Mohamed Farrah Aidid

About

Somali military leader and political figure. He led the Somali National Alliance and the United Somali Congress and took part in the military opposition to the regime of Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre.

Before Fame

After studying in Moscow and Rome and serving in an Italian police force, he enlisted in the Somali National Army.

Trivia

He appointed himself to the unrecognized office of President of Somalia in 1995. He died a year later after suffering both a gun shot wound and a heart attack.

Family Life

During the Somali Civil War, his wife Khadiga Gurhan and his four children relocated to Canada. Aidid's son, Hussein Mohamed Farrah, later became a United States citizen and a U.S. Marine.

Associated With

A decade and a half after Aidid's death, Hassan Sheik Mohamud was elected President of Somalia and ended the Somali Civil War in which Aidid had been a key player.