Thursday September 2, 2021
MOGADISHU (HOL) - Engineer Mohamed Omar Salihi who advised President Mohamed Farmaajo in the maritime case with Kenya died Wednesday morning in Mogadishu.
The 69-year-old engineer famed for his grasp of maritime issues and central to the maritime case reportedly died inside Aden Adde Airport upon arrival from Turkey where he had been undergoing treatment.
Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Guled who was Somalia’s principal agent in the maritime case praised engineer Salihi for his service to the nation.
“The deceased was the backbone of the maritime case between Somalia and Kenya. He worked for his country without any help,” Mahdi said in a Facebook post.
Engineer Salihi was appointed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as an advisor on the maritime case in 2014 and remained in the same position during President Mohamed Farmaajo’s tenure.
Born in Luuq, Gedo region in 1952, the engineer earned a masters degree from Warsaw, Poland in the 1970s and later a PhD from UAE.
He worked in various government ministries before he was appointed by President Abdiqasim Salad as deputy minister of agriculture in 2000 for two years.