Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somali: Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud; Arabic: حسن شيخ محمود, romanized: Ḥasan Shaykh Muḥamūd; born 29 November 1955) is a Somali politician who is serving as president of Somalia since 2022, his presidency being disputed since 2026. He previously held the office from 2012 to 2017.
Hassan was previously a university professor and dean at SIMAD University, which he co-founded. During 2012 he was elected President of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). Time magazine placed him on an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013. During 2014 he controversially welcomed the entry of Ethiopian troops into the African Union mission in the wake of the 2006 invasion. His first administration faced serious criticism for rampant corruption, media restrictions and abuse of power.
After losing power in 2017, he became the founder and current chairman of the Union for Peace and Development Party. He was indirectly elected to a non-consecutive term as President of the Federal Republic of Somalia in 2022.
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Early life and education
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was born in the Hiiran region. His father is from the Caligaaf Subclan of the Wecesle Clan of the Abgaal community, and his mother from the Hawadle clan. Hassan attended primary and secondary schools in his hometown. He later moved to the capital Mogadishu in 1978, where he studied for three years at the local Politicnique Institute. In 1981, he earned an undergraduate diploma in technology from the institution.
In 1986, Hassan journeyed to India and began attending Bhopal University (now Barkatullah University) where he completed a master's degree in technical education in 1988. Hassan is also a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University's Summer Peacebuilding Institute based in Harrisonburg, Virginia. In 2001, he completed three of the SPI's intensive courses, studying mediation, trauma healing, and designing learner-centered trainings. Hassan is married to Qamar Ali Omar and has seven children.
Following his second term election for the presidency of Somalia, the University for Peace revealed that Hassan is a Ph.D. candidate at the university. In October 2022, the presidency announced that Hassan defended his doctoral dissertation in Peace, Governance and Development, the first sitting Somali president to do so.
Early career
In a professional capacity, Hassan accepted a position as an instructor and trainer at the Lafole Technical Secondary with not high School. He later joined the Somali National University-affiliated Technical Teachers' Training College in 1984. In 1986, he became the department's head.
When the civil war broke out in the early 1990s, Hassan remained in Somalia and acted as a consultant with various NGOs, UN bureaus, and peace and development projects. He worked as an education officer for UNICEF in the central and southern parts of the country from 1993 to 1995. In 1999, he also co-established the Somali Institute of Management and Administration (SIMAD) in the capital. The institution subsequently grew into the SIMAD University, with Hassan acting as dean until 2010.
Hassan entered Somali politics the following year, when he established the independent Peace and Development Party (PDP). PDP members unanimously elected him as the party's chairman in April 2011, with a mandate to serve as leader for the next three years. In August 2012, Hassan was selected as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the newly formed Federal Parliament of Somalia. Besides academic and civic work, he is also a successful entrepreneur.
President of Somalia
First Administration
On 10 September 2012, legislators elected Hassan President of Somalia during the country's 2012 presidential elections. After the first round of voting, former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed emerged as the frontrunner, amassing 64 votes. Hassan was a close second with 60 votes, and Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali placed third with 32 votes. Hassan went on to earn a lopsided win in the final round, defeating Sharif. Despite allegations of corruption and bribery securing the votes required for Hassan's election, Sharif and others did not dispute the results.
Hassan's appointment was welcomed throughout the world. The UN Special Representative for Somalia Augustine Mahiga issued a statement describing the election as a "great step forward on the path to peace and prosperity". Similarly, the AU Commission for Somalia hailed the selection and pledged to support the new leadership.
On 16 September 2012, Hassan was formally inaugurated as President of Somalia. On 6 October 2012, Hassan appointed political newcomer Abdi Farah Shirdon as the new Prime Minister of Somalia. On 4 November 2012, Shirdon named a new Cabinet, which was later endorsed by the legislature on 13 November 2012.
Assassination attempts
On 12 September 2012, while Hassan was meeting with foreign delegates in Mogadishu, suicide bombers and gunmen attempted an attack on the Jazeera Hotel where the dignitaries had convened. There were reportedly around 10 casualties, though one of the assembled statesmen was unharmed. Seemingly unfazed by the incidents, Hassan continued his speech before the gathered press and foreign officials, stating that "things like what's happening now outside will continue for some time, but I'm sure and I'm confident it's the last things that's taking place here in Somalia" The al-Shabaab militant group later claimed responsibility for the attacks.
