Siad Barre’s half brother Abdirahman Jama Barre passes on in the US

Former first deputy Prime Minister and half- brother to ex- president Siyad Barre, Abdirahman Jama Barre has passed on in the US following ill health, the family has confirmed.

Barre’s son Diriye Mohamed Siyad Barre confirmed the passing of his father in California, USA where he had been living.

The late Barre aged 79 served in various positions during the Siad Barre’s regime rising to become the first deputy Prime Minister and doubled as Finance Minister shortly before the collapse of the central government in 1991.

Born in 1937 in Luuq town in the then Italian Somaliland, Barre went on to pursue higher education in Italy where he earned a PhD and served as a teacher before joining politics. He was appointed Foreign Affairs minister in 1977.

He later vied for presidency in 2004 following the establishment of the Transitional Federal Government but lost to Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.