# Rival and transitional heads of Somalia, 1991 to 2012

> Who claimed or held the top post in Somalia from 1991 to 2012: Ali Mahdi, the Aidids, the National Salvation Council, the Arta and Federal transitional governments and the Islamic Courts.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/institutions/rival-heads-of-somalia-1991-to-2012/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## In short

After the government of [Mohamed Siad Barre](/en/people/siad-barre/) fell in January 1991, no single authority controlled the country. World Statesmen lists every person who held or claimed the post of head of state in this period, including rival claimants in Mogadishu, with the places where the transitional governments were based. The Union of Islamic Courts, which controlled Mogadishu for most of 2006, is listed because it governed much of southern Somalia at the time. ([World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html))

Each row below gives the holder's name in English and Somali spelling, dates in office and the source for that row. Dates are from [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html); where sources give different dates, the note says so. How we source: [How we check facts](/en/about/how-we-check-facts/).

## Mogadishu claimants, 1991 to 1998

| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Ali Mahdi Mohamed](/en/people/ali-mahdi-muhammad/) (Cali Mahdi Maxamed) | 29 January 1991 to 4 April 1997 | United Somali Congress (USC/SSA); interim president to 21 July 1991 | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, Ali Mahdi Muhammad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Mahdi_Muhammad) |
| [Mohamed Farrah Aidid](/en/people/mohamed-farrah-aidid/) (Maxamed Faarax Caydiid) | 15 June 1995 to 1 August 1996 | USC/SNA; interim president in opposition to Ali Mahdi; died in office | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, Mohamed Farrah Aidid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Farrah_Aidid) |
| [Hussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid](/en/people/hussein-farrah-aidid/) (Xuseen Maxamed Faarax Caydiid) | 4 August 1996 to 20 March 1998 | USC/SNA; succeeded his father | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, Hussein Mohamed Farrah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussein_Mohamed_Farrah) |

## National Salvation Council co-chairmen, 1997 to 2000

The council had five co-chairmen, one from each of the main factions. World Statesmen gives 27 August 2000, when the Arta government took office, as its end. ([World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html))

| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Ali Mahdi Mohamed](/en/people/ali-mahdi-muhammad/) (Cali Mahdi Maxamed) | 4 April 1997 to 27 August 2000 | USC/SSA | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html) |
| [Osman Hassan Ali "Ato"](/en/people/osman-ali-atto/) (Cusmaan Xasan Cali "Caato") | 4 April 1997 to 27 August 2000 | USC/SNA | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html) |
| Abdulkadir Mohamed Aden "Zobe" (Cabdiqaadir Maxamed Aadan "Soobe") | 4 April 1997 to 27 August 2000 | Somali Democratic Movement (SDM) | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html) |
| [Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed](/en/people/abdullahi-yusuf-ahmed/) (Cabdillaahi Yuusuf Axmed) | 4 April 1997 to 27 August 2000 | Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html) |
| Aden Abdullahi Nur "Gabyow" (Aadan Cabdillaahi Nuur "Gabyow") | 4 April 1997 to 27 August 2000 | Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM) | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html) |

## Transitional governments and the Islamic Courts, 2000 to 2012

| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Abdiqasim Salad Hassan](/en/people/abdiqasim-salad-hassan/) (Cabdiqaasim Salaad Xasan) | 27 August 2000 to 14 October 2004 | President of the Transitional National Government, chosen at Arta, Djibouti; mostly confined to the Mogadishu area | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, Transitional National Government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitional_National_Government) |
| [Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed](/en/people/abdullahi-yusuf-ahmed/) (Cabdillaahi Yuusuf Axmed) | 14 October 2004 to 29 December 2008 | President of the Transitional Federal Government; based in Nairobi, then Jowhar (2005), Baidoa (2006) and Mogadishu (January 2007); resigned | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, Transitional Federal Government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitional_Federal_Government) |
| [Sharif Sheikh Ahmed](/en/people/sharif-sheikh-ahmed/) (Shariif Sheekh Axmed) | 5 June 2006 to 28 December 2006 | Chairman of the Union of Islamic Courts, which controlled Mogadishu and parts of the south | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, Islamic Courts Union](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Courts_Union) |
| [Aden Mohamed Nur "Madobe"](/en/people/aden-madobe/) (Aaden Maxamed Nuur "Madoobe") | 29 December 2008 to 31 January 2009 | Acting president as Speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, Aden Madobe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aden_Madobe) |
| [Sharif Sheikh Ahmed](/en/people/sharif-sheikh-ahmed/) (Shariif Sheekh Axmed) | 31 January 2009 to 20 August 2012 | President of the Transitional Federal Government, elected by the enlarged parliament in Djibouti | [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html), [Wikipedia, Transitional Federal Government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitional_Federal_Government) |

## Related pages

- [Presidents of Somalia](/en/people/presidents-of-somalia/)
- [Transitional governments, 2000 to 2012](/en/history/transitional-governments-2000-2012/)
- [Islamic Courts Union, 2006](/en/history/islamic-courts-union-2006/)
- [Somali Civil War](/en/history/somali-civil-war/)

## Sources

- [World Statesmen, Somalia](https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Somalia.html)

We also publish every row of every office-holder list as one open data file: [office-holders.csv](/data/institutions/office-holders.csv).

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