Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud (known as Hurre, born in

Garowe Garowe (, ,Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, in 1957–died August 17, 2002) was elected as

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

by his

Omar Mohamoud The Omar Mahamoud (, ) is a Somali sub-clan and Mudug, Nugaal and Doollo Sultanate (Islaan) , part of the Mohamoud Saleeban, itself a sub-clan of the Majeerteen sub-clan of the Harti conglomeration of Darod clans. The Omar Mohamoud is one of the ...

sub-clan of the wider

Majeerteen The Majeerteen, (, ; also spelled Majerteen, Macherten, Majertain, or Mijurtin) alternately known as Mohammed Harti, are a Somali sub-clan part of the Harti branch of the Darod, Darod clan. Traditionally, they inhabit extensive territories in ...

in 2000. He held

British citizenship The primary law governing nationality in the United Kingdom is the British Nationality Act 1981, which came into force on 1 January 1983. Regulations apply to the British Islands, which include the UK itself (England, Wales, Scotland, and Nor ...

. Surre was extrajudicially executed by the security forces belonging to

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed 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 ...

. In 2002, Sultan Hurre's home state of

Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...

began experiencing a serious political crisis as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Ahmed's three-year period was expiring. President Ahmed refused to call for an election and instead planned to unconstitutionally extend his term in office. He accused

Jama Ali Jama Jama Ali Jama (, ) is a Somali politician. He was the President of Puntland from November 14, 2001, to May 8, 2002. The period of his presidency was overshadowed by the Puntland Crisis (2001–2002), which began after former president Abdullahi ...

of having close ties with 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 ...

and local Islamist militants

Al-Itihaad Al-Islamiya Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI; ) was an Islamist politico-military group in Somalia. Formed in 1983 through a merger of smaller Islamist groups, the organization was the most powerful Islamic movement in the country during the late 80s and early ...

. Some traditional leaders, including Sultan Hurre, rejected President Yusuf's term extension and instead held a conference which saw the election of

as president. Yusuf's government accused Hurre of "association with extremist elements" and targeted him for arrest. On 17 August 2002, Sultan Hurre was assassinated in Kalabeir by a soldier from Yusuf's security forces who shot him five times in the head. His death followed the assassination of Col. Farah Dheer in Garowe months earlier, allegedly also carried out by Yusuf. A representative for Abdullahi Yusuf claimed that militias were ordered to arrest Sultan Surre and that he had been killed in a shoot-out. While Yusuf's forces asserted the death had been accidental, a journalist who had witnessed Surre's death described seeing a deliberate assassination.

References

1957 births 2002 deaths Ethnic Somali people People from Garowe {{Somalia-bio-stub