# Abdirahman Jama Barre (Cabdiraxmaan Jaamac Barre)

> Abdirahman Jama Barre (1937–2017): Foreign Minister 1977 to 1987 and 1989 to 1990, first Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister 1987 to 1991.

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Last checked: 2026-11-12
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## Who was he?

Abdirahman Jama Barre spent three decades in Somalia's foreign service. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs for more than ten years in all, longer than anyone else in the post ([Wikipedia, Abdirahman Jama Barre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdirahman_Jama_Barre); [Rulers.org, Foreign ministers S to Z](https://rulers.org/fm4.html)). In the government's final years he was also first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.

## Early life and education

He was born in 1937 in [Luuq](/en/regions/gedo/), in the Gedo region (Wikipedia). He was a cousin of President [Mohamed Siad Barre](/en/people/siad-barre/) (same source). He studied in Italy and earned a doctorate at the University of Padua in the early 1960s (same source).

## The foreign service, 1960 to 1977

After a short time as a school headmaster he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1960, the year of independence. He served as a counsellor until 1964 and then directed the ministry's economic and social departments (Wikipedia). After the 1969 coup the [Supreme Revolutionary Council](/en/history/somali-democratic-republic-1969-1991/) named him Director-General of the ministry in 1970. In 1976 he joined the Central Committee of the new Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (same source).

## Foreign Minister, 1977 to 1987

He became Minister of Foreign Affairs in July 1977 and represented Somalia at the United Nations General Assembly (Wikipedia). Rulers.org lists him as Foreign Minister from 1977 to 1987 ([Rulers.org](https://rulers.org/fm4.html)). In 1986 he sat on a joint Somalia–Ethiopia committee with the Ethiopian foreign minister, Goshu Wolde (Wikipedia).

## Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, 1987 to 1991

At the end of 1987 he became Somalia's first Deputy Prime Minister, with [Abdiqasim Salad Hassan](/en/people/abdiqasim-salad-hassan/) as second Deputy Prime Minister. At the same time he became Minister of Finance (Wikipedia). The Wikipedia list of finance ministers dates that post from December 1987 to April 1989 ([Wikipedia, Ministry of Finance (Somalia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Finance_(Somalia))). In 1989 he returned to the foreign ministry for a second term of about a year. He remained Deputy Prime Minister until the government fell in January 1991 (Wikipedia).

## Later life

In 2004 he was a candidate for President at the conference that formed the [Transitional Federal Government](/en/history/transitional-governments-2000-2012/). [Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed](/en/people/abdullahi-yusuf-ahmed/) won that election (Wikipedia). He died on 15 August 2017 in [San Diego](/en/diaspora/san-diego/), in the United States (same source).

## Offices held

- Director-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 1970
- Minister of Foreign Affairs, 1977 to 1987 and 1989 to 1990. See [Foreign Ministers of Somalia](/en/institutions/foreign-ministers-of-somalia/).
- First Deputy Prime Minister, 1987 to January 1991. See [Deputy Prime Ministers of Somalia](/en/institutions/deputy-prime-ministers-of-somalia/).
- Minister of Finance, December 1987 to April 1989. See [Finance Ministers of Somalia](/en/institutions/finance-ministers-of-somalia/).

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