NAIROBI, Kenya —General Mohamed Said Hersi “Morgan”, the last Defense Minister of Somalia under the former central government and a key figure in the country’s military history, has passed away in Nairobi, Kenya. His death was confirmed by an official from the Puntland State Presidency, where Morgan had most recently served as a Senior Security Adviser to the President of Puntland.
Born in Qardho in 1949, Gen. Morgan joined the Somali National Army in 1967. He received advanced military training in both the Soviet Union and the United States, specializing in command strategy and security affairs. During the Kacaanka (Revolutionary) period, he held commanding positions over military forces in both central and northern regions of Somalia.
He eventually rose to become the final Minister of Defense under President Mohamed Siad Barre’s regime, and was also his son-in-law, linking him closely to the highest levels of power during Somalia’s revolutionary era.
Following the collapse of the central government in 1991, Morgan established a base of influence in Kismayo, a strategic port city in southern Somalia. However, after years of conflict and political shifts, he later relocated to Puntland, where he remained active in regional politics.
In 2019, Morgan ran for the Puntland presidency, though he was not elected. Despite that, he continued to play a behind-the-scenes role in security and governance, serving as a senior advisor on military matters in the Puntland administration.
General Morgan’s name is deeply etched in Somalia’s military and political history. To his supporters, he was a patriotic officer who served his country with distinction during its most powerful military era. To critics, his association with the regime of Siad Barre and the civil war years remains controversial.
His passing has been widely felt across Somalia and its diaspora, especially among those who served with him in the armed forces, and those who remember his complex role during key turning points in the nation’s history.
