Mohamoud Dirir Gheddi

Mohamoud Dirir Gheddi
Born	24 September 1959 Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
Occupation(s)	Teacher, Diplomat
Political party	Somali Democratic Party
Academic background
Alma mater	Damascus University (BA)

Mohamoud Dirir Gheddi is an Ethiopian politician. He was chairman of the Somali Democratic Party and served as the Minister of Mining under the Meles Zenawi administration.[1][2]

Early life

Mohamoud was born in Dire Dawa in 1959. In 1976 he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Damascus University and subsequently joined the rebel group; Western Somali Liberation Front in the same year. For three years beginning in 1983 he taught in Hargeisa, Somalia.[3]

Career

In 1993 Mohamoud would become president of the Issa and Gurgura Liberation Front.[4] He would later serve as chairman of the Somali Democratic Party (SDP) and in 1995 was elected MP for the SDP to the House of Peoples' Representatives.[5][6]

Mohamoud also served as Ethiopian ambassador to Egypt.[7]

Personal life

He hails from the Somali Issa clan. Mohamoud is a polyglot who can speak six languages; Somali, Amharic, Oromo, Harari, English, and Arabic. His hobbies include; writing and painting.[8]

References

1. Murison, Katharine (31 October 2002). Africa South of the Sahara 2003. Taylor & Francis Group. p. 400. ISBN 978-1-85743-131-5.
2. Maclennan, Ben (18 February 2003). Mining scorecard ready for publication. Mail&Guardian.
3. Mahifere, Seifu. His Excellency Ambassador Mahmoud Dirir, Minister of Culture & Tourism, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia A Life in Politics and Diplomacy. Africa Travel Magazine.
4. ETH30381.E of 4 November 1998 on the treatment of Issa in Ethiopia; whether a family relation to someone known to be (have been) active in, and financially supportive of, the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) would affect this treatment. IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 17 January 2000.
5. Press Digest Volume 10, Issues 1-26. Anasir Publishers. 2003. p. 10.
6. Impact Assessment of Capacity Building Projects in the Ethiopian Justice Sector Institutions (PDF). The Africa-Europe Partnership Institute for Capacity Building and Human Resource Development. p. 87.
7. Ethiopia Freezes Nile Water Treaty in Sign of Thaw With Egypt. VOA. May 2011.
8. Verdier, Isabelle (1997). Ethiopia The Top 100 People. Indigo Publications. p. 96. ISBN 978-2-905760-12-8.