Puntland". The New Humanitarian. 2 January 2003.
  7. ^ "Ethiopian troops 'in Somalia'". BBC News. 15 May 2002. Retrieved 6 April 2024. with the help of the Ethiopian army, Colonel Abdullahi Yussuf Ahmed retook control of Puntland by ousting his rival, Jama Ali Jama.
  8. ^ "SOMALIA: Blutiger Machtkampf". Der Spiegel (in German). 26 November 2001. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  9. ^ Cocodia, Jude (3 April 2021). "Rejecting African Solutions to African Problems: The African Union and the Islamic Courts Union in Somalia". African Security. 14 (2): 110–131. doi:10.1080/19392206.2021.1922026. ISSN 1939-2206. S2CID 236350899. The TFG had Ethiopia's approval on the basis that under Yusuf, Somalia will rest its claim to the Ogaden region
  10. ^ Khayre, Ahmed Ali M. (2014). "Self-defence, Intervention by Invitation, or Proxy War? The Legality of the 2006 Ethiopian Invasion of Somalia". African Journal of International and Comparative Law. 22 (2): 208–233. doi:10.3366/ajicl.2014.0090. ISSN 0954-8890. All the available evidence amply reveals that the transitional government did not consent to the invasion as an institution.
  11. ^ Maruf, Harun (15 August 2006). "Somalia for the Somalis: An idea in peril". Relief Web. Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2024. The UIC leaders say they will not discuss matters with the government as long as foreign troops remain on Somali soil; and the Somali Parliament (also based in Baidoa) is equally opposed to any Ethiopian presence.
  12. ^ "Profile: Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed". BBC News. 29 December 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2024. The writing was on the wall for Mr Yusuf in December 2008 when the parliament in Baidoa moved to impeach him, accusing him of being a dictator and obstacle to peace.
  13. ^ Sanders, Edmund (25 December 2008). "Beleaguered Somali president set to resign". SFGate. Los Angeles Times.
  14. ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey; Ibrahim, Mohamed (23 December 2008). "Somali President to Resign, Officials Say". New York Times.
  15. ^ Adams, Jonathan (29 December 2008). "Amid growing international pressure, Somalia's president resigns". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  16. ^ "Amid Chaos, Somalia's President Steps Down". National Public Radio. 29 December 2006. Abdullahi Yusuf stepped down Monday, dissolving his U.N.-backed government because he said he had lost control
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ygatesp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ "Somalia's ex-leader Abdullahi Yusuf dies in exile". BBC News. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  19. ^ Ibrahim, Mohamed (23 March 2012). "Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Former Somali Strongman, Dies at 77". New York Times.