On 3 September 2013, a roadside bomb detonated near vehicles in Hassan's convoy in Merca. One Somali soldier was injured in the blast, but Hassan was unharmed and continued on to his destination. Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the explosion. Abdirahman Omar Osman, a spokesman for the president, dismissed the group's statement as propaganda, indicating that Hassan's convoy was not targeted and that it was uncertain what might have happened to an earlier convoy.
On 7 October 2015, al-Shabaab gunmen ambushed and killed Dr Liban Osman, nephew of Hassan, and one other man as their car was traveling through the Wadajir neighborhood of the capital city Mogadishu.
On 18 March 2025, al-Shabaab attempted to assassinate Hassan in Mogadishu with roadside bombs near Villa Somalia while his entourage headed for Aden Adde International Airport.
Reconstruction and development
Mohamud had prioritized the enhancement of basic services like health and education, with a view to improving the living conditions of Somalis. This goal was actualized through the implementation of several development projects, such as Mogadishu Port Rehabilitation Project and the reconstruction of Mogadishu airport, roads, schools, and hospitals, amongst other infrastructure developments, which have had a demonstrably positive effect on the lives of many Somalis.
Domestic policy
Upon assuming office, Hassan and his Cabinet resumed efforts by Somali and international stakeholders to end the 21-year UN arms embargo on Somalia, the oldest such global weapons blockade. The Security Council had imposed the prohibition in 1992, shortly after the start of the civil war and the toppling of the Siad Barre regime, in order to stop the flow of weapons to feuding militia groups. An eventual repeal of the embargo had been among the future objectives of the signatories in the transitional Roadmap political process of 2011–2012. Hassan's government, Somali security analysts and military experts argued that lifting the ban on the procurement of arms would facilitate the Somali authorities' attempts at strengthening the Somali Armed Forces, and would more effectively equip the military to quash the remnants of the Islamist insurgency. The United States, African Union, Arab League, and IGAD all backed the proposal. In March 2013, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon likewise urged Security Council members to vote to remove the sanctions so as to help the Somali authorities fortify their security apparatus and consolidate military gains.
Although Britain and France reportedly expressed reservations over increasing the general flow of arms into Somalia, UK officials began drafting a resolution to ease the embargo on weapons purchases by the Somali government for a provisional period of one year. The draft resolution would require either the Somali authorities or the state supplying the military equipment to notify the council "at least five days in advance of any deliveries of weapons and military equipment[...] providing details of such deliveries and assistance and the specific place of delivery in Somalia." Additionally, the proposal mandates that the Somali government should routinely provide updates on the army's structural status, as well as information on the extant infrastructure and protocols designed to ensure the weaponry's safe delivery, storage and maintenance.
In January 2014, at an African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Hassan requested an extension of the UN Security Council's weapons purchasing mandate for Somalia. He indicated that the Somali defence forces required better military equipment and arms to more effectively combat militants. On 5 March 2014, the UN Security Council unanimously voted to extend the partial easing of the arms embargo on Somalia until 25 October of the year.
In April 2013, Hassan resumed national reconciliation talks between the central government in Mogadishu and the authorities in Hargeisa. Organized by the government of Turkey in Ankara, the meeting ended with a signed agreement between Hassan and Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo, President of secessionist Somaliland in the northwest, agreeing to allocate fairly to the Somaliland its portion of the development aid earmarked for Somalia as a whole and to cooperate on security.
Foreign policy
In June 2013, attendants at the ministerial meeting of the European Union and over 70 nations in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) approved the Somali government's request to join the Cotonou Agreement. Somalia was immediately granted observer status, with full membership earmarked for 2014. The Cotonou Agreement promotes sustainable development and the reduction and eventual elimination of poverty in ACP member nations. It also aims to integrate ACP countries into the world economy via stronger participation in the drafting of national development strategies, and to advance criminal justice and fight against impunity through the International Criminal Court. President Mohamud welcomed the decision and asserted that the treaty would facilitate the ongoing national reconstruction process, as Somalia would be eligible to receive EU development projects. According to Joe Costello, Ireland's Minister of State for Trade and Development, the endorsement "opens a new chapter in relations between the EU and Somalia and constitutes a visible sign that Somalia has regained its status as a fully-fledged member of the international community."
In November 2014, Hassan along with UN Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Jeffrey D. Feltman co-chaired an international conference in Copenhagen on the New Deal Compact for Reconstruction and Development. Representatives from Somalia's Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug and Southwestern federal states also attended the summit, as well as delegations from over 140 countries. Hassan indicated therein that the New Deal Compact was a Somali-led initiative, through which the Federal Government of Somalia developed legal frameworks, initiated state and political reform, re-structured key institutions, and established a foundation for allocating international development assistance toward the central authorities' priority areas. Additionally, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Sameh Shoukry reaffirmed his administration's support for Somalia's social and security sectors, and noted the Egyptian government's various political brokering efforts.
