Leaders and statesmen
Mohamed Osman Jawari (Maxamed Cismaan Jawaari)
Mohamed Osman Jawari (7 December 1945 to 28 June 2024) was a Somali lawyer and politician from Afgooye. He was a minister under Siad Barre, lived in Norway after 1991, and chaired the experts who drafted the 2012 provisional constitution. In August 2012 he became the first Speaker of the Federal Parliament and briefly acting President. He resigned as Speaker in April 2018 before a no-confidence motion.
Mohamed Osman JawariMaxamed Cismaan Jawaari · Osman Jawari
- Lived
- 1945-12-07 to 2024-06-28
- Known as one of
- Leaders and statesmen
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 3 sources
Who was he?
Mohamed Osman Jawari was a Somali lawyer and politician (Wikipedia, Mohamed Osman Jawari). He was Speaker of the Federal Parliament from 2012 to 2018 (same source). He was acting President of Somalia from August to September 2012 (same source). This page covers his public role and takes no side in party politics.
Early life and career
He was born on 7 December 1945 in Afgooye, to a Rahanweyn family (Wikipedia). He took a law degree at the Somali National University (same source). Under Siad Barre he was Minister of Transport, then Minister of Labour and Sports (same source). After the war began in 1991 he went to Norway and received asylum (same source). He returned to Somalia in the 2000s (same source). See Somalis in Norway.
The 2012 constitution
He chaired the committee of experts that drafted Somalia's new constitution, working with UN officials (Wikipedia). The provisional constitution was adopted in 2012 (same source).
Speaker and acting president
On 28 August 2012 the new Federal Parliament held its first speaker election inside Somalia in two decades (same source). He won 119 votes in the first round, and the runner-up then withdrew (same source). He said he was "honoured to have been selected as the first speaker of a [Somali] parliament that is not transitional" (same source). The UN envoy Augustine Mahiga called it "a moment of progress and optimism" (same source). As Speaker he was acting President until Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected on 10 September 2012 (same source).
In March 2014 he announced that Central Bank withdrawals would need written approval from parliament's finance committee (same source). In June 2014 his office hosted the agreement that merged two rival plans into one South West State of Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle (same source). See South West State. In October 2014 he reopened the Somali National University with the higher education minister (same source).
Resignation
In early 2018 a dispute grew between him and the executive under President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo (Africanews, 9 April 2018). On 9 April 2018, as members gathered for a no-confidence motion, his deputy read out his resignation letter (same source). Mohamed Mursal Abdirahman was elected Speaker on 30 April 2018 (VOA via GlobalSecurity, 30 April 2018).
Death
He died on 28 June 2024, aged 78 (Wikipedia). He spoke Somali, Arabic, Italian, English and Norwegian (same source).
In short
A lawyer from Afgooye who chaired the drafting of the 2012 provisional constitution, became the first Speaker of the Federal Parliament and was acting President in 2012.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Mohamed Osman Jawari · en.wikipedia.org
- Africanews, 9 April 2018 · africanews.com
- VOA via GlobalSecurity, 30 April 2018 · globalsecurity.org
Mohamed Osman JawariMaxamed Cismaan Jawaari · Osman Jawari
- Lived
- 1945-12-07 to 2024-06-28
- Known as one of
- Leaders and statesmen
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 3 sources
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Where this matters
Same era
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- 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
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- Prime Ministers of Somalia, 1956 to 2026Every Prime Minister and acting Prime Minister of Somalia from 1956 to 2026, with dates of office and links to each person's page.
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- Abdirashid Ali Shermarke (Cabdirashiid Cali Sharmaarke)Abdirashid Ali Shermarke (1919–1969): first Prime Minister and second President of the Somali Republic, his life and his death in 1969.
- Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal (Maxamed Xaaji Ibraahim Cigaal)Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal (1928–2002): Prime Minister in 1960 and 1967–69, President of Somaliland 1993–2002. His life and public roles.