Somalia: Some key actors in the transitional
process
NAIROBI, 6 May 2005 (IRIN)
- Abudllahi Yusuf Ahmed: Interim president of
the Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
Former president of the self-declared
autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern
Somalia. He is a member of the Majeerteen
subclan of the Darod clan.
Ali Muhammad
Gedi: Prime minister of the TFG. Former
university veterinary lecturer. He is a member
of the Abgal subclan of the Hawiye clan and
hails from the Mogadishu area.
Sharif Hassan
Shaykh Aden: Speaker of the Transitional
Federal
Parliament (TFP). He is a prominent
businessman from the Asharaf subclan of the
Rahanweyn clan.
Col Hassan
Muhammad Nur "Shatigadud": Founding chairman
of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA). A
former military intelligence officer, he is
currently the minister of agriculture in the
TFG. He hails from the southwestern town of
Baidoa. He is a member of the Harin subclan of
the Rahanweyn clan.
Shaykh Aden
Muhammad "Aden Mdaobe": A former member of the
RRA's top leadership. He is currently the
minister of justice in the TFG. Madobe is a
former Koranic school teacher and a member of
the Hadamo subclan of the Rahaweyn clan.
Abdiqassim
Salad Hassan: Former president of the
transitional national government. He handed
over to Abdullahi Yusuf and went back to
Mogadishu. He is from the Habar Gedir subclan
of the Hawiye clan.
Ali Mahdi
Muhammad: Former hotelier, he became president
after Siyad Barre left Mogadishu. He now lives
in Mogadishu.
Hussein
Muhammad Aydid: Son of the late Gen Aydid and
a former US marine. He replaced his father as
clan leader in 1996. He is a former faction
leader based in Mogadishu and is now deputy
prime minister and minister of interior in the
TFG. He is a member of the Habar Gedir subclan
of the Hawiye clan.
Muse Sudi
Yalahow: A powerful Mogadishu-based faction
leader. He is the current minister of commerce
in the TFG. He is a member of the Abgal
subclan of the Hawiye clan.
Muhammad Omar
Habeb "Muhammad Dheere": Jowhar-based faction
leader and the "governor" of the Middle
Shabelle region, south-central Somalia. He was
elected a member of the TFP but stepped down
in favor of Gedi, which allowed Gedi to be
named prime minister. He is from the Abgal
subclan of the Hawiye.
Osman Hassan
Ali "Atto": A Mogadishu-based faction leader
and former right-hand man of the late Gen
Aydid until 1995. He is the current minister
of public works in the TFG. He is from the
Habar Gedir subclan of the Hawiye clan.
Muhammad
Qanyare Afrah: Another Mogadishu-based faction
leader. He is currently the minister for
national security in the TFG. He is from the
Murusade subclan of the Hawiye clan.
Muhammad
Ibrahim "Habasade": One of the top three
leaders of the RRA and the current "strongman"
of Baidoa. He is a member of the TFP. He is
from the Leysan subclan of the Rahanweyn clan.
Col Barre Aden
"Hiirale": Leader of the Juba Valley Alliance
(JVA), which controls the southern port city
of Kismayo and the surrounding Juba valley
area. He is a member of the TFP and was named
into the cabinet but has so far declined to be
sworn-in as a minister. He is from the Marehan
subclan of the Darod clan.
Yusuf Mire "Serar":
Deputy leader of the JVA. Member of the TFP.
He is from the Habar Gedir subclan of the
Hawiye clan.
Omar Muhammad
Mahamud: Faction leader based in Mogadishu.
Member of the TFP and the current minister of
religious affairs. He is from the Abgal
subclan of the Hawiye clan.
Yusuf Muhammad
Siyad, "Indhacade": Faction leader based in
the southern port town of Merka. Controls the
Lower Shabelle region.
Gen Muhammad
Said Hirsi "Morgan": Siyad Barre's son-in-law
and former Defence minister who currently
holds no position in the TFG. He controlled
Kismayo until his forces were defeated by
forces led by Hiirale and Serar in 1999. He is
a member of the Majeerteen subclan of the
Darod clan.
Gen Ade Muse
Hirsi: President of the self-declared
autonomous region of Puntland. Lived in exile
in Canada but returned to Somalia in 2001 to
lead opposition forces against Abdullahi Yusuf,
then leader of Puntland, until 2003 when they
signed a peace deal. He is from the Majeerteen
subclan of the Darod clan.
Dahir Riyale
Kahin: President of the self-declared republic
of Somaliland. The former colonel in the
National Security Service was appointed vice
president by the late Somaliland president
Muhammad Ibrahim Egal and later became
president after Egal died in 2002. He is from
the Gadabuursi subclan of the Dir clan.
