# List of Somalis

This is a list of notable Somalis from Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia as well as the Somali diaspora.

## Academics

* Ali A. Abdi – sociologist and educationist, and professor of education and international development at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; former president of the Comparative and International Education Society of Canada (CIESC); founding/co-founding editor of the peer reviewed online publications, Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education and Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry
* Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi – scholar, linguist and writer; published on Somali culture, history, language and ethnogenesis
* Ali Jimale Ahmed – poet, essayist, scholar, and short story writer; published on Somali history and linguistics
* Shire Jama Ahmed (c. 1935–1989) – linguist who devised a unique Latin script for the Somali language
* Suleiman Ahmed Gulaid – prominent professor and the president of Amoud University
* Abdirahman Hussein – scholar and teacher at University of Tennessee
* Abdi Kusow – professor of sociology at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa; has written extensively on Somali sociology and anthropology
* Mohamed Haji Mukhtar – professor of African and Middle Eastern History at Savannah State University; has written extensively on the history of Somalia and the Somali language
* Ismail Jim'ale Osoble – lawyer, once served as Minister of Information in the government of Aden Abdullah Osman Daar
* Abdi Ismail Samatar – prominent scholar and professor at the University of Minnesota
* Ahmed Ismail Samatar – prominent professor and Dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College; editor of Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
* Said Sheikh Samatar (1943–2015) – prominent scholar and writer and former professor of history at Rutgers University; main areas of interest are history and linguistics

## Activists

* Dekha Ibrahim Abdi (1964–2011) – peace activist in Kenya
* Zam Zam Abdullahi Abdi – human rights activist and journalist
* Leila Abukar – political activist
* Fartuun Adan – social activist; founder and executive director of the Elman Peace Centre
* Elman Ali Ahmed – entrepreneur and social activist
* Halima Ahmed – political activist with the Youth Rehabilitation Center in Mogadishu
* Hodan Ahmed – political activist and Senior Program Officer at the National Democratic Institute
* Ifrah Ahmed – social activist; founder of the UYI NGO
* Nimco Ahmed – Somali-American political activist; State Director for the DFL
* Abdulkadir Yahya Ali (1957–2005) – peace activist, co-director and founder of the Center for Research and Dialogue.
* Abdirizak Bihi – social activist; Director of the Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center
* Ilwad Elman – social activist at the Elman Peace Centre
* Asha Haji Elmi (Caasha Xaaji Cilmi) (b. 1962) – peace activist in Somalia
* Leyla Hussein – psychotherapist and social activist; Chief Executive of Hawa's Haven; co-founder of Daughters of Eve
* Ahmed Hussen – Somali-Canadian lawyer and social activist; President of the Canadian Somali Congress
* Farhiyo Farah Ibrahim – Somali social activist
* Hanan Ibrahim – social activist based in the UK; founder of the Somali Family Support Group (SFSG)
* Fatima Jibrell (b. 1947) – Somali-American environmental activist; co-founder and executive director of the Horn of Africa Relief and Development Organization ("Horn Relief"); co-founder of Sun Fire Cooking; was instrumental in the creation of the Women's Coalition for Peace
* Hirsi Magan (Xirsi Magan Ciise) (1935–2008) – activist, scholar and one of the leading figures of the Somali Revolution
* Magid Magid – Somali-British activist and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of Sheffield
* Adam Matan – activist and community organiser who was the first Somali-Brit to be awarded the OBE medal by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge for services to the Somali community in the United Kingdom.
* Hawa Aden Mohamed – social activist; chairperson of the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development
* Musse Olol – American social activist and Chairman of the Somali American Council of Oregon (SACOO)
* Hibaaq Osman – political strategist; chairperson of the ThinkTank for Arab Women, the Dignity Fund, and El-Karama
* Hawo Tako (d. 1948) – early 20th century female nationalist whose sacrifice became a symbol for pan-Somalism
* Mohamud Siad Togane (b. 1943) – Somali Canadian poet, professor, and political activist
* Shadya Yasin – Somali-Canadian social activist and member of the Ontario Premier's Council on Youth Opportunities

