Military and armed-group figures
Ahmed Diriye (Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah)
Ahmed Diriye, also known as Ahmad Umar or Abu Ubaidah, has led al-Shabaab since September 2014, after Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed. Born in about 1972, he was in al-Itihaad al-Islamiya and the Islamic Courts, and in al-Shabaab served as a governor of Bay and Bakool and as a founder of its intelligence wing, the Amniyat. The US designated him in 2015 and offers a reward for information on him.
Ahmed DiriyeAhmad Umar · Abu Ubaidah
- Lived
- 1972 to today
- Known as one of
- Military and armed-group figures
- Era
- Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 7 sources
Who is he?
Ahmed Diriye is the third emir of al-Shabaab and has led it longer than anyone before him. This page records his public role from research and government sources. How al-Shabaab is organised is described in Al-Shabaab: how it is organised, and who has led it.
Background
Wikipedia gives his birth as 1972 in Mustahil, in Ethiopia's Somali region, and, citing Africa Confidential, describes him as a cousin of his predecessor (Wikipedia, Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah). He was a member of al-Itihaad al-Islamiya in 1996, then an officer of the Islamic Courts Union and head of a Qur'an school in Kismayo (same source).
Posts in al-Shabaab before 2014
- Deputy governor of Lower Juba, 2008.
- Governor of Bay and Bakool, appointed 29 June 2009.
- Military commander of Bay, Bakool and Gedo, January 2012.
- Senior adviser to Godane on internal affairs by 2013.
Wikipedia describes him as a founder of the Amniyat, al-Shabaab's intelligence wing (same source). Christopher Anzalone wrote in 2014 that he was reported to have played "an instrumental role" in the 2013 purge of Godane's critics (Christopher Anzalone, CTC Sentinel, September 2014).
Emir since 2014
Al-Shabaab named him leader on 6 September 2014, days after Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a US strike (Wikipedia, citing the Associated Press). The Council on Foreign Relations records that he has led it since then (Council on Foreign Relations, Al-Shabaab backgrounder).
As leader he reached out to commanders who had fallen out with Godane, released some from prison, and kept al-Shabaab with al-Qaeda when the Islamic State pressed it to switch sides (Wikipedia). Stanford's Mapping Militants project records that he was reported ill in 2018, that he temporarily passed some powers to his deputy in 2020, and that he was still reported as leader in 2025 (Mapping Militant Organizations).
He first appeared publicly as leader in a 2019 video. In November 2024 he released a 45-minute speech opposing Ethiopia's bid for sea access and calling for the removal of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Wikipedia, citing Mareeg).
Designations
The US State Department designated him on 21 April 2015, together with his deputy Mahad Karate (US State Department, 2015, archived). The US Rewards for Justice programme lists him as wanted (Rewards for Justice).
Sources differ
- Birth year and place. Given as about 1972; some reports say only that he is in his fifties.
- Health. Reports since 2018 have described him as ill. Al-Shabaab has made no public statement on his health.
Read the primary sources yourself
Sources
- Wikipedia, Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah · en.wikipedia.org
- Christopher Anzalone, CTC Sentinel, September 2014 · ctc.westpoint.edu
- Council on Foreign Relations, Al-Shabaab backgrounder · cfr.org
- Mapping Militant Organizations · mappingmilitants.org
- US State Department, 2015, archived · web.archive.org
- Rewards for Justice · rewardsforjustice.net
- brief · jamestown.org
Ahmed DiriyeAhmad Umar · Abu Ubaidah
- Lived
- 1972 to today
- Known as one of
- Military and armed-group figures
- Era
- Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 7 sources
Toosoo!
Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.
Nothing is asked of you. Our work comes to you.
Read the callWhere this matters
- Baydhabo (Baidoa) and BayBay is a farming region in South West State, with Baidoa (Baydhabo) as its main city and about 1.25 to 1.8 million people.
- Bu'aale (Buale) and Middle JubaMiddle Juba is a farming region on the Juba river in the south, with about 447,000 people.
- Kismaayo (Kismayo) and Lower JubaLower Juba is the far southern region on the border with Kenya, with the port city of Kismayo (Kismaayo) as its capital and about 1.2 million people.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- 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
- Daud Abdulle Hirsi (Daa'uud Cabdulle Xirsi)Daud Abdulle Hirsi (1925–1965), the first commander of the Somali National Army: early life, police career, his role after independence, and how he is remembered.
- Mohamed Ali Samatar (Maxamed Cali Samatar)Mohamed Ali Samatar (1931–2016): army commander, defence minister, vice-president and prime minister under Siad Barre, and the US case Samantar v. Yousuf.
- Salaad Gabeyre KediyeSalaad Gabeyre Kediye (1933–1972): army officer, a leader of the 1969 takeover, member of the Supreme Revolutionary Council, arrested in 1971 and executed in 1972.
- Abdullahi Ahmed Irro (Cabdullaahi Axmed Cirro)Abdullahi Ahmed Irro (1937–2022): his training in Cairo and Moscow, the capture of Godey in 1977, his arrest after the 1978 coup attempt, and his later work teaching strategy.
- Mohamed Said Hersi 'Morgan' (Maxamed Siciid Xirsi Moorgan)Mohamed Said Hersi Morgan (1949–2025): northern commander, last defence minister of the central government, Kismayo in the 1990s, later Puntland adviser.
- Ahmed Omar Jess (Axmed Cumar Jees)Ahmed Omar Jess: leader of the Absame wing of the Somali Patriotic Movement, his alliance with Aidid, control of Kismayo in 1992–93, and the contest with Morgan.