Somalia declared three days of mourning for former Somali President Ali Mahdi Muhammad, who died of the coronavirus, the country’s current president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known by his nickname Farmajo, announced on Thursday.
The Somali flag will fly at part-time staff for three days to show the Somali people’s grief over the loss of Muhammad, who died late on Wednesday at the age of 86, the government said.
“I would like to extend my condolences to his family, friends and the Somali people on our former President. He will remember what he did for our country,” Farmajo said in a video announcing an official funeral committee, according to a report by Anadolu Agency (AA).
Farmajo expressed his condolences to Muhammad’s family, friends and the Somali people, saying the former leader played a key role in ruling and rebuilding the country. Muhammad died in the Kenyan capital Nairobi after being hospitalized for COVID-19, according to local media.
Ali Mahdi Muhammad was born in the city of Jowhar in the Central Shabelle region in 1939.
He completed his undergraduate education in Mogadishu and his higher education in Egypt. With his career as a businessman, Muhammad entered politics by participating in the 1968 parliamentary elections. After the collapse of the Siad Barré regime in 1991, Muhammad served as President of Somalia from January 26, 1991 to January 3, 1997.
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