## Artists

* Aar Maanta – singer-songwriter, composer, and music producer
* Abdi Sinimo (c. 1920s–1967) – artist and inventor of the Balwo musical style
* Abdullahi Qarshe (1924–1994) – musician, poet and playwright known for his innovative styles of music which included a wide variety of musical instruments such as the guitar, piano, and oud
* Alisha Boe – actress, known for portraying Jessica in Netflix's original series 13 Reasons Why.
* Ali Feiruz (1931–1994) – musician; one of the first generation of Somali artists; prominent member of Hobolada Waaberi musical troupes
* Amin Amir – Somali-Canadian cartoonist and painter
* Barkhad Abdi – actor, best known for his portrayal of Abduwali Muse in the film, yCaptain Phillips, co-starring Tom Hanks
* Elisa Kadigia Bove – Somali-Italian actress and activist
* Guduuda 'Arwo – singer
* Hassan Sheikh Mumin (1930/31–2008) – poet, reciter, playwright, broadcaster, actor and composer
* Hasan Adan Samatar (b. 1953) – artist during the 1970s and 80s
* Dada Masiti, Ashraf poet, mystic and Islamic scholar.
* Mohamed Mooge Liibaan (1942–1984) – artist, teacher, instrumentalist, poetry and veteran
* Ahmed Mooge Liibaan (d. 1997) – artist from the Radio Hargeisa generation
* Magool (1948–2004) (Halima Khaliif Omar) – considered in Somalia as one of the greatest entertainers of all time
* Mohamed Sulayman Tubeec the King of Vocals
* Mocky (Dominic Salole) (b. 1974) – Somali-Canadian pop music performer
* Maryam Mursal (b. 1950) – musician, composer and vocalist whose work has been produced by the record label Real World
* Marian Joan Elliott Said (Poly Styrene) (1957–2011) – pioneering Somali-British punk rock singer with X-Ray Spex
* Jiim Sheikh Muumin – singer and instrumentalist
* Jonis Bashir – Somali-Italian actor and singer
* K'naan (b. 1978) – Somali-Canadian hip hop artist
* Khadija Qalanjo – singer and folklore dancer in the 1970s and 1980s
* Sulekha Ali – Somali-Canadian singer-songwriter
* Saba Anglana – Somali-Italian actress and international singer
* Waaberi – Somalia's foremost musical group; toured throughout several countries in Africa and Asia, including Egypt, Sudan and China
* Waayaha Cusub – music collective led by Falis Abdi
* Xiddigaha Geeska – Somali music band based in Hargeisa

## Athletes

* Liban Abdi (b. 1988) – international footballer; currently plays for Ferencvárosi TC in the Hungarian First Division, on loan from Sheffield United of England
* Mohammed Ahamed (b. 1985) – Somali-Norwegian – Canadian Olympian in 2012, Nike-sponsored athlete
* Abdi Mohamed Ahmed (b. 1962) – professional footballer
* Amin Askar (b. 1985) – Somali-Norwegian professional football player, playing for Fredrikstad FK in the Norwegian Premier League
* Faisal Jeylani Aweys – taekwondo practitioner
* Zahra Bani (b. 1979) – Somali-Italian javelin thrower
* Abdi Bile (b. 1962) – world champion middle distance runner in the 1500 metres, and three time Olympian
* Ayub Daud (b. 1990) – international footballer who plays as a forward/attacking midfielder for A.S. Gubbio 1910, on loan from Juventus
* Rizak Dirshe (b. 1972) – Swedish middle distance runner
* Mo Farah (b. 1983) – Somali-British gold medalist in international track and field; currently holds the British indoor record in the 3000 metre and won the 3000 m at the 2009 European Indoor Championships in Turin
* Youssouf Hersi
* Ahmed Said Ahmed
* Abdisalam Ibrahim (b. 1991) – Somali-Norwegian footballer who plays for Manchester City; Premier League's first Somali player and also the first East African
* Fabio Liverani (b. 1976) – Somali-Italian international footballer
* Mustafa Mohamed (b. 1979) – Somali-Swedish long-distance runner who mainly competes in the 3000 meter steeplechase; won gold in the 2006 Nordic Cross Country Championships and at the first SPAR European Team Championships in Leiria, Portugal in 2009; beat the 31-year-old Swedish record in 2007
* Saadiq Abdikadir Mohamed (b. 1996) - Somali footballer having represented Kenya and Somalia internationally

