Abshir Muse said
Abshir Muse Said | |
|---|---|
𐒛𐒁𐒈𐒔𐒚𐒇 𐒑𐒚𐒈𐒗 𐒈𐒖𐒋 | |
| File:Abshir Musa Said.jpg Abshir in 2015 | |
| head of the executive committee SSDF | |
| the owner of the power company ENEE | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 December 1944 qardho, Italian Somaliland |
| Died | 31 March 2018 (aged 73) london, United Kingdom |
| Resting place | qardho, Qabuuraha xaji yasin |
| Citizenship | Somalia United Kingdom |
| Nationality | somali |
| Political party | head of the executive committee SSDF |
| Education | Russian Military School Polytechnic University of Milan |
| Alma mater | Somalia National University Military Academy of Modena M. V. Frunze Military Academy |
| Awards | Gold Medal Silver Medal best engineer electric |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | Libax (lion) |
| Rank |  Lieutenant colonel[1] |
| Battles/wars | Border War of 1964 Ogaden War Border War of 1982 |
Abshir Muse Said (osmania: 𐒛𐒁𐒈𐒔𐒘𐒇 𐒑𐒚𐒈𐒗 𐒈𐒖𐒋𐒘𐒆) is a Somali philanthropist and former lieutenant colonel in the Somali National Army. He was one of the founders of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front,[2] as well as the Puntland region of Somalia. He also participated in raising awareness among the people of Puntland and removing illegal checkpoints on the road between Garowe and Galkayo.
Personal life
Abshir Muse was born on December 7, 1944, in qardho, situated in the north-central bari region of Somalia. The city was at the time part of majeerteen sultanate. His family hailed from the Osman Mahmoud sub clan of the larger Majeerteen Harti Darod[3] clan. He received his primary and secondary education in the bari region. For his post-secondary education, Said studied electrical engineering at the Moscow Aviation Institute in Moscow. Said obtained a degree in Military Topography from the M. V. Frunze Military Academy in the former Soviet Union (Военная академия им. М. В. Фрунзе), an elite institution reserved for the most qualified officers of the Warsaw Pact armies and their allies.[4] He also received additional military training in Italy. Said also holds a master's degree in Electrical, Water and Mining. He studied in Italy. He was the first Somali to study electrical engineering abroad.[4]
He also returned as the head of the Somali National Electricity Company and brought electricity to the cities of Hargaisa, Qardho, Bosasa, Kismayo, Bebera.[5] He was also an engineer for the Somali warplanes. He was one of the founders of Puntland,[6] [7] and he was also one of the founders of SSDF. He became the top commander when the government fell, and he became the head of the executive committee of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front in northeastern Somalia.[8]
Early Career
Somali Army
Said joined the Somali Army in 1957. In 1960 he was included in the second batch of Somali military officers sent to Russia for training. The batch included him. He was promoted to the post of commander in 1966.[9] As a soldier, he participated in the Somali-Ethiopian war of 1964 and was decorated for bravery. Between 1965 and 1968, Said also served as Somalia's military attaché to Moscow.[10]
He stands as a trailblazer, having etched his name in history as the foremost Somali visionary to embark on the journey of studying electrical engineering abroad. With unwavering determination, he broke barriers, undertaking the formidable task of acquiring knowledge in a foreign land, ultimately becoming a beacon of inspiration for aspiring engineers within the Somali community. His pioneering spirit not only propelled his personal academic pursuits but also laid the foundation for a new chapter, fostering the growth of expertise in electrical engineering among his compatriots. His story resonates as a testament to resilience, ambition, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge that transcends borders. [11][10]
Somali Salvation Democratic Front
In 1978, together with a group of officers mainly from his Majerteen (Darood tribe), Ahmed participated in the failed attempt to overthrow the dictatorial [12][10] regime of Barre. A military coup was originally planned for April 12. However, it was quickly carried out a few days earlier, on April 9, due to fears that it might be discovered. Said was at that time in the south of Mudug region, Abdillahi Ahmed Irro was reading "Abandoned Wife", the time was 11:00 in the morning, April 9, 1978. Most of the people who contributed to the coup were killed in a short period of time, but Saeed and several other colonels were able to join the government of Syed Barre because he was the biggest engineer in Somalia, while others escaped to Ethiopia like Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.[13]
Later that year, in neighboring Ethiopia, Ahmed and Hassan Ali Mire formed a rebel group called the Somali Salvation Front, and Ahmed was the chairman.[12][14] That organization was changed to Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) in 1979. It was the first opposition organization dedicated to overthrowing the Barre regime.[15]
After challenging the Ethiopian government's claim to control many Somali-inhabited areas that the SSDF had succeeded in taking over from Barre's forces, Ahmed was arrested by the Ethiopian administration in that area in 1985. Mire was elected the new chairman of the SSDF the following year.[14] When Said was made the General Treasurer after many battles and jihads, the SSDF succeeded in overthrowing Saeed's government and defeating the Yellow Front.
