Moumin Bahdon Farah
Encyclopedia
Moumin Bahdon Farah is a Djibouti
an politician and the President of the Social Democratic People's Party
(PPSD). He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1978 to 1993 and Minister of Justice from 1993 to 1996. Currently, he is a member of the National Assembly of Djibouti
.
Farah is an Issa
and a member of the Odah Gob subclan. Prior to independence, he became Minister of the Interior, Posts and Telecommunications in 1976, as part of the transitional government headed by Abdallah Mohamed Kamil
. In Djibouti's first post-independence government, named on 15 July 1977, Farah was Minister of the Interior. He was moved to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on 2 October 1978, and he remained Foreign Minister for nearly 15 years. In the December 1992 parliamentary election
, Farah was the third candidate on the candidate list of the governing People's Rally for Progress
(RPP) for the District of Djibouti
. Following the 1992 election, Farah was moved to the position of Minister of Justice, Muslim Affairs and Prisons on 4 February 1993. He represented President Hassan Gouled Aptidon
on the National Electoral Commission at the time of the May 1993 presidential election
. He opposed the 1994 peace agreement with the moderate faction of the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy
(FRUD) rebel group.
In 1995, Farah led a faction of the government that opposed Prime Minister Barkat Gourad Hamadou
and the head of the Cabinet, Ismail Omar Guelleh
. He was dismissed from his position as Minister of Justice, Muslim Affairs and Prisons by President Gouled on 27 March 1996. He also served as Secretary-General of the RPP, but was removed from the party leadership in 1996. In April 1996, he and his supporters established a new parliamentary group, the Group for Democracy and the Republic; Farah became its President.
At about the same time, together with two other deputies in the National Assembly, Ahmed Boulaleh Barreh
and Ali Mahamade Houmed, Farah released a communiqué urging party militants and the people "to come together and mobilize to thwart, by all legal and peaceful means, this deliberate policy of President Hassan Gouled Aptidon to rule by terror and force while trampling underfoot our Constitution and republican institutions." As a result of this communiqué, he and the other two deputies were accused of offending the Head of State, and their parliamentary immunity was lifted on 15 June 1996 so that they could be tried on this charge. They appealed the lifting of their parliamentary immunity to the Constitutional Council on 20 June, and it responded favorably in a decision on 31 July 1996. Despite this, they were sentenced to six months in prison on 7 August 1996. They were also fined 200,000 Djiboutian franc
s and deprived of their civic rights for five years, thereby barring them from seeking election to the National Assembly during that time. A subsequent report to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
asserted that the trial was unfair. Farah joined the Unified Djiboutian Opposition (ODU) after his release and became a member of the ODU's High Council. Because the Group for Democracy and the Republic could not participate in the December 1997 parliamentary election
, Farah instead urged support for Party for Democratic Renewal (PRD).
Farah was arrested in early May 1998 on the grounds that he was suspected of financing a radical faction of the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy
(FRUD). Along with Boulaleh Barreh and 15 soldiers, Farah was charged with fomenting military unrest and plotting a coup; they were put on trial in September 1998. On 25 November 1998, Farah signed a communiqué together with Abdillahi Hamareiteh, the President of the Party of Democratic Renewal (PRD), and Mahdi Ibrahim God, the President of the Djibouti United Opposition Front (FUOD), providing for the creation of an alliance between the three groups. On 1 October 2001, he and the others convicted of insulting the Head of State in 1996 were granted an amnesty
.
Farah subsequently founded the PPSD in 2002; he filed a declaration for the PPSD at the Interior Ministry on 26 October 2002, and Interior Minister Abdoulkader Doualeh Waïs announced that the party was legally registered on 31 October 2002. Speaking in a television interview on 22 November 2002, Farah said that his new party was not part of the opposition, expressing support for the government and stating that the PPSD planned to ally with the RPP. Accordingly, the PPSD joined the RPP and two other parties in a coalition, the Union for a Presidential Majority (UMP), for the January 2003 parliamentary election
. Farah was included as the 21st candidate on the UMP's candidate list for the District of Djibouti in this election and won a seat (the UMP won all 65 seats in the National Assembly). In the National Assembly, he has served on the External Affairs Commission.
In 2007, a former member of French intelligence said that Farah, while serving as Justice Minister, ordered Bernard Borrel
—a French judge who was killed in Djibouti in 1995—to investigate major Djiboutian political figures. Farah released a statement on 15 July 2007 denying this claim. In the February 2008 parliamentary election
, Farah was the fifth candidate on the UMP's candidate list for the District of Djibouti.
