Ahmed Dini Ahmed (Afar: Acmad Diini Acmad, Arabic: أحمد ديني أحمد; 1932 – 12 September 2004) was a Djiboutian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Djibouti. He was trained as a health technician and entered the political realm at age 26.[1]
Ahmed Dini Ahmed | |
|---|---|
أحمد ديني أحمد | |
 Ahmed in 1977 | |
| 2nd Prime Minister of Djibouti | |
| In office 12 July 1977 – 5 February 1978 | |
| Preceded by | Hassan Gouled Aptidon |
| Succeeded by | Abdallah Mohamed Kamil |
| 3rd Vice President of the Government Council of French Somaliland | |
| In office 12 April 1959 – 8 June 1960 | |
| Preceded by | Hassan Gouled Aptidon |
| Succeeded by | Ali Aref Bourhan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1932 Mount Mabla, French Somaliland (present-day Djibouti) |
| Died | 12 September 2004 Djibouti City, Djibouti |
| Political party | MPL, UDA |
He served as Vice-president of the Representative Council of French Somaliland from April 1959 to June 1960, he was a member of the government of Ali Aref Bourhan in 1962–1964, he then participated in the foundation of the Afar Democratic Union (UDA). He was Minister of Home Affairs until 1971. In 1975, he became spokesman for the new African People's League for Independence (LPAI), led by Hassan Gouled Aptidon. He was elected President of National Assembly from May 1977 to July 1977.[2] In July 1977, he became the Prime Minister of the newly independent Djibouti. In December, after the bombing of the Palm in Zinc, and the consequent ban on the Movement for the Liberation (MPL), he resigned and returned to the opposition.[1] He led the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD), an Afar rebel group, during the civil war of the 1990s; after the group split in 1994, he led a radical faction of FRUD.
Biography
editAhmed, a member of the Afar ethnic group, was born near Mount Mabla in the northern Djibouti.[3] Following independence, Ahmed became Prime Minister as well Minister in charge of Urban and Regional Planning (Aménagement du territoire) and the Creation of New Resources in July 1977.[4] He resigned from the position six months later after clashing with President Hassan Gouled Aptidon.[5]
Later years
editHe led FRUD in its armed struggle against the government, which began in 1991. He led the movement that engaged in a desert war against Issa domination which surfaced soon after independence was established.[5] FRUD split in 1994, and a moderate faction led by Ali Mohamed Daoud entered negotiations with the government (signing a peace agreement in December 1994),[6] while Ahmed continued to lead a radical faction which vowed to continue to fight.[6][7] The radical faction held a congress in late September 1994 and elected Dini as head of its executive committee.[7] Following the signing of a reconciliation agreement between his faction and the government in February 2000, Dini returned to Djibouti from Yemen on 29 March 2000, ending nine years of exile.[8]
In the January 2003 parliamentary election, he was the first candidate on the candidate list of the opposition coalition, the Union for a Democratic Alternative (UAD), in the District of Djibouti;[9] however, the coalition did not win any seats.
He died on 12 September 2004 at a French military hospital in Djibouti.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Ouazani, Cherif. "Ahmed Dini Ahmed". Juene Afrique. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
- ^ "Les Anciens Presidents". National Assembly. 19 April 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016.
- ^ a b Cherif Ouazani, "Ahmed Dini Ahmed", Jeuneafrique.com, September 19, 2004 (in French).
- ^ "Décret n°77-010/PR portant nomination des ministres de la République de Djibouti." Archived 2011-05-19 at the Wayback Machine, Journal Officiel de la République de Djibouti, July 15, 1977 (in French).
- ^ a b "Ex-PM turned rebel dies". News24Archives. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
- ^ a b Political Parties of the World (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 180.
- ^ a b "DINI'S FACTION REAFFIRMS PURSUIT OF ARMED STRUGGLE", Reuters, 30 September 1994 (Horn of Africa Bulletin, Vol. 6 No. 5 (September–October 1994).
- ^ "Djibouti: Opposition leader Ahmed Dini returns after nine years in exile", AFP (nl.newsbank.com), 29 March 2000.
- ^ "Décret n°2002-0261/PR/MID Portant publication des listes des candidats en vue des élections législatives du vendredi 10 janvier 2003." Archived 2008-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, Journal Officiel de la République de Djibouti, December 25, 2002 (in French).