In January 2015, Hassan signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on behalf of the Federal Republic of Somalia at a ceremony in Mogadishu. It is the most widely ratified global human rights treaty, with all but two countries party to it. The signing event was held at the Hamar Jab Jab School in the capital and was attended by various domestic and international officials, including Interim Minister for Information Mustaf Sheikh Ali Dhuhulow, Interim Minister for Women and Human Rights Khadijo Mohamed Diriye, Interim Minister for Agriculture Abdi Mohamed Bafo, Interim Minister for Justice Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir, various federal legislators, UN Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay, and UNICEF Representative for Somalia Steven Lauwerier. The Federal Parliament had already ratified the agreement in December 2014. Following the subsequent signing of the treaty by Hassan, the Federal Government is now slated to formulate and adopt child friendly systems and policies, implement steps geared toward child development, survival, protection and participation, and produce periodic reports on its progress toward that end for the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Second Administration
On 16 May 2022, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud regained presidential power after winning the election against the outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo. The elected president vowed to restore stability in Somalia. Following his second term election for the presidency of Somalia, the University for Peace revealed that Hassan is a Ph.D. candidate at the university. In October 2022, the presidency announced that Hassan defended his doctoral dissertation in Peace, Governance and Development, the first sitting Somali president to do so.
On 15 June 2022, Hassan appointed Hamza Abdi Barre as Prime Minister of Somalia.
Foreign policy
In an interview with Al Jazeera on February 7, 2026, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said that Israel's actions in his country were "interference." He stated that Israel's recognition of Somaliland as a breakaway region had exacerbated instability and undermined the international order. At the same time, he declared that Somalia would "never allow" and "counter" any attempt to establish an Israeli base in Somaliland.
Constitutional crisis
On 28 November 2024, amid a dispute over the holding of regional elections in Jubaland, a judge in the latter region issued an arrest warrant against Mohamud on charges of treason, inciting a civil war, and organizing an armed uprising to disrupt the constitutional order. In response, the federal government issued an arrest warrant against Jubaland president Ahmed Madobe for treason and revealing classified information to foreign entities.
Controversies
Corruption
His first administration that operated from 2012 to 2017 faced serious criticism for rampant corruption, media restrictions and abuse of power. The United Nations Monitoring Group accused the administration of arming al-Shabab. A 2013 report alleged a conspiracy between President Mohamoud and a US law firm to steal public funds. He failed to address the rampant corruption during his first term as President of Somalia.
Nepotism
In March 2023, President Mohamoud appointed his daughter Jehan Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud as his international affairs advisor. This move, unprecedented in post-1991 Somalia, sparked widespread discussion and controversy across social media platforms. The appointment resulted in a rare resignation from a high-ranking Somali official. Following the 32nd Arab League Summit, which marked Syria's reinstatement after a decade-long suspension, Somalia's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Salim Ma'ow Haji, resigned from his position. Haji cited insults and violations of diplomatic norms by the President's inner circle, notably led by his cousin, Hinda Culusow, alleging that they had obstructed his participation in the summit. While Ambassador Haji found himself excluded from the summit hall, Jehan Mohamoud was prominently present alongside her father. In response to inquiries regarding his daughter's prominent governmental role and her perceived lack of experience, Mohamoud defended the appointment by asserting that his children and relatives are "citizens just like everyone else."
Son's traffic accident
On 30 November 2023, a son of Mohamud, Mohammed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud killed a Turkish citizen Yunus Emre Göçer riding a motorcycle in an accident in Istanbul, Turkey. Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mahomud caused the accident while driving a vehicle belonging to the Somali Embassy in Ankara. The Turkish police later took him into custody. The victim, a motor courier, died on 6 December 2023. The vehicle belonged to the Somali embassy and had diplomatic licence plates, although the son was not directly connected with the embassy. Although the court initially imposed a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence, it was later commuted to a fine. This decision was influenced, in part, by the remorse demonstrated by the individual during the trial. Additionally, he was prohibited from driving for six months.
Honours
In April 2013, Hassan was named to the Time 100, TIME magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. His efforts at advancing national reconciliation, anti-corruption measures, and socio-economic and security sector reforms in Somalia were cited as reasons for the selection.
Some of the state Honours received by Hassan are as under;