## Authors

* Jama Musse Jama (Jaamac Muuse Jaamac) (b. 1967) – ethnomathematician and writer
* Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Ayaan Xirsi Cali or Ayaan Hirsi Magan) (b. 1969) – feminist and political writer
* Gaariye (Mohamed Hashi Dhamac) (b. 1951) – poet and writer
* Yasmine Allas – actress and writer
* Farah Awl (1937–1991) – author; specialized in historical fiction
* Cristina Ali Farah (b. 1973) – Somali-Italian writer and poet
* Elmi Boodhari (d. 1940) – pioneer, writer and poet, known as (King of Romance) among Somalis
* Nuruddin Farah (b. 1945) – considered one of the greatest contemporary writers in the world
* Musa Haji Ismail Galal (b. 1917) – writer, scholar, historian and linguist; one of the foremost historical authorities on the Somali astrological, astronomical, meteorological and calendrical systems
* Hadrawi (Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame) (b. 1943) – songwriter, philosopher, and Somali Poet Laureate; dubbed the "Somali Shakespeare"
* Afdhere Jama (b. 1980) – Somali-American writer based in San Francisco
* Abdukadir Osman – writer
* Aadan Carab, poet who narrated the Dhulbahante genocide at the hands of European colonialists in the Darawiish era
* Salaan Carrabey (d. 1943) – legendary poet
* Hussein M. Adam – writer, journalist and professor
* Ladan Osman – poet and teacher
* Sofia Samatar – Somali-American writer
* Igiaba Scego – Somali-Italian writer
* Warsan Shire (b. 1988) – poet
* Abdillahi Suldaan Mohammed Timacade (1920–1973) – poet known for his nationalist poems such as "Kana siib Kana Saar"
* Abdourahman Waberi (b. 1965) – writer and teacher
* Nadifa Mohamed – Somali-British novelist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

## Directors

* Abdisalam Aato – film director and producer; leader in Somaliwood cinematic movement
* Fathia Absie – film director, broadcaster and writer
* Said Salah Ahmed – playwright, poet, educator and filmmaker
* Mo Ali – Somali-British film director
* Ali Said Hassan – film director and producer; former Somali Film Agency representative
* Idil Ibrahim – filmmaker; founder of Zeila Films
* Soraya Miré – writer, filmmaker and activist
* Barni Ahmed Qaasim – multimedia artist and filmmaker
* Abdulkadir Ahmed Said (b. 1953) – film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor

## Entrepreneurs

* Nasra Agil – Somali-Canadian civil engineer and entrepreneur
* Omar A. Ali – entrepreneur, accountant, philanthropist, and specialist on Islamic finance; formerly CEO of DMI Trust, currently chairman of Integrated Property Investments Ltd and Quadron investments
* Abdirashid Duale – entrepreneur, philanthropist, and the CEO of the multinational enterprise Dahabshiil
* Liban Abdi Egal – founder and Chairman of First Somali Bank
* Faisal Hawar – engineer and entrepreneur; CEO, President, and co-founder of the International Somalia Development Foundation as well as the Maakhir Resource Company
* Amina Moghe Hersi (b. 1963) – entrepreneur; has launched several multimillion-dollar projects in Kampala, Uganda, such as the Oasis Centre luxury mall and the Laburnam Courts; runs Kingstone Enterprises Limited, one of the largest distributors of cement and other hardware materials in Kampala
* Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim – twin fashion designers and owners of the Mataano brand
* Aden Mohammed – banker and entrepreneur; managing director of Barclays Bank in East and West Africa; under his tenure BBK won the Banker Awards 2009
* Hodan Nalayeh – media executive and entrepreneur; President of the Cultural Integration Agency and the Vice President of Sales & Programming Development of Cameraworks Productions International
* Hussein Shire – businessman; founder and former CEO of Gateway Bus Company

## Journalists

* Mona Kosar Abdi – Somali-American multimedia journalist
* Hassan Abdillahi – journalist and social activist; founder and Chairman of Ogaal Radio
* Mohamoud Sheikh Dalmar – journalist and Islamic scholar
* Rageh Omaar (b. 1967) – Somali-British author and television news presenter; formerly a BBC news correspondent; in 2009, he moved to a new post at Al Jazeera English, where he currently presents the nightly weekday documentary series Witness
* Mohamed Abshir Waldo – political activist and journalist
* Ahmed Mohamed Kismayo – Somali journalist (died 2017)
* Abdirahman Yabarow – journalist; Editor-in-Chief of the VOA's Somali service

## Judges

* Abdulqawi Yusuf (b. 1948) – international lawyer, judge and former president of the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
* Adan Haji Ali – judge and current Chief Justice of Somaliland
* Khadra Hussein Mohammad – lawyer and first National Deputy Prosecutor in Somaliland
* Yusuf Haji Nur – former judge and President of the Supreme Court of the autonomous region of Puntland.