On September 1 2009, Moumin Bahdon Farah died in Paris.
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
an politician and the President of the Social Democratic People's Party
Social Democratic People's Party (Djibouti)
The Social Democratic People's Party , is a centre-left, social democratic political party, in Djibouti, founded in 2002 and led by Moumin Bahdon Farah. It is part of the governing coalition, the Union for a Presidential Majority ....
(PPSD). He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1978 to 1993 and Minister of Justice from 1993 to 1996. Currently, he is a member of the National Assembly of Djibouti
National Assembly of Djibouti
The National Assembly is the unicameral legislative branch of the government of Djibouti.-Overview:It consists of 65 members – 30 Somali and 30 Afar – elected to serve five-year terms in multi-seat constituencies...
.
Farah is an Issa
Issa (clan)
The Issa are a Somali clan, a sub-clan of the Dir. The Issa primarily reside in Djibouti, the extreme northwestern fringe in the Awdal district of Somaliland in northern Somalia, as well as the Shinile Zone located in the Somali Region of Ethiopia.-Lineage:...
and a member of the Odah Gob subclan. Prior to independence, he became Minister of the Interior, Posts and Telecommunications in 1976, as part of the transitional government headed by Abdallah Mohamed Kamil
Abdallah Mohamed Kamil
Abdallah Mohamed Kamil is a Djiboutian politician. He served as Prime Minister of the country from 5 February 1978 to 2 October 1978....
. In Djibouti's first post-independence government, named on 15 July 1977, Farah was Minister of the Interior. He was moved to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on 2 October 1978, and he remained Foreign Minister for nearly 15 years. In the December 1992 parliamentary election
Djiboutian parliamentary election, 1992
Parliamentary elections were held in Djibouti on 18 December 1992. They were the first elections following a referendum in September that reintroduced multi-party democracy, albeit with a limit of four parties, although they were boycotted by the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy...
, Farah was the third candidate on the candidate list of the governing People's Rally for Progress
People's Rally for Progress
The People's Rally for Progress , is a political party in Djibouti. It has dominated politics in the country since 1979, initially under the rule of President Hassan Gouled Aptidon...
(RPP) for the District of Djibouti
Djibouti (city)
The City of Djibouti is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Djibouti, a nation in the Horn of Africa. The biggest settlement on the Gulf of Tadjoura, it lies on a peninsula that separates that basin from the Gulf of Aden.-History:...
. Following the 1992 election, Farah was moved to the position of Minister of Justice, Muslim Affairs and Prisons on 4 February 1993. He represented President Hassan Gouled Aptidon
Hassan Gouled Aptidon
Hassan Gouled Aptidon was the first President of Djibouti from 1977 to 1999.-Biography:...
on the National Electoral Commission at the time of the May 1993 presidential election
Djiboutian presidential election, 1993
Presidential elections were held in Djibouti on 7 May 1993. They followed the constitutional changes approved in a referendum the previous year, which re-introduced multi-party democracy, and were the first presidential elections to feature more than one candidate...
. He opposed the 1994 peace agreement with the moderate faction of the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy
Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy
The Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy , is a political party in Djibouti. It is aligned with the interests of the Afar people who live in that country, although it has supporters residing outside of Djibouti....
(FRUD) rebel group.
In 1995, Farah led a faction of the government that opposed Prime Minister Barkat Gourad Hamadou
Barkat Gourad Hamadou
Barkat Gourad Hamadou was the Prime Minister of Djibouti from 2 October 1978 until 7 March 2001.-Political career:Hamadou is a member of the Afar ethnic group and was born in Dikhil Region, in the southwest of Djibouti...
and the head of the Cabinet, Ismail Omar Guelleh
Ismail Omar Guelleh
Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is the President of Djibouti. He succeeded his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, in 1999. He is often referred to in the region by his initials 'IOG'....
. He was dismissed from his position as Minister of Justice, Muslim Affairs and Prisons by President Gouled on 27 March 1996. He also served as Secretary-General of the RPP, but was removed from the party leadership in 1996. In April 1996, he and his supporters established a new parliamentary group, the Group for Democracy and the Republic; Farah became its President.
