Yusuf Mohammed Siad

Yusuf Mohammed Siad
Minister of Defense of Somalia
In office
2009 – 9 June 2010
Preceded by Mohamed Abdi Mohamed
Succeeded by Abdihakim Mohamoud Haji-Faqi
Personal details
Political party Transitional Federal Government
Religion Islam
Nickname(s) Inda'ade (White Eyes)

Yusuf Mohammed Siad, (Somali: Yuusuf Maxamed Siyaad "Indhacadde") aka "Inda'ade" (White Eyes) is a Somali islamist and former Minister. He is currently a General in SNA.[1] He hails from the Ayr sub-clan,[2] part of the Habar Gidir, which is a branch of the Hawiye clan. For a short period he was Minister of Defense in Somalia.[3] Before he became a minister he was an Islamist member of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in Somalia.[4]

He has also served as deputy and financier for Hassan Dahir Aweys, and served as the security chief.[5]

Nicknamed "white-eyed" (or Indhacadde), he was a former governor of Lower Shabelle in 2002. He later allied himself with the Islamic Courts. The Islamic Courts advanced to central and south Somalia regions, including the Kismayo area, before Inda'ade pledged his support, giving them control of Lower Shabelle region in September 2006.[6] In December 2006, he appealed to somalis youth to join his movement's Holy War against Ethiopia.[7] He had been friends with Barre Aden Shirre Hiiraale, who was leader of the Juba Valley Alliance which controlled Kismayo, and later became Defense Minister for the Transitional Federal Government, but the two parted ways over which side to support in the Somali Civil War.[8] Recently he became part of the Islamist restance group, formed in January 2008 known as Hizbul Islam. He however soon started an internal conflict in the group as he claimed to have removed the group's chairman Sheikh Omar Iman Abubakar and replaced him with another Islamic cleric. Hassan Dahir Aweys however expressed support for Omar Iman and criticized Inda'ade saying he "has made it normal to destroy every group he is part of."[9] On May 17, 2009, he defected to the Transitional Federal Government and was later appointed Minister of Defense. He resigned from the position as minister on 17 June 2010 and started his own faction after claiming the government didn't keep to its agreements.[10]

War in Somalia

On December 12, 2006, he issued the ultimatum that Ethiopian forces should withdraw within seven days.[11] On December 15, 2006, referring to the proposed IGASOM peacekeeping force, he warned African nations to not send forces to Somalia.[12] On December 19, the deadline for Ethiopia came and went. Analysts considered Inda'ade's hardline stance had caused a split with moderates within the ICU.[13] On December 20, after the Ethiopians refused to withdraw, he admitted fighting had begun between the two sides, marking the beginning of the war at the Battle of Baidoa.[14]

On December 21, 2006, as the fighting intensified with Ethiopia, he took a flight to an undisclosed location with Hassan Dahir Aweys, and was said to be on the hajj, the pilgrimage in Mecca.[15]

On December 23, 2006, as the battle continued, he made a worldwide appeal for jihadists to come to Somalia, and claimed the ICU had taken Tiyoglow, Bakol province.[16] However, in the days that followed, the army of the ICU collapsed, leading to the Fall of Mogadishu and the retreat of the ICU to their stronghold at Ras Kamboni.

On February 15, 2010, "Indha Adde", then serving as State Minister for Defense, narrowly escaped at least one suicide car bomb attack against his convoy in Mogadishu. Reports still vary, but as many as eight civilians and two TFG troops may have been killed. Addressing the press immediately following the attack, the Minister of State said that al-Shabaab would not deter him from his mission to "restore law and order." He told journalists two car bombs were used against him on February 15. A minibus coincidentally obstructed the first car bomb as the bomber sped toward the minister's convoy. The minister told the press that he saw a second oncoming car and in the confusion following the first explosion, ran into a nearby hotel. Inde Adde said that moments later, this second car also exploded. The explosions caused extensive property damage (Wikileaks 10NAIROBI346).

See also

References

  1. ↑ Shil, Mohamed "Will Warlords Re-Emerge in Mogadishu" SomaliaReport, August 16, 2011, accessed August 16, 2011
  2. ↑ "Islamic Courts Union's victory over U.S.-backed warlords in Somalia only brings it closer scrutiny". Associated Press. 2006-06-20. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
  3. ↑ "Somalia's defence minister Yusuf Mohammed Siad resigns". BBC News. 2010-06-09.
  4. ↑ The Ethiopian 'Six Day War' – Notes and Insights Omedia.org, January 9, 2007
  5. ↑ Rice, Xan (2006-12-24). "Somali hardliner calls for foreign jihadists". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  6. ↑ Islamists extend authority in Somalia, Reuters , 30 Sept 2006
  7. ↑ Somali Islamists urge Muslim fighters to join jihad Reuters, December 23, 2006
  8. ↑ "Somalia: Defense Minister eyeing more than his old turf". somalinet.com. 2006-12-27. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  9. ↑ "Somalia: Discord Among Hizbul Islam Faction". Garowe Online. March 24, 2009.
  10. ↑ Weinstein, Michael A. (December 23, 2010). "Somalia: Harakat al-Shabaab "Gobbles Up" Hizbul Isam". Garowe Online.
  11. ↑ "Somalia's Islamists give Ethiopia seven days to pull its troops out". Shabelle Media Networks. 2006-12-12. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  12. ↑ "Somalia's Islamic Courts deny al-Qaeda operatives inside Somalia". Shabelle Media Networks. 2006-12-15. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  13. ↑ "Guns silent as Somali Islamists' deadline for Ethiopia passes". EITB24. 2006-12-19. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  14. ↑ "Somalia: Skirmishes on for the second day as EU commission lands at Baidoa". Shabelle Media Networks. 2006-12-20. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  15. ↑ "Somalia: Top Islamist officials leave for unknown destination". somalinet.com. 2006-12-21. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  16. ↑ Islamists call world Muslim fighters to wage their jihad war in Somalia Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Shabelle Media Networks
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