Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Encyclopedia
General Mohamed Ali Farrah Aidid (December 15, 1934 – August 2, 1996) was a controversial Somali
military leader, often described as a warlord
. A former general and diplomat, he was the chairman of the United Somali Congress
(USC) and later led the Somali National Alliance
(SNA). Along with other armed opposition groups, they drove out President Mohamed Siad Barre's regime from Somalia
's capital Mogadishu
during the Somali Civil War
that broke out in the early 1990s.
In 1992, Aidid challenged the presence of United Nations
and United States
troops in the nation. He was one of the main targets of Operation Restore Hope, the UN and US joint humanitarian operation that sought to break the military siege
. After eventually forcing UN forces to abandon the country in 1995, Aidid declared himself President of Somalia for a short period.
region of Somalia. He was educated in Rome
and Moscow
and served in the Italian colonial police force in the 1950s. Later he rose in the military of Mohamed Siad Barre to the rank of general and served in the 1977–78 Ogaden War
with Ethiopia
. Aidid also served in Barre's cabinet and as Somali ambassador
to India
before finally being appointed intelligence chief.
and had him imprisoned for six years as means of pre-emption
. In 1991, Aidid's clan did indeed manage to overthrow Barre, and the former, as leader of the United Somali Congress
, emerged as a major force in the ensuing civil war
.
General Aidid hindered international U.N. peacekeeping forces in 1992 culminating with an attack on Pakistani peace keeping forces which resulted in 24 dead. As a result, the US put a $25,000 bounty
on his head and attempted to arrest and try him for war crimes. On October 3, 1993, by the order of President Bill Clinton
, a force of United States Army Rangers
and Delta Force
operators set out to capture several officials of Aidid's militia in an area of the Somali capital city of Mogadishu, controlled by him. Although technically successful, with the capture of several "tier-one personalities", the operation did not completely go as planned. Between 500 and 1,500 Somalis, as well as 18 American soldiers and 1 Malaysian soldier
, died as a result in the First Battle of Mogadishu. Also, as a result of a downed Blackhawk air assault
helicopter, Warrant Officer
-Pilot Michael J. Durant
from 160th SOAR was held captive for 11 days. He recalls in his book, In the Company of Heroes
, that he believed that he may have seen General Aidid behind the cameraman as he was being filmed briefly by film reporters during his captivity.
The United States withdrew its forces soon afterwards and the United Nations left Somalia in 1995.
. In September 1995, militia forces loyal to Aidid attacked the city of Baidoa, killing 10 Somalis and capturing at least 20 foreign aid workers.
and Osman Ali Atto
. Wounded by gunfire during the fight, Aidid suffered a fatal heart attack on August 1, either during or after surgery to treat his wounds.
, son of General Aidid, immigrated to the United States when he was 17 years old. He stayed 16 years in the U.S. and became a naturalized citizen, and later a United States Marine who served in Somalia. Two days after his father's death, the Somali National Alliance selected him to become the new president of the Republic of Somalia.
He resigned his position in Cairo
, Egypt
following a peace process between the Salbalar administration and Soodare Group. Hussein Mohammed Farrah is seen by the West as making possible a chance for improvement of relationships between the West and Somalia. When asked about his Marine days, he replied: "Once a Marine, always a Marine."
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
military leader, often described as a warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
. A former general and diplomat, he was the chairman of the United Somali Congress
United Somali Congress
The United Somali Congress is one of the major political and paramilitary organizations of Somalia. Formed in 1988, it played a key role in the ouster of the government of Siad Barre, and became a major target of the so-called Operation Restore Hope campaign in 1993...
(USC) and later led the Somali National Alliance
Somali National Alliance
The Somali National Alliance was a political alliance formed in June, 1992 with Mohamed Farrah Aidid as its head. Its constituents included Aidid's breakaway United Somali Congress faction, the Somali Patriotic Movement and other southern factions. They were one faction in the Somali Civil War...
(SNA). Along with other armed opposition groups, they drove out President Mohamed Siad Barre's regime from Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
's capital Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
during the Somali Civil War
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
that broke out in the early 1990s.
In 1992, Aidid challenged the presence of United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
troops in the nation. He was one of the main targets of Operation Restore Hope, the UN and US joint humanitarian operation that sought to break the military siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
. After eventually forcing UN forces to abandon the country in 1995, Aidid declared himself President of Somalia for a short period.
Biography
Aidid was born in the Habr Gidir clan of the MudugMudug
Mudug is an administrative region in north-central Somalia. Bordered by the Ogaden, the Somalian regions of Nugaal and Galguduud, and the Indian Ocean, its capital is the city of Galkacyo.-Districts:...
region of Somalia. He was educated in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and served in the Italian colonial police force in the 1950s. Later he rose in the military of Mohamed Siad Barre to the rank of general and served in the 1977–78 Ogaden War
Ogaden War
The Ogaden War was a conventional conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia in 1977 and 1978 over the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. In a notable illustration of the nature of Cold War alliances, the Soviet Union switched from supplying aid to Somalia to supporting Ethiopia, which had previously been...
with Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Aidid also served in Barre's cabinet and as Somali ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
before finally being appointed intelligence chief.