## Military

* Haji Yusuf Barre – commander of the biggest battle in Darawiish history, i.e. Jidbali; was the sole defender of Taleh Dhulbahante garesa
* Sheikh Hassan Barsane – religious and nationalist leader who fought for freedom in the Somalia and fought many wars with Italy
* Yusuf Agararan – led most successful Darawiish raid since Dul Madoba
* Ibraahin Xoorane – Darawiish commander who killed Richard Corfield
* Axmed Aarey – Darawiish artillery commander who abetted Richard Corfield's death
* Afqarshe Ismail – former Darawiish spokesman-poet; first person to die in an airstrike in Africa
* Nur Hedik – commander of the Dooxato (Darawiish cavalry); a Shiikhyaale regiment is named after him
* General Mohamed Abshir Muse – First General, the commander of Somalia police 1960 1968
* General Nuh Ismail Tani – current chief of staff of Somaliland Armed Forces
* Abdikarim Yusuf Adam – army officer and Chief of TFG Army
* Muktar Hussein Afrah – officer in the army of the Transitional Federal Government
* Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki (b. 1944) – Islamist leader in Somalia and military leader in the Islamic Courts Union
* Mohammed Hussein Ali (b. 1956) – major general in the Kenyan Army and former commissioner of the Kenya Police
* Botan Ise Alin (Bootaan Ciise Caalin) – former faction leader and former member of the Transitional Federal Government
* Osman Ali Atto (Cismaan Xasan Cali) (b. 1940) – faction leader affiliated with the Somali National Alliance
* Akil Dhahar – leader of the Sanaag region and some portions of the Bari region
* Matan ibn Uthman Al Somali (c. 1500–1531) – 16th century general of the Adal Sultanate
* Hasna Doreh – early 20th-century Somali female commander of Diiriye Guure
* Abdillahi Fadal Iman (1960–2019) – former commissioner of Somaliland Police Force
* Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade (Maxamed Ibraahim Xaabsade) – rebel soldier
* Hussein Hasan – famous warrior and poet
* Farah Nur – warrior and poet
* Guled Haji – wise sage and commander
* Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (1856–1920) – Dervish movement during the Scramble for Africa
* Ibrahim Boghol – commander of the Dervish movement
* Daud Abdulle Hirsi (1960–1965) – Somali general, considered the father of the Somali Military
* Ahmed Madobe – chairman and military commander of Raskamboni movement
* Salaad Gabeyre Kediye (d. 1972) – major general in the Somali military; a revolutionary
* Mohamed Adan Saqadhi (b. 1967) – current Commissioner of Somaliland Police Force
* Mahamoud Mohamed – former Chief of General Staff of the Kenya Defence Forces
* Mohamed Afrah Qanyare (Maxamed Qanyare Afrax) (b. 1941) – former faction leader
* Abdi Qeybdid (Cabdi Xasan Cawaale Qeybdiid) (b. 1948) – militia leader affiliated with the Somali National Alliance
* Muhammad Ali Samatar – former Minister of Defense; first vice president; Grand Commander of the Somali National Army (1969-1987)
* Yusuf Ahmed Sarinle (d. 2005) – general, commander of the Transitional National Government police force
* Osman Omar Wehliye – commander of the Somali Police Force from March 2011
* Ahmed Abdi Godane – former military leader of Al-Shabaab
* Kite Fiqi – warrior and poet
* General Yusuf Tallan – former Somali military commander

## Models

* Halima Aden (b. September 19, 1997) – American fashion model. She is noted for being the first Somali-American to compete and become a semi-finalist in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant.
* Jawahir Ahmed (b. 1991) – Somali-American model; as Miