Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud)

Who is he?

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is the President of Somalia. He held the office from 2012 to 2017 and was elected again in 2022 (Wikipedia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud). The presidency's own site calls him the first Somali President elected to two terms that did not follow each other (Villa Somalia, The President).

Early life and education

He was born on 29 November 1955 in the Hiiraan region and went to school there (Wikipedia). In 1978 he moved to Mogadishu and studied at the Polytechnic Institute, earning a diploma in 1981. He earned a master's degree in technical education at Bhopal University in India in 1988 (same source).

Teacher and civil society

He taught at Lafoole Technical Secondary School and then at the Technical Teachers' Training College, where he became head of department in 1986 (Wikipedia). He stayed in Somalia through the civil war. From 1993 to 1995 he was an education officer for UNICEF in the centre and south (same source).

In 1999 he co-founded the Somali Institute of Management and Administration (SIMAD) in Mogadishu, which grew into SIMAD University. He was its dean until 2010 (Wikipedia). See universities in Somalia.

First term, 2012 to 2017

In September 2012 the new Federal Parliament elected him President. He was the first President of the Federal Government after the transitional years (Wikipedia). Time magazine listed him among the 100 most influential people of 2013 (same source). His first government was also criticised for corruption and infighting (The EastAfrican, May 2022). In February 2017 parliament chose Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo instead, and he handed over.

Second term, from 2022

He founded the Union for Peace and Development Party. In May 2022 parliament elected him President again (The EastAfrican, May 2022). In October 2022 he completed a doctorate in peace, governance and development (Wikipedia).

On 18 March 2025 a bomb exploded beside his convoy as it left the presidential palace in Mogadishu; he was unhurt, and al-Shabaab said its fighters had targeted him (Reuters, via Yahoo News, 18 March 2025). See The bomb attack on the president's convoy in Mogadishu, 18 March 2025.

His four-year term was due to end on 15 May 2026. In March 2026 parliament changed the constitution to extend the terms of the President and of parliament by a year (Citizen Digital, March 2026). The opposition rejects the extension. In October 2026 the government said a presidential vote would be held in May 2027 (BusinessDay, 16 October 2026).

This page records his public role only. It is updated as events change.