AYDID, MUHAMMAD FARAH


Meaning of AYDID, MUHAMMAD FARAH in English

orig. Muhammad Farah Hassan

born 0441; 1930, Beledweyne, Italian Somaliland

died Aug. 1, 1996, Mogadishu, Somalia

Somali faction leader.

He received military training in Italy and the U.S.S.R. and served in posts under Mohamed Siad Barre (1978–89) before overthrowing him in 1991. He became the dominant clan leader at the centre of the Somalian civil war. Losing the interim presidency to another factional leader, Aydid continued warring on rival clans. When UN and U.S. troops arrived in Somalia (1992), Aydid ambushed a UN contingent and was declared an outlaw. The attempt to capture him led to many deaths, and foreign troops were withdrawn. He then intensified his campaign against his rivals, but he reportedly died of a heart attack after being wounded in battle.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.