Somali Civil War
Barre suspected Aidid of planning a coup d'étatCoup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
and had him imprisoned for six years as means of pre-emption
Preemptive war
A preemptive war is a war that is commenced in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived inevitable offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending war before that threat materializes. It is a war which preemptively 'breaks the peace'. The term: 'preemptive war' is...
. In 1991, Aidid's clan did indeed manage to overthrow Barre, and the former, as leader of the United Somali Congress
United Somali Congress
The United Somali Congress is one of the major political and paramilitary organizations of Somalia. Formed in 1988, it played a key role in the ouster of the government of Siad Barre, and became a major target of the so-called Operation Restore Hope campaign in 1993...
, emerged as a major force in the ensuing civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
.
Opposition to UN intervention
As the civil war grew, with the breakdown of centralized government and no single successor to Barre's regime emerging, the term "warlord" came into use in Somalia. The tribalism of clan-based rebel organizations, and a complex web of regional and local domination elevated warlords to be de facto rulers of the country. Aidid was considered chief amongst them. However, he was defeated by a rival, which led to the opportunity for UN peace keepers to be brought in.General Aidid hindered international U.N. peacekeeping forces in 1992 culminating with an attack on Pakistani peace keeping forces which resulted in 24 dead. As a result, the US put a $25,000 bounty
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
on his head and attempted to arrest and try him for war crimes. On October 3, 1993, by the order of President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, a force of United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
and Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
operators set out to capture several officials of Aidid's militia in an area of the Somali capital city of Mogadishu, controlled by him. Although technically successful, with the capture of several "tier-one personalities", the operation did not completely go as planned. Between 500 and 1,500 Somalis, as well as 18 American soldiers and 1 Malaysian soldier
Military of Malaysia
The Malaysian Armed Forces , the military of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Royal Malaysian Navy , the Malaysian Army and the Royal Malaysian Air Force...
, died as a result in the First Battle of Mogadishu. Also, as a result of a downed Blackhawk air assault
Air assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces...
helicopter, Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer (United States)
In the United States military, the rank of warrant officer is rated as an officer above the senior-most enlisted ranks, as well as officer cadets and candidates, but below the officer grade of O-1...
-Pilot Michael J. Durant
Michael Durant
Michael J. "Mike" Durant is an American pilot and author who was held prisoner for eleven days in 1993 after a raid in Mogadishu, Somalia. He was a member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment as a Chief Warrant Officer 3...
from 160th SOAR was held captive for 11 days. He recalls in his book, In the Company of Heroes
In the Company of Heroes
In the Company of Heroes is a book by Michael Durant and Steven Hartov about Durant's experiences in the Battle of Mogadishu, Korea, the Persian Gulf, Thailand, Panama, and Iraq...
, that he believed that he may have seen General Aidid behind the cameraman as he was being filmed briefly by film reporters during his captivity.
The United States withdrew its forces soon afterwards and the United Nations left Somalia in 1995.
President of Somalia
Aidid then declared himself President of Somalia in June 1995, but his government was not internationally recognized. Indeed, within Somalia and even within Mogadishu, his control was fiercely fought over, especially by Ali Mahdi MuhammadAli Mahdi Muhammad
Ali Mahdi Muhammad was president of Somalia from January 1991 to November 1991. He rose to power when Mohamed Farrah Aidid forced then president Mohamed Siad Barre out of office. Muhammad, however, was not able in that time to exert control over the country...
. In September 1995, militia forces loyal to Aidid attacked the city of Baidoa, killing 10 Somalis and capturing at least 20 foreign aid workers.
Death
On July 24, 1996 Aidid and his militia engaged in battle with the forces of warlords and former Aidid allies Ali Mahdi MuhammadAli Mahdi Muhammad
Ali Mahdi Muhammad was president of Somalia from January 1991 to November 1991. He rose to power when Mohamed Farrah Aidid forced then president Mohamed Siad Barre out of office. Muhammad, however, was not able in that time to exert control over the country...
and Osman Ali Atto
Osman Ali Atto
Osman Hassan Ali Atto is a Somali warlord, affiliated with the Somali National Alliance.- Background :He is a member of the Somali Hawiye clan, sub-clan Habar Gedir Osman Hassan Ali Atto (born 1940) is a Somali warlord, affiliated with the Somali National Alliance.- Background :He is a member of...
. Wounded by gunfire during the fight, Aidid suffered a fatal heart attack on August 1, either during or after surgery to treat his wounds.
Heir
Hussein Mohamed FarrahHussein Mohamed Farrah
Hussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid , is a United States Marine Corps veteran and a former president of Somalia. He is the son of General Mohamed Farrah Aidid.-Biography:...
, son of General Aidid, immigrated to the United States when he was 17 years old. He stayed 16 years in the U.S. and became a naturalized citizen, and later a United States Marine who served in Somalia. Two days after his father's death, the Somali National Alliance selected him to become the new president of the Republic of Somalia.
He resigned his position in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
following a peace process between the Salbalar administration and Soodare Group. Hussein Mohammed Farrah is seen by the West as making possible a chance for improvement of relationships between the West and Somalia. When asked about his Marine days, he replied: "Once a Marine, always a Marine."