Sharif Ahmed

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed شيخ شريف شيخ احمد
President of Somalia
Incumbent
Assumed office  31 January 2009
Prime Minister	Nur Hassan Hussein Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke
Preceded by	Adan Mohamed Nuur Madobe (Acting)
Born	25 July 1964 (1964-07-25) (age 46) Mahadai, Jowhar, Somalia
Political party	Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia
Religion	Islam

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (Somali: Sheekh Shariif Sheekh Axmed, Arabic: الشيخ شريف شيخ أحمد‎) (born July 25, 1964) is the current President of Somalia and former Commander in Chief of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).

Biography

Ahmed was born in the Shabeellaha Dhexe province of southern Somalia, and studied at Libyan and Sudanese universities. Sharif Ahmed began his education at the Sheikh Sufi Institute, which was associated with Al-Azhar University in Egypt. He then went to Sudan and entered Kordufan University in late 1992, where he pursued a Bachelor's degree in the Arabic language (major) and geography (minor) in the city of Aldalanj. In 1994, the university was renamed to the University of Dalanj, and Sheikh Sharif left for Tripoli, the capital of Libya, after having completed only two out of the required four years. In Libya, he entered the Open University where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Law and Islamic Shariah, graduating in 1998. He has worked as a secondary school teacher of geography, Arabic, and religious studies.

A hafiz, Ahmed had memorized the Qur'an by heart as a child and spoke only standard Arabic shunning slang and local dialects. Thus, his religious upbringing and education allowed him to succeed his father as the spiritual leader of the Idriseeyah sect of Sufi Islam in Somalia.^[1]

Besides his mother tongue Somali, Ahmed is fluent in Arabic, and has some command of English.

Islamic Courts Union

After returning from overseas, Ahmed became involved in the ICU and was elected to head a small local sub-clan court in Jowhar. A few years later, a local gang in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, kidnapped a young student and demanded a ransom from his family in return for the boy's release. This incident was one of countless other kidnappings and killings perpetrated by armed groups in the Somali capital who exploited the disintegration of the central government. This event reportedly marked a turning point in the life of Sheikh Ahmed and propelled his further involvement with the ICU.^[2]

By 2004, Sheikh Ahmed had become one of the leading figures in the Mogadishu Islamic Courts. His closest friends and allies included Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, one of the founders of the ICU, and Aden Hashi Farah "Eyrow", a man whom Washington alleges has connections with the Al-Qaeda network and fought in Afghanistan in 2001.^[3]

On September 9, 2006, under the auspices of Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, the former President of the Somali Transitional National Government, Sheikh Ahmed and several colleagues attended an AU ceremony in Sirte, Libya, marking the seventh anniversary of a summit of African leaders. In an interview with Reuters and the BBC, Sheikh Ahmed suggested his delegation would seek the help of Libya and other African nations to bring about a rapprochement between the Islamists and the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG). However, he reportedly arrived in Khartoum, Sudan 48 hours before the start of the conference between the Somali government and the ICU only to leave 24 hours later. Sheikh Ahmed said Ethiopia had been hostile to Somalia for more than 500 years, and reiterated a long-standing Islamist accusation that Ethiopian forces were intervening in Somalia. Ethiopia denied any of its troops were fighting in Somalia. However, arrangements for an Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-led peacekeeping force did not materialize.^[4]

On December 28, 2006, after only six months in power and the defeat of the ICU's army, he committed himself to fighting the Ethiopian forces in Somalia. After the ICU's defeat in the Battle of Jilib and their abandonment of Kismayo, he fled towards the Kenyan border.

