Friday June 20, 2025
Jowhar (HOL) – Former head of the National Intelligence and
Security Agency (NISA), Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sanbaloolshe), has been
re-elected to seat HOP058 in the House of the People of Somalia’s 11th
Parliament.
The election was held in Jowhar, the capital of the Middle
Shabelle region in Hirshabelle State, where Sanbaloolshe won unopposed
following the withdrawal of his expected challenger, Ismail Warsame Farah.
Sanbaloolshe, who was recently removed as NISA director, had
left his parliamentary seat vacant while serving in the intelligence post. His
re-election confirms a widely anticipated return to Parliament after stepping
down from the intelligence role he held for the past year.
This marks a comeback for Sanbaloolshe, who previously lost
the same seat during the Farmaajo administration, and failed to reclaim it in a
subsequent attempt. He is notably the only official to have served as NISA
director three times.
Sanbaloolshe’s re-election comes amid growing public
criticism in his native Hiiraan region over what residents describe as the
federal government’s neglect of the fight against Al-Shabaab militants. His
return to Parliament is likely to influence ongoing security and intelligence
debates within the federal legislature.