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{{Short description|Somali political leader (b. 1962)}}{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2017}}

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Mudug>Mudug Region, Somalia|spouse=|party=Somali National Alliance (SNA)|vicepresident=|serviceyears=1987–1995United States}}Corporal#United States Marine Corps>Corporal14th Marine Regiment (United States)>14th Marine Regiment2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment|battles=Operation Desert StormOperation Restore Hope|awards=Marine Corps Expeditionary MedalArmed Forces Expeditionary Medal|website=}}Hussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid (, ) (born August 16, 1962) is the son of General Mohamed Farrah Aidid. His father was leader of the Somali National Alliance (SNA), the organization that fought US forces in Mogadishu, through his death on August 2, 1996, after being shot in a tribal battle. Farrah succeeded his father as leader of the SNA, and two days after his father's death, the SNA declared Farrah as the new President, although he too was not internationally recognized as such.NEWS, Ron, Kampeas, From Marine to warlord: The strange journey of Hussein Farrah Aidid,weblink Associated Press, November 2, 2002, February 28, 2007, WEB, Death of a Warlord: The succession,weblink January 30, 2007, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20061118055410weblink">weblink November 18, 2006, Farrah relinquished his claim as president in December 1997, by signing the Cairo Declaration, a significant step toward peace in Somalia.WEB,weblink SECURITY COUNCIL WELCOMES RESULTS OF SOMALI LEADERS' MEETINGS IN CAIRO, Farrah is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, having served during Desert Storm, serving in the US military from 1987–1995.

Early life

Born in Galkacyo, Farrah is a son of Mohamed Farrah Aidid and is sometimes known as Hussein Mohamed Farrah Aidid, Hussein AididSomalia's thoughtful 'warlord' BBC or Aidid Junior.Somalia: Somali faction hands over thousands of landmines {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316003850weblink |date=March 16, 2014 }} SomaliNet He emigrated to the United States when he was 17 years old,From Marine to warlord: The strange journey of Hussein Farrah Aidid and attended Covina High School, Covina, California, graduating in 1981.

United States military service

In April 1987, Farrah enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. Following his training, he was assigned to the FDC, Fire Direction Control center, of Battery B of the 1st Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment at the Marine Corps reserve training center in Pico Rivera, California.BOOK, Thomas, Ricks, Making The Corps,weblink registration, Scribner, 1997, New York, 219, 9780684831091, He served during Operation Desert Storm when B 1/14 was mobilized in support of that war. He served in Somalia as an interpreter during Operation Restore Hope, having been chosen because he was the only United States Marine who spoke Somali.NEWS,weblink The Boston Globe, Boston.com / Fighting Terrorism, Following his discharge, he remained in the United States and became a naturalized citizen.

Somali National Alliance (SNA)

When he turned 30 years old, Farrah was selected by the Habar Gidir clan as successor to his father and returned to Somalia.Hussein Farrah Aydiid Dictator for Hire{{unreliable source|date=December 2019}} In the second half of the 1990s, different faction leaders vied for the Presidency, with none receiving international recognition. General Mohamed Farrah Aidid claimed to be President from June 15, 1995 to his death on August 1, 1996. Following this Hussein was sworn in as "interim President", and became leader of the Somali National Alliance (SNA), the same alliance his father led against the US forces. Farrah was seen by the West as a chance of improvement for the relationships between them and Somalia.On September 1, 1996, Aidid met with UN representatives for the first time, to deal with issues left over as legacies of his father's administration. Issues addressed at the meeting which needed to be resolved before the return of UN workers and the resumption of UN assistance.weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070927184032weblink">Somalia: Humanitarian Situation Report, September 1996 UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative for SomaliaOn December 17, 1996, rival warlord Ali Mahdi Mohamed attacked his headquarters, leaving 135 dead after five days of fighting in Mogadishu.Timeline Somalia Timelines.wsOn December 22, 1997, he relinquished the disputed title of President by signing the Cairo Declaration, in Cairo, Egypt following a peace process between the Salbalar administration and the Soodare Group.NEWS, Somali Factions Sign Peace Agreement,weblink CNN, December 22, 1997archive-url =weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080309104323weblink">weblink March 9, 2008, On March 30, 1998, Ali Mahdi Mohamed and Hussein Aidid signed a peace treaty in which they agreed to share power over Mogadishu, ending seven years of fighting following the ousting of Siad Barre.On February 23, 1999, militiamen loyal to Aidid murdered 60 civilians in Baidoa and Daynunay.

Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC)

{{See|Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council}}Hussein Aidid refused to recognize the newly forming Djibouti-backed Mogadishu-based Transitional Federal Government (TFG),Somali warlords form unity council BBC accusing it of "harboring militant Islamist sympathizers."Africa Policy E-Journal, December 2002 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206190451weblink |date=December 6, 2006 }} Africa Action Instead he formed the rival Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC) in early 2001.At some time during late 2001, he advised US President George W. Bush that a money transfer and telecommunications company, Al Barakaat, "had ties to terrorists and that there were terrorists in Somalia sympathetic to Osama bin Laden." He also "warned that militant Islamist Pakistani proselytizers were active in Mogadishu and other Somali cities and that they have strong links to Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya."

Transitional Federal Government (TFG)

{{See|Transitional Federal Government}}Offices held:

• Deputy Prime Minister (2005 – May 13, 2007)
• Minister of the Interior (2005 – February 7, 2007)
• Minister of Public Works and Housing (February 7, 2007 – December 2008)

In July 2003, at the Somali National Reconciliation Conference, the SRRC and TNG leadership reached key compromises: "The TNG accepted the number of parliamentarians proposed by the SRRC while the latter approved the inclusion of politicians as requested by the TNG."Weekly Sitrep no. 20 (Covering from 05th to July 11, 2003) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302041140weblink |date=March 2, 2015 }} NOVIB SOMALIA Somali National Reconciliation ConferenceOn October 25, 2005, Aidid handed over the USC/SNA's combined 3,500 landmines to non-profit Geneva Call. He and other faction leaders had agreed to stop burying land mines as a further sign of the ending of years of civil war.On December 28, 2006, after the defeat of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), Aidid was present when government forces entered Mogadishu.Somali PM enters Mogadishu amid protests {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212224703weblink |date=February 12, 2012 }} Mustafa Haji Abdinur, Middle East Online On January 2, 2007, Aidid was quoted as suggesting Somalis in Ethiopia and Somalia should share a common passport, raising concerns of whether Somalia had plans to annex the Somali Region of Ethiopia.On February 7, 2007, as part of Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi's cabinet reshuffling, he was moved from Minister of the Interior to Minister of Public Works and Housing.NEWS, Somalia: PM reshuffles cabinet,weblink February 7, 2007, SomaliNet, February 10, 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120217093158weblink">weblink February 17, 2012, dead, On May 13, 2007, he was sacked from the position of deputy prime minister, with the reason being given that he was inactive in his duties. This followed Aidid's defection to Asmara, Eritrea, and his accusation that Ethiopia was guilty of "genocide" and calling for its withdrawal.WEB,weblink SomaliNet News: Somalia: Former defense minister welcomes the loss of his cabinet post : SomaliNet > Somali > Somalia and Somalinad, May 16, 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070516040957weblink">weblink May 16, 2007, dead,

See also

• Ali Mahdi Muhammad
• Osman Ali Atto
• Yusuf Mohammed Siad
• Mohamed Afrah Qanyare

References

{{Reflist|2}}

External links

• Analysis: Somalia's powerbrokers
• From Marine to warlord: The strange journey of Hussein Farrah Aidid