Before fleeing, Sheikh Sharif lived with his wife and two children, Ahmad, aged 9 and Abdullah, who is a toddler, in a modest house in Mogadishu.^[5]

He was detained, with three other Somalis, by Kenyan police on January 21, 2007 near the Hulugo border. He met the US Ambassador to Kenya for talks regarding cooperation with the TFG. He was under the protection of Kenyan authorities staying at a hotel in Nairobi.^[6][7]

On February 1, 2007 Sharif Ahmed was released from Kenyan police authorities.^[8] By February 8, Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed had gone to Yemen where other ICU members are thought to have also gone.^[9]

Political career

2009 presidential election

As the first round of voting began, several candidates withdrew, increasing the speculation that the vote would largely be a choice between Nur Hassan Hussein and Sharif Ahmed. In the first round, Sharif Ahmed got 215 votes, Maslah Mohamed Said 60 and Nur Hassan Hussein 59; Nur Hassan Hussein then withdrew his candidacy, thus likely sealing the election of Sharif Ahmed as president. In the final round of the presidential election, Sharif prevailed with 293 votes.

After winning the vote in the early hours of January 31, 2009, Ahmed was sworn in later in the day at the Kempinski hotel in Djibouti.^[10]

Stand-off

In April and May 2010, a rift developed between Prime Minister of Somalia, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, and then Speaker of Parliament, Adan Mohamed Nuur Madobe, which culminated in the Speaker's resignation after parliament later voted to remove him from office. Despite Madobe agreeing to relieve himself of his duties as Speaker, the President Sharif announced shortly afterwards his dismissal of Prime Minister Sharmarke and his intention of forming a new government. This move was quickly welcomed by the UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, a close associate and supporter of Sharif. Ould-Abdallah himself has recently come under fire for his reportedly disruptive role in the continuing conflict in southern Somalia, including meddling in local politics and attempting to advance foreign agendas.^[11][12]

In response, Prime Minister Sharmarke told the press that Sharif did not have the authority to dismiss him, and stated that he would remain in office until parliament passes a vote of no confidence.^[13][14] Sharmarke added that he "met the president and informed him that I wouldn't submit a resignation because his decision is not supported by the transitional charter",^[15] and that “the government is formed in accordance with the constitution and the national charter... Articles 44 and 51 of the constitution say that the government can only be dissolved through a vote of no confidence from the parliament. So no parliament has casted the vote against the government.”^[14]

On May 18, a top official with the African Union urged the federal leaders to settle their differences and unite to resolve the ongoing conflict.^[16] Supporters of Prime Minister Sharmarke were also reported to have gathered in the north-central Mudug region of Somalia to protest in his defense.^[17]

On May 20, President Sharif reversed his decision to sack Prime Minister Sharmarke. The change of heart came after consulting with lawyers, who advised Sharif that the dismissal was indeed unconstitutional. Analysts have also stated that the move has severely undermined Sharif's credibility, as well as that of the U.N. representative, Ould-Abdallah, who had backed him.^[18]

On May 26, following another disagreement with Prime Minister Sharmarke, incumbent President Sharif again announced his unilateral plan to appoint a new Premier. Associates of Sharif's also reportedly attempted to persuade Sharmarke to resign, but the Premier again refused to step down and vowed instead to remain in office until his tenure constitutionally expires.^[19] Abdirahman Mohamud Farole, the incumbent President of Somalia's autonomous Puntland region in the northeast, attempted to help settle the dispute, warning that if not resolved amicably, the rift could result in the ultimate collapse of the Transitional Federal Government.^[20]

References

External links

• Interview in Der Spiegel
• Interview at AU summit Radio France International
• Somali Government Official Website

Presidents of Somalia First Republic Aden Abdullah Osman Daar • Abdirashid Ali Shermarke • Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein* Somali Democratic Republic Siad Barre Second Republic Ali Mahdi Muhammad • vacant, 1991–1995 • Mohamed Farrah Aidid • Hussein Mohamed Farrah • vacant, 1997–2000 • Abdiqasim Salad Hassan • Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed • Adan Mohamed Nuur Madobe* • Sharif Ahmed * acting president

Islamic Courts Union Key members Sharif Ahmed, Hassan Dahir Aweys, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Abdirahman Janaqow, Fuad Mohamed Qalaf Other members Abdullahi Afrah