Cabdullaahi Yuusuf Axmed Somali military and political figure. Date of Birth: 15.12.1934 Country: Somalia

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed: Somali Military and Political Leader

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was a prominent Somali military and political figure. He received his military education in Italy and served in the Somali army. In 1978, he became one of the leaders of a failed coup against the Somali dictator, Mohammed Siad Barre. This coup is widely regarded in foreign historiography as pro-Soviet in nature. Yusuf then emigrated to Ethiopia, where he led a partisan struggle against the Barre regime.

On July 23, 1998, Yusuf was elected as the President of the self-declared state of Puntland. He held this position until July 1, 2001. Subsequently, he orchestrated a military coup against the new authorities and regained the presidency in 2002. On October 10, 2004, during a session of the Transitional Federal Parliament of Somalia held in Nairobi, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was elected as the President of Somalia in the transitional government, replacing Abdulqasim Salad Hassan.

By the end of 2006, with the support of the Ethiopian army, he managed to take control of Mogadishu, the capital of the country. On December 29, 2008, after four years in office, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed announced his resignation during a special session of the Somali parliament. On March 23, 2012, Yusuf Ahmed passed away at the age of 78 in the UAE after a prolonged illness.

Apart from his political career, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is also known as one of the characters in the novel "Nicheya Zemlya" by Yana Valetova. He is featured in the fourth book of the series, "Shkola Negodyaev" (The School of Scoundrels).