The son and daughter of former Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre have been living quietly in the Columbus, Ohio, area for decades following the collapse of their father’s brutal regime, according to a report from the New York Post.
Dictator’s Children Living in Ohio
Mohamed Siad Barre ruled Somalia from 1969 until his government was overthrown in 1991. His more than two decades in power were marked by widespread atrocities, torture, and mass killings that left as many as 200,000 people dead, including violence directed against the Isaaq clan. Mohamed Siad Barre died in 1995.
The dictator’s son, 61-year-old Ayanle Siad Barre, and his daughter, 69-year-old Deka Mohamed Siad, arrived in the United States shortly after their father’s regime fell. Ayanle lives on a quiet suburban street in the Columbus area, which is home to the second-largest Somali community in the United States after Minnesota, with an estimated population of around 70,000 people.
Business Ventures and Allegations
Historian and Oxford University doctoral researcher Mohamed Haji Ingiriis described Ayanle as his father’s “right-hand man” and alleged that he wielded significant power within the government in the final years of the dictatorship. Some historians and human rights campaigners have asserted that Ayanle served as the head of his father’s administration.
During their time in the United States, members of the Barre family have been linked to several business ventures. Ayanle previously established a translation services company called Somal Global Services and has been linked to a cafe named Halwa Kismay Coffee. Additionally, Deka and her late husband, Ali Omar, operated Vanguard Home Health Care.
Documents reviewed by the Fox News report indicated that Vanguard Home Health Care received more than $1.8 million in Medicare funding. The business appeared to have operated legitimately, filed the appropriate paperwork, and ceased operations following Ali Omar’s death at age 70 in January 2021. Deka has also participated as a speaker in various community events in Columbus.
Community Outcry and Calls for Investigation
The presence of the dictator’s children has caused distress among members of the local Somali community, many of whom fled to the United States to escape the violence and oppression of the Barre regime. Some survivors and activists have voiced frustration that descendants of the former regime are living freely alongside survivors of the atrocities.
Human rights activist Suleiman Bolaleh and community members such as Ali-Guban Mohamed have called upon United States authorities to investigate members of the former dictator’s family to determine what they knew or did during the dictatorship. However, public calls for an investigation do not establish any legal wrongdoing by Ayanle or other family members.
Attempts by reporters to reach Ayanle Siad Barre through publicly listed contact information were unsuccessful, and neither Ayanle nor Deka responded to requests for comment. Federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Justice, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the matter.
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