Muse Bihi Abdi | |
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Muuse Biixi Cabdi موسى بيحي عبدي | |
_Cropped.jpg) Muse Bihi in 2022 | |
| 5th President of Somaliland | |
| In office 13 December 2017 – 12 December 2024 | |
| Vice President | Abdirahman Saylici |
| Preceded by | Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud |
| Succeeded by | Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi |
| Chairman ofPeace, Unity, and Development Party | |
| In office 31 December 2010 – 21 August 2023[1] | |
| Preceded by | Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud |
| Succeeded by | Mohamed Kahin Ahmed |
| Minister of Interior | |
| In office 1993–1995 | |
| President | Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal |
| Preceded by | Suleiman Mohamoud Adan |
| Succeeded by | Ahmed Jaambiir Suldan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1948-06-16)June 16, 1948 (age 77) Hargeisa, Somaliland |
| Nationality | Somalilander |
| Political party | Peace, Unity, and Development Party |
| Spouse(s) | Zahra Abdilahi Absia Roda Ahmed Omar |
| Children | 7 |
| Alma mater | University of Hargeisa |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Somali Democratic Republic(1970–1985)  SNM(1985–1991) |
| Branch/service |  Somali Air Force |
| Years of service | 1970–1991 |
| Battles/wars | |
Musa Bihi Abdi (Somali:Muuse Biixi Cabdi,Arabic:موسى بيحي عبدي; born 16 June 1948)[2] is a Somaliland politician and former military officer who served as the 5thPresident of Somaliland from 2017 to 2024.
During the 1970s, he served as a pilot in theSomali Air Force under theSiad Barre administration. In 2010, Bihi was appointed the chairman of the rulingKulmiye party inSomaliland. In November 2015, Bihi was selected as the party's Presidential Candidate at the 5th annual central committee convention.[3][4]
On 21 November 2017 Muse was announced the winner of the2017 presidential election, and officially became the President of Somaliland on 13 December 2017.[5][6] He lost his reelection bid toAbdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi in the2024 presidential election.
Muse was born in the outskirts ofHargeisa in 1948, then part of theBritish Somaliland protectorate.[7] He attended Amoud Secondary School, which he graduated from in 1970.[7]
Muse joined theSomali Air Force in the early 70's and trained as an officer in theSoviet Union until 1973, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Academy of Pilots inDushanbe,Tajik SSR (present-dayTajikistan).[7][8] Upon the completion of the training he was stationed in air bases inBaledogle,Baidoa as well as the air force's main base inMogadishu.[7]
From 1981 to 1985 Muse received further military training in theUnited States, including at theWright-Patterson Air Force Base nearDayton, Ohio from 1981 to 1982, as well asFort Lee in Virginia from 1983 to 1985.[7][8]
In 1985, he defected from the Somali Air Force and joined the rebelSomali National Movement (SNM) that eventually helped to successfully oust theSiad Barre's regime during theSomaliland War of Independence in 1991.[5][9][10]
From 1985 to 1988, Bihi took part in conducting intensive guerrilla war operations conducted by theSNM during the war against the Barre's regime. Until 1990, Bihi served as rebel commander before joining politics and serving as home affairs minister under the late PresidentMuhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal in 1994.[5][11][12]
From 1973 to 1985 Muse held high ranking positions in the government of the Somali Democratic Republic, including the head of the training department of the Somali Air Force as well as the military attaché of the Somali embassy in Washington.[8]
After the declaration of Independence ofSomaliland in 1991, Col. Muse played a vital role in the reconciliation process between the northern Somali clans inBurao,Berbera,Sheekh andBorama.[13]
In 1993, Muse served as Minister of Interior and National Security in late PresidentMuhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal's government.[2]
In 2010, Muse became the chairman of Somaliland'sKulmiye Party, after serving as the vice chairman of the party from 2008.[7] In 2015, he was elected by the Party Congress as the Kulmiye presidential candidate in the forthcoming 2017 presidential election.[2]
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President of Somaliland 2017-2024 Government
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The2017 Somaliland presidential elections were held on 13 November 2017. On 21 November Muse was announced as the winner of the election, becoming President-elect of Somaliland.[5][14]
Muse Bihi Abdi was officially sworn in as the 5thPresident of the Republic of Somaliland on 13 December 2017 in the capitalHargeisa with dignitaries fromEthiopia,Djibouti, theEuropean Union and theUnited Kingdom in attendance.[15][16][17]
In the2024 Somaliland presidential election, Abdi lost his reelection bid toAbdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, receiving 35% of the vote to Abdullahi's 64%.[18]
Muse has two wives and seven children, three sons and four daughters.[7]
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Data from Wikidata| International | |
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