| Yusuf Mohammed Siad |
|
|---|---|
| Minister of Defense of Somalia | |
| In office 2009 – 9 June 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Mohamed Abdi Mohamed |
| Succeeded by | Abdihakim Mohamoud Haji-Faqi |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Transitional Federal Government |
| Religion | Islam |
| Nickname(s) | Inda'ade (White Eyes) |
Yusuf Mohammed Siad, (Somali: Yuusuf Maxamed Siyaad (Indhacadde)) aka "Inda'ade" (White Eyes) is a Somali warlord, islamist and former minister and currently a General in SNA.[1]
He hail from the Ayr sub-clan,[2] part of the Habar Gidir, which is a branch of the Hawiye clan.
For a short period he was Minister of Defense in Somalia.[3] Before he became a minister he was an islamist member of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in Somalia.[4]
He has also served as deputy and financier for Hassan Dahir Aweys, and served as the security chief.[5]
Nicknamed "white-eyed" (or Indhacadde), he was a former warlord who occupied Lower Shabelle in 2002. He later allied himself with the Islamic Courts. The Islamic Courts advanced to central and south Somalia regions, including the Kismayo area, before Inda'ade pledged his support, giving them control of Lower Shabelle region in September 2006.[6] In December 2006, he appealed to foreign Muslim fighters to join his movement's Holy War against Ethiopia.[7] He had been friends with Barre Aden Shirre Hiiraale, who was leader of the Juba Valley Alliance which controlled Kismayo, and later became Defense Minister for the Transitional Federal Government, but the two parted ways over which side to support in the Somali Civil War.[8] Recently he became part of the Islamist restance group, formed in January 2008 known as Hizbul Islam. He however soon started an internal conflict in the group as he claimed to have removed the group's chairman Sheikh Omar Iman abubakr and replaced him with another Islamic cleric. Hassan Dahir Aweys however expressed support for Omar Iman and criticized Inda'ade saying he "has made it normal to destroy every group he is part of."[9] On May 17, 2009, he defected to the Transitional Federal Government and was later appointed Minister of Defense. He resigned from the position as minister on 17 June 2010 and started his own faction after claiming the government didn't keep to its agreements.[10]
On December 12, 2006, he issued the ultimatum that Ethiopian forces should withdraw within seven days.[11] On December 15, 2006, referring to the proposed IGASOM peacekeeping force, he warned African nations to not send forces to Somalia.[12] On December 19, the deadline for Ethiopia came and went. Analysts considered Inda'ade's hardline stance had caused a split with moderates within the ICU.[13] On December 20, after the Ethiopians refused to withdraw, he admitted fighting had begun between the two sides, marking the beginning of the war at the Battle of Baidoa.[14]
On December 21, 2006, as the fighting intensified with Ethiopia, he took a flight to an undisclosed location with Hassan Dahir Aweys, and was said to be on the hajj, the pilgrimage in Mecca.[15]
On December 23, 2006, as the battle continued, he made a worldwide appeal for jihadists to come to Somalia, and claimed the ICU had taken Tiyoglow, Bakol province.[16] However, in the days that followed, the army of the ICU collapsed, leading to the Fall of Mogadishu and the retreat of the ICU to their stronghold at Ras Kamboni.