Lists of office-holders
Rival and transitional heads of Somalia, 1991 to 2012
Between the fall of Siad Barre in January 1991 and the end of the transition in August 2012, more than one person often claimed to lead Somalia. Ali Mahdi Mohamed was named interim president in January 1991; Mohamed Farrah Aidid and then his son Hussein Aidid led a rival government from 1995 to 1998; a five-man National Salvation Council followed in 1997; then came the Transitional National Government under Abdiqasim Salad Hassan from 2000 and the Transitional Federal Government from 2004.
In short
After the government of Mohamed 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)
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; where sources give different dates, the note says so. How we source: How we check facts.
Mogadishu claimants, 1991 to 1998
| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Mahdi Mohamed (Cali Mahdi Maxamed) | 29 January 1991 to 4 April 1997 | United Somali Congress (USC/SSA); interim president to 21 July 1991 | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, Ali Mahdi Muhammad |
| 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, Wikipedia, Mohamed Farrah Aidid |
| Hussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid (Xuseen Maxamed Faarax Caydiid) | 4 August 1996 to 20 March 1998 | USC/SNA; succeeded his father | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, 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)
| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Mahdi Mohamed (Cali Mahdi Maxamed) | 4 April 1997 to 27 August 2000 | USC/SSA | World Statesmen, Somalia |
| Osman Hassan Ali "Ato" (Cusmaan Xasan Cali "Caato") | 4 April 1997 to 27 August 2000 | USC/SNA | World Statesmen, Somalia |
| Abdulkadir Mohamed Aden "Zobe" (Cabdiqaadir Maxamed Aadan "Soobe") | 4 April 1997 to 27 August 2000 | Somali Democratic Movement (SDM) | World Statesmen, Somalia |
| Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (Cabdillaahi Yuusuf Axmed) | 4 April 1997 to 27 August 2000 | Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) | World Statesmen, Somalia |
| Aden Abdullahi Nur "Gabyow" (Aadan Cabdillaahi Nuur "Gabyow") | 4 April 1997 to 27 August 2000 | Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM) | World Statesmen, Somalia |
Transitional governments and the Islamic Courts, 2000 to 2012
| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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, Wikipedia, Transitional National Government |
| 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, Wikipedia, Transitional Federal Government |
| 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, Wikipedia, Islamic Courts Union |
| Aden Mohamed Nur "Madobe" (Aaden Maxamed Nuur "Madoobe") | 29 December 2008 to 31 January 2009 | Acting president as Speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, Aden Madobe |
| 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, Wikipedia, Transitional Federal Government |
Related pages
- Presidents of Somalia
- Transitional governments, 2000 to 2012
- Islamic Courts Union, 2006
- Somali Civil War
Sources
We also publish every row of every office-holder list as one open data file: office-holders.csv.
Sources
- World Statesmen, Somalia · worldstatesmen.org
- Wikipedia, Ali Mahdi Muhammad · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Mohamed Farrah Aidid · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Hussein Mohamed Farrah · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Transitional National Government · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Transitional Federal Government · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Islamic Courts Union · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Aden Madobe · en.wikipedia.org
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Same era
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- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Deputy Prime Ministers of Somalia, 2005 to 2026Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Hussein Mohamed Farah Aidid, Abdihakim Mohamoud Haji-Faqi, Hussein Arab Isse, Fawzia Yusuf Adam, Ridwan Hirsi Mohamed, Mohamed Omar Arte and others.
- Governors of the Central Bank of Somalia, 1960 to 2026Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Abdi Adan Mohamed, Abdi Haji Abikar, Abdullahi Ahmed Addow, Abdirahman Nur Hirsi, Omar Ahmed Omar, Mahmoud Jama Ahmed and others.
- Ministers of Defence of Somalia, 1960 to 2026Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, Ali Ismail Yacqub, Hilowle Moalin Mohamed, Aden Isaq Ahmed, Abdirahman Haji Mumin, Haji Yusuf Iman Guled and others.
- Foreign Ministers of Somalia, 1960 to 2026Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Abdullahi Issa Mohamud, Ahmed Yusuf Dualeh, Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, Haji Farah Ali Omar, Omar Arteh Ghalib, Mohamed Siad Barre and others.
- Foreign Ministers of Somaliland, 1991 to 2026Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Sheikh Yusuf Ali Sheikh Madar, Osman Abdillahi Jama, Hassan Ali Awaleh, Suleiman Mahmud Adan, Mahmoud Salah Nur, Abdihamid Garad Jama and others.
- Governors of French Somaliland, 1884 to 1977Every French commandant, governor and high commissioner of Obock, French Somaliland and the Territory of the Afars and the Issas, 1884 to 1977, with dates and sources.