Mohamed Abdirizak Mohamud

Mohamed Abdirizak Mohamud is a Somalian politician and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs for Somalia.[1]

Not to be confused with Abdirisak Omar Mohamed.

Mohamed Abdirizak Mohamud
Official portrait in 2020
29th Minister of Foreign Affairs (Somalia)
In office
19 November 2020 – 20 November 2021
PresidentMohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
Prime MinisterMohamed Hussein Roble
Preceded byAhmed Isse Awad
Succeeded byAbdisaid Muse Ali
Personal details
OccupationPolitician

Political career

The first major time Mohamud introduced himself into the Somali political landscape was in 2017, when he ran to be President of Somalia, in which he did not succeed.[2]

Minister of Foreign Affairs

On 19 November 2020, Mohamud was appointed to become the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia by then Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble,[3] and on 25 November was officially sworn in.[3] Three days later on 28 November, Mohamud took over the responsibilities of the job from his predecessor Ahmed Isse Awad.[3]

As Minister, Mohamud was regarded as an "outspoken" political figure,[1] conducting multiple meetings and talks with Somalia's allies, most notably including the African Union,[4][5] China,[6] Kenya,[7][8] Kuwait,[9] Qatar,[10] Turkey,[11] the United Nations,[5][12] and the United States.[13]

On 20 November 2021, Mohamud was replaced as minister with Abdisaid Muse Ali in a cabinet reshuffle by PM Roble. Mohamud remarked that the unannounced dismissal was a "surprise to me, as much as everyone else" but also stated that he had already submitted his resignation from the office earlier.[1] Mohamud cited that "work-related issues" may have been the reason for his untimely departure from office, but failed to specify what these were in hopes that they would be resolved.[14] It was reported by MTV Somali that the issues may have stemmed from Mohamud being too close to President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed[15] who PM Roble often disagreed with.[16]

Campaigning

In January 2022, Mohamud campaigned to be elected to a seat in the House of the People in the Somali Parliament, especially in the Puntland region, in which he had good relationships with.[17] When this did not succeed, Mohamud in May 2022 announced he would be running to be the President of Somalia again,[18] but quickly withdrew his application after stating that his campaign did "not have the potential to win". Mohamud further discussed that with the race for Somali Presidency being indirect in nature, as long as his campaign focus was on speaking directly to the Somali people, he would not have a great chance at success.[2] Despite this, Mohamud announced he would continue to run for high political offices in the nation in the future.[2]

References
  1. "Sacked Somali Foreign Affairs Minister says 'surprised', claims had submitted resignation". hiiraan.com. Hiiraan Online. 20 November 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  2. "Former Somali foreign minister resigns". somalilinknewspaper.com. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  3. "His Excellency Mohamed Abdirazak is Sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs". mfa.gov.so. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Somalia). 26 November 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  4. "Somali government and African Union meet after the sacking of Simon Mulongo". mtvsomali.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  5. "Somali Foreign Minister meets top AU & UN Envoys amid push for security take over". dailyjubba.com. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  6. "Foreign Minister receives a copy of the credentials of the new Chinese ambassador to Somalia". foreignpolicywatchdog.com. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  7. "Press Statement The Foreign Ministers of Somalia and Kenya, H.E. Mr. Mohamed Abdirizak Mohamud and H.E. Amb. Raychelle Omamo, today spoke on telephone". probserver.com. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  8. "Somalia, Kenya hold talks for first time since ICJ verdict". hornobserver.com. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  9. "Somali foreign minister meets with Kuwaiti prime minister". somalidispatch.com. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  10. "Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Meets Somalian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation". mofa.gov.qa. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Qatar). 4 October 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  11. "New York, USA - September 22: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) meets Somalian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mohamed Abdirizak Mohamud (L) in New York, United States on September 22, 2021. ( Fatih Aktaş - Anadolu Agency )". middleeastmonitor.com. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  12. "FM discusses with UN official to support stability of Somalia". hiiraan.com. Hiiraan Online. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  13. "Somalia, US discuss cooperation". radiodalsan.com. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  14. "Somalia Prime minister sacks his foreign affairs minister". somaliland.com. 21 November 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  15. "Prime Minister Roble names new Foreign Minister". mtvsomali.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  16. "Prime Minister Responds to President Farmaajos Actions". mtvsomali.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  17. "Former Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdirizak doubles his parliamentary campaign in Galkayo". diplomat.so. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  18. Mutambo, Aggrey (5 May 2022). "Somalia MPs to elect president on May 15". theeastafrican.co.ke. The East African. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
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