List of presidents of Somalia facts for kids

Somalia is a country in Africa, and like many countries, it has a leader called a president. The president is like the main boss of the country. They are the head of state, which means they represent Somalia to the rest of the world. They are also the commander-in-chief of the Somali Armed Forces, meaning they are in charge of the country's military.

Since Somalia first created the job of president in 1960, there have been 9 official presidents. The person who is president right now is Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. He was chosen in an election in 2022. What's cool about him is that he's the first person to be president more than once! He was also president from 2012 to 2017.

Who Has Been President?

Here's a list of the people who have served as president of Somalia, from the very first one to today.

Early Years of the Somali Republic (1960–1969)

After Somalia became independent, it was called the Somali Republic.

• Aden Adde (1908–2007)
  • He was Somalia's very first president, serving from July 1, 1960, to June 10, 1967. He was part of the Somali Youth League political party.
• Abdirashid Shermarke (1919–1969)
  • He became president on June 10, 1967. Sadly, he was assassinated (killed) on October 15, 1969, while still in office. He was also from the Somali Youth League.
• Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein (1912–2012)
  • He was an acting president for a very short time, from October 15 to October 21, 1969, after President Shermarke passed away. He was also from the Somali Youth League.

Somali Democratic Republic (1969–1991)

After a military takeover, Somalia became the Somali Democratic Republic.

• Siad Barre (1910–1995)
  • He took power on October 21, 1969, and was president for a long time, until January 26, 1991. He led the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party.

Interim Government (1991–1997)

After Siad Barre, there was a period of change and a temporary government.

• Ali Mahdi Muhammad (1939–2021)
  • He was president from January 27, 1991, to January 3, 1997. He was part of the United Somali Congress.
• After him, the position of president was empty for a few years, from January 3, 1997, to August 27, 2000.

Transitional Governments (2000–2012)

These were periods when Somalia was working to build a stable government after a time of conflict.

• Abdiqasim Salad Hassan (born 1941)
  • He served as president from August 27, 2000, to October 14, 2004. He was an independent politician, meaning he didn't belong to a specific party.
• Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (1934–2012)
  • He was president from October 14, 2004, until he resigned on December 29, 2008. He was also an independent politician.
• Aden Madobe (born 1957)
  • He was an acting president for a short time, from December 29, 2008, to January 31, 2009. He was from the Rahanweyn Resistance Army.
• Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (born 1964)
  • He was president from January 31, 2009, to August 20, 2012. He was part of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia.

Federal Republic of Somalia (2012–Present)

This is the current government structure of Somalia.

• Muse Hassan Sheikh Sayid Abdulle (born 1940)
  • He was an acting president for a very short period, from August 20 to August 28, 2012. He was an independent politician.
• Mohamed Osman Jawari (1945–2024)
  • He also served as an acting president, from August 28 to September 16, 2012. He was an independent politician.
• Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (born 1955)
  • He was president from September 16, 2012, to February 16, 2017. He was from the Peace and Development Party.
• Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (born 1962)
  • He served as president from February 16, 2017, to May 23, 2022. He was part of the Tayo political party.
• Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (born 1955)
  • He became president again on May 23, 2022, and is the current president. He is now part of the Union for Peace and Development Party.

See also

• History of Somalia
• Politics of Somalia
• List of colonial governors of British Somaliland
• List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland
• President of Somalia
• List of prime ministers of Somalia
• List of speakers of the Parliament of Somalia

Images for kids

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  Aden Adde, Somalia's first president.

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  Abdirashid Shermarke, the second president.

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  Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein, an acting president.

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  Siad Barre, who led the Somali Democratic Republic.

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  Ali Mahdi Muhammad, president during the interim government.

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  Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, president during the transitional national government.

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  Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, president during the transitional federal government.

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  Aden Madobe, an acting president.

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  Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, president during the transitional federal government.

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  Muse Hassan Sheikh Sayid Abdulle, an acting president.

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  Mohamed Osman Jawari, an acting president.

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  Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during his first term.

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  Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as Farmaajo.

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  Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during his second term.