Abdulahi Mohamed Sa'adi was the first president of the Somali regional state of Ethiopia, serving from January to July 1993.SomaliState.com

Early life and education

Sa'adi was born in 1934 in Fik, the main town of the Nogob region in the

Ogaden Ogaden (pronounced and often spelled ''Ogadēn''; so, Ogaadeen, am, ውጋዴ/ውጋዴን) is one of the historical names given to the modern Somali Region, the territory comprising the eastern portion of Ethiopia formerly part of the Harargh ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. At the age of 14 he moved with his family moved to Herar, where he attended a primary school. He attended intermediate and high school in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

.Shekosh Report

Career

In early 1956, Sa'adi went to

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

, where he started his political career. He addressed the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

in December 1964 about the

Ogaden War The Ogaden War, or the Ethio-Somali War (, am, የኢትዮጵያ ሶማሊያ ጦርነት, ye’ītiyop’iya somalīya t’orineti), was a military conflict fought between Somalia and Ethiopia from July 1977 to March 1978 over the Ethiopi ...

. In 1964 he emigrated to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, where he started a business. In early 1976, he returned to Somalia to carry on his political career, and he participated in the Ogaden war in 1977. In 1977, Sa'adi was appointed as representative to

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

of the

Western Somali Liberation Front The Western Somali Liberation Front ( so, Jabhadda Xoreynta Somali Galbeed; abbreviated WSLF) was a separatist rebel group fighting in eastern Ethiopia to create an independent state. It played a major role in the Ogaden War of 1977-78 assisting ...

. Later, he joined the newly formed Ogaden National Liberation Front. Later, the Somali government called for his return, but, fearing prosecution, he applied for political asylum at the Swedish

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

in Kuwait, and he then moved to Sweden. Sa'adi was among the 45 members of the central committee of the liberation front, which was established in 1992. He was elected president of the newly established state of Somali on January 23, 1993, but he was removed from office in July 1993, succeeded by Hassan Jire Kalinle.

References

External links

"Federalism and Autonomy Conflicts in the Somali Region," Leyden University, Netherlands

John Markakis, "The Somali in Ethiopia," ''Review of African Political Economy,'' Volume 23, Number 70, December 1996
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sa'adi, Abdulahi Mohamed Living people 1934 births Presidents of Somali Region 20th-century Ethiopian politicians People from Somali Region