At about the same time, together with two other deputies in the National Assembly, Ahmed Boulaleh Barreh
Ahmed Boulaleh Barreh
Ahmed Boulaleh Barreh, also known as Gabayo , is a Djiboutian politician. He is the Vice-President of the People's Social Democratic Party and a member of the National Assembly of Djibouti....
and Ali Mahamade Houmed, Farah released a communiqué urging party militants and the people "to come together and mobilize to thwart, by all legal and peaceful means, this deliberate policy of President Hassan Gouled Aptidon to rule by terror and force while trampling underfoot our Constitution and republican institutions." As a result of this communiqué, he and the other two deputies were accused of offending the Head of State, and their parliamentary immunity was lifted on 15 June 1996 so that they could be tried on this charge. They appealed the lifting of their parliamentary immunity to the Constitutional Council on 20 June, and it responded favorably in a decision on 31 July 1996. Despite this, they were sentenced to six months in prison on 7 August 1996. They were also fined 200,000 Djiboutian franc
Djiboutian franc
The franc is the currency of Djibouti. The ISO 4217 currency code is DJF. Historically it was subdivided into 100 centimes.- History :...
s and deprived of their civic rights for five years, thereby barring them from seeking election to the National Assembly during that time. A subsequent report to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
United Nations Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...
asserted that the trial was unfair. Farah joined the Unified Djiboutian Opposition (ODU) after his release and became a member of the ODU's High Council. Because the Group for Democracy and the Republic could not participate in the December 1997 parliamentary election
Djiboutian parliamentary election, 1997
Parliamentary elections were held in Djibouti on 19 December 1997. The Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy, which had boycotted the last election, ran joint candidates with the ruling People's Rally for Progress. Together, they won all 65 seats in the National Assembly, with the PRP...
, Farah instead urged support for Party for Democratic Renewal (PRD).
Farah was arrested in early May 1998 on the grounds that he was suspected of financing a radical faction of the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy
Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy
The Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy , is a political party in Djibouti. It is aligned with the interests of the Afar people who live in that country, although it has supporters residing outside of Djibouti....
(FRUD). Along with Boulaleh Barreh and 15 soldiers, Farah was charged with fomenting military unrest and plotting a coup; they were put on trial in September 1998. On 25 November 1998, Farah signed a communiqué together with Abdillahi Hamareiteh, the President of the Party of Democratic Renewal (PRD), and Mahdi Ibrahim God, the President of the Djibouti United Opposition Front (FUOD), providing for the creation of an alliance between the three groups. On 1 October 2001, he and the others convicted of insulting the Head of State in 1996 were granted an amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
.
Farah subsequently founded the PPSD in 2002; he filed a declaration for the PPSD at the Interior Ministry on 26 October 2002, and Interior Minister Abdoulkader Doualeh Waïs announced that the party was legally registered on 31 October 2002. Speaking in a television interview on 22 November 2002, Farah said that his new party was not part of the opposition, expressing support for the government and stating that the PPSD planned to ally with the RPP. Accordingly, the PPSD joined the RPP and two other parties in a coalition, the Union for a Presidential Majority (UMP), for the January 2003 parliamentary election
Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2003
The 2003 Djiboutian parliamentary election took place in Djibouti on the 10 January 2003 to elect the National Assembly of Djibouti. The ruling coalition of President Ismail Omar Guelleh won all 65 seats in the election defeating an opposition coalition....
. Farah was included as the 21st candidate on the UMP's candidate list for the District of Djibouti in this election and won a seat (the UMP won all 65 seats in the National Assembly). In the National Assembly, he has served on the External Affairs Commission.
In 2007, a former member of French intelligence said that Farah, while serving as Justice Minister, ordered Bernard Borrel
Bernard Borrel
Bernard Borrel was a French magistrate in Djibouti. He died under mysterious circumstances on 19 October 1995.At the time of his death, Borrel was assigned to the Justice Ministry in Djibouti to review and adapt the French civil and penal codes to the Djiboutian justice system...
—a French judge who was killed in Djibouti in 1995—to investigate major Djiboutian political figures. Farah released a statement on 15 July 2007 denying this claim. In the February 2008 parliamentary election
Djiboutian parliamentary election, 2008
A parliamentary election was held in Djibouti on 8 February 2008. There were 65 candidates running for the 65 seats in the National Assembly, with all of the candidates coming from the ruling coalition, the Union for the Presidential Majority...
, Farah was the fifth candidate on the UMP's candidate list for the District of Djibouti.
On September 1 2009, Moumin Bahdon Farah died in Paris.