Said then returned to Puntland. In 1992, he helped Abdullahi Yusuf to eliminate a radical Islamic group linked to Al-Ittihad Al-Islamiya that had taken over the port of Bosaso. Afterwards, Said turned to business and owned the EENE electricity company in the cities of Qardho and Bosaso.[16]
Architect of Puntland's Founding
Said, a great campaigner for the establishment of Puntland and a member of the SSDF, made history by officially announcing the existence of Puntland in Garowe in 1988. From 1988 to 2010, Said played a crucial role in pacifying Puntland. His strategic dismantling of illegal checkpoints along the 670.1 km road between Galkayo and Bosaso significantly contributed to stabilizing the region.[16]
Between 1991 and 2017, Said made significant strides in advancing Puntland's development, focusing on bolstering economic infrastructure. His leadership was instrumental in expanding water supply networks in Bosaso and Qardho, while also successfully implementing 24-hour electricity services, contributing substantially to the region's socio-economic growth. In honor of Said's legacy in Puntland, the airport in Qardho city, located in the bari region of Puntland, Somalia, has been named the Abshir Muse Said International Airport.
Death
- On March 31, 2018, relatives and Radio Mogadishu announced that Abshir Musa Said died of pneumonia. He was being treated in London for several weeks, but fell into a coma in the last few days.[17]
The Transitional Government of Somalia announced a period of three days of mourning for the deceased and appointed a ministerial committee to organize the funeral. Somali citizens also offered their condolences and prayers, especially in the North Eastern areas of Puntland, where Said is considered the founding father of Puntland. The president of Puntland, A/Wali Ali, when he learned of Saeed's death, wrote on his Twitter account: "The death of Eng Said is a great loss for the Somali people, especially the Puntland people, he was a patriot and a great friend."
Said was flown to the Abshir Muse Said International Airport in Gardho, where the Bombay army band conducted a military funeral service in his honor and a Janaza prayer was dedicated to him. On April 6, 2018, he was then taken to his hometown of qardho for a state burial. A 22-gun salute was fired upon his arrival, and the ensuing funeral ceremony was attended by over two thousand people. Numerous government officials and religious and clan leaders came to pay their last respects, including incumbent Puntland president Abdiwali Ali Gas, former Puntland president Mohamud Muse Hersi, Ex president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and Prime Minister of Somalia Abdiweli Mohamed Ali. International delegations from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen, among many others, also attended the interment. President Abdiwali gave a brief speech noting that "Abshir was a patriotic man whose dedication and rigidness will inspire many to come[18]
In commemoration of the late leader, the Gardho Airport was officially renamed as the Abshir Muse International Airport.[18]
References
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- ↑ "Xinhuanet". Archived from the original on 15 November 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2008. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Bongartz, Maria (1991). The Civil War in Somalia: Its Genesis and Dynamics. Nordiska Afrikainstitutet. Search this book on
- ↑ Ciisa-Salwe, Cabdisalaam M. (1996). The collapse of the Somali state: the impact of the colonial legacy. HAAN. p. 94. ISBN 1874209278. Search this book on
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "New president offers hope for war-torn Somalia". Yobserver.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Con Edison: A Brief History of Con Edison – electricity". Coned.com. January 1, 1998. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Puntland State of Somalia". Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Remarks on the 1998 Charter of Puntland State of Somalia. United Nations Development Programme Somalia, United Nations Development Office for Somalia. 1999. Search this book on
- ↑ "Puntland State of Somalia". Puntlandgovt.com. 18 March 2005. Archived from the original on 20 April 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2010. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Janice Hamilton, Somalia in Pictures, (Twenty-First Century Books: 2007), p.70.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 New People Media Centre (Nairobi, Kenya), New people, Issues 94–105, (New People Media Centre: Comboni Missionaries, 2005).
- ↑ Moshe Y. Sachs, Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, (Worldmark Press: 1988), p.290
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Nina J. Fitzgerald, Somalia: issues, history, and bibliography, (Nova Publishers: 2002), p.25.
- ↑ Ahmed, Abdullahi Yusuf (2012). Struggle and Conspiracy: A Memoir (Halgan iyo Hagardaamo: Taariikh Nololeed). Scansom Publishers. pp. 120–122. ISBN 978-9185945351. Search this book on
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Legum, Colin (1989). Africa Contemporary Record: Annual Survey and Documents, Volume 20. Africa Research Limited. p. B-394. ISBN 9780841905580. Search this book on
- ↑ Nina J. Fitzgerald, Somalia: issues, history, and bibliography, (Nova Publishers: 2002), p.25.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Gérard Prunier. "Somalia: Civil War, intervention and withdrawal 1990–1995 (July 1995), p.6" (PDF). WRITENET Country Papers, UK. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2006. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Eng Abshir Muuse oo ka mid ahaa aasaasayaashii Puntland oo London ku geeriyooday". Daljir. 31 Mar 2018. Archived from the original on 3 Oct 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Former Somali President dies in Dubai". Africareview.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2013. Unknown parameter
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