SUMMARY

The Forces of Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is a non-state militia, employed by the politician by the same name to advance his goals in Somalia. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed made use of these forces to press his claim to the Presidency of the autonomous state of Puntland.

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is a veteran Somali politician, currently (as of 2008) the President of the TFG (Transitional Federal Government) of Somalia, a seat to which he was elected in late 2004. In his youth he was an officer in the Somali army, fighting in the Ogaden War with Ethiopia. He however turned his back on the regime soon after, and during the intrastate conflict against the regime of Somali dictator Siad Barre he led the SSDF (Somali Salvation Democratic Front) rebel movement. After Siad Barre was toppled in 1991 Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was instrumental in consolidating power in his native Puntland, declaring the area an autonomous state in 1998 (see Puntland actor description for more information) and becoming its first president. He is a member of the Majerteen sub-clan of the Harti branch of the Darod clan, which dominates the region of Puntland.

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed’s reign as President of Puntland was challenged in 2001, when Jama Ali Jama was elected the new president. The militias of the two rivals fought a non-state conflict in 2002, which ended when Yusuf Ahmed’s forces captured Garowe (Puntland’s capital) and consolidated his power. He remained as President of Puntland until October 2004 when he was elected President of the TFG and subsequently left his Puntland presidency. As President of Somalia’s transitional government he fought the SICS (Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia) with Ethiopian help and succeeded in inflicting serious defeats upon the rebel movement. He had been an ally of Ethiopia even before this warring support was extended, with Ethiopia supporting both his SSDF and his agenda after the fall of Barre.

The Forces of Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed have been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.