Mohamed Omar Habeb (), commonly known as Mohamed Dheere or Mohamed Dhere (died November 15, 2012), was a Somali faction leader based out of the city of

Jowhar Jowhar (, , Italian: ''Giohar'') is the capital city of Hirshabelle state of Somalia. Jowhar is also the administrative capital of Middle Shabelle region of Somalia. Along with Baidoa, it used to form the joint administrative capital of th ...

. He hailed from the

Abgaal The Abgaal (Somali language, Somali: Abgaal; Arabic: أبگال) are a Somali clan, Somali sub-clan of the Hawiye and the even larger Samaale clan. This prominent Somali clan, despite being one of the youngest in Somalia, is one of the most ...

subclan of

Hawiye The Hawiye (; ) are one of the principal and largest of the Somali clans, tracing their lineage back to Sheikh Ahmed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Uthman, also known as Sheikh Hawiye, the eponymous figure of the clan. They are considered the earliest do ...

. He also had significant influence on the northern parts of the capital

Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

where he controlled a militia of around 400 men. He was a leader of the

Somalia Reconciliation and Restoration Council The Somalia Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC) was a political movement and paramilitary organization based in southern Somalia. It was founded in Ethiopia by a loose coalition of warlords opposing the newly formed Transitional Nationa ...

(SRRC) in the 2001–2004 time period, and the

Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism The Somali Warlord Alliance, officially called the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (Abbreviation, abbreviated ARPCT; ), was a Somali people, Somali alliance created by various Somali warlords and businessmen with the ba ...

(ARPCT) in 2006. In early May 2007, the Transitional Federal Government named him both the governor and mayor of

Banadir Banaadir (, , ) is an administrative region (''Administrative divisions of Somalia, gobol'') in southeastern Somalia. It covers the same area as the city of Mogadishu, which serves as the capital. It is the only region in the country not belongin ...

and

, respectively; he was dismissed in July 2008.

Fight against the Transitional National Government (TNG)

In June 2002, Mohamed Dheere was member of parliament who was elected in Arta Jabuti, after the arrival of the government in Somalia especially in Mogadishu and at that time there was a big problem which led Mohamed to fight against the

Transitional National Government The Transitional National Government (TNG) was the internationally recognized central government of Somalia from 2000 to 2004. Overview The TNG was established in 20 April–5 May 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Arta, Djibo ...

(TNG) of Somalia, the precursor of the present

Transitional Federal Government The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) (, , ) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Somalia from 14 October 2004 until 20 August 2012. It was established in Nairobi, Kenya, following the Transitional National Govern ...

. He was a member of the competing

(SRRC).Heavy Fighting Resumes in Somalia
People's Daily

Struggle against the Islamic Courts Union (ICU)

In 2006, Mohamed Dheere joined the

(ARPCT), a US

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

-backed initiative by Mogadishu warlords and businessmen to oppose the growing influence of the

Islamic Courts Union The Islamic Courts Union () was a legal and political organization founded by Mogadishu-based Sharia courts during the early 2000s to combat the lawlessness stemming from the Somali Civil War. By mid-to-late 2006, the Islamic Courts had expanded ...

(ICU). This led to the

Second Battle of Mogadishu The Second Battle of Mogadishu was fought for control of Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu. The opposing forces were the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT), and militia loyal to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU). ...

, which resulted in the June 2006 ousting of Mohammed Dhere and the rest of the ARPCT from the capital. Thereafter, on June 14, 2006, he fled from his base of Jowhar to Ethiopia after a two-hour battle with the ICU. Late in 2006, Mohamed Dhere was among many Somali groups that counterattacked the ICU. They were heavily supported by a force from the Ethiopian army and air forces, including tanks and

MiG Mig, MiG, or MIG may refer to: Business * MiG, a Russian aircraft corporation **Any of the MiG aircraft *Marfin Investment Group MIG Holdings S.A. (also known as MIG) is a Greece, Greek investment company. It has acquired several companies an ...

fighter aircraft. Mohamed Dhere's forces advanced through the battles of Battle of Beledweyne and

before the

Fall of Mogadishu The fall of Mogadishu occurred on 28 December 2006, when the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) advanced into the capital to install the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which had controlled the capi ...

which occurred before the end of the year.

Dismissal as mayor

Prime Minister

Nur Hassan Hussein Nur Hassan Hussein (, ‎; 2 February 1938 – 1 April 2020), popularly known as Nur Adde, was a Somali politician, who served as Prime Minister of Somalia from November 2007 to February 2009. He was from Mogadishu and part of the Abgaal sub-c ...

dismissed Habeb from his post as mayor on July 30, 2008, accusing him of incompetence, embezzlement, insubordination, and abuse of power. According to Hussein, his decision was supported by the people of Mogadishu and by the city's traditional elders. Habeb, however, resisted this and said that his dismissal had to be approved by President

Abdullahi Yusuf Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (, ‎; 15 December 1934 – 23 March 2012), was a Somali politician and former military official who served as the first President of Puntland from 1998 to 2004. He also played a key role in establishing the Transitional ...

; he claimed to have Yusuf's support to remain in office, and Yusuf reportedly revoked the decision on July 31. Habeb's dismissal was viewed as an indicator of increasing disagreement between Yusuf and Hussein, and ten ministers allied to Yusuf resigned from Hussein's government on August 2.

Arrested and jailed

On January 22, 2009 it was reported that Mohamed Omar Habeb was arrested with Ali Nur Mohamed for crimes for shooting at a peace rally in Mogadishu. He was released shortly after.

Illness & Death

On November 15, 2012, Mohamed Omar Habeb died /passed away in Mogadishu of illness.

References

External links

Mohamed Omar Habeb (aka Mohamed Dhere) Jailed
{{DEFAULTSORT:Habeb, Mohamed Omar 2012 deaths Somalian faction leaders Members of the Transitional Federal Parliament Mayors of Mogadishu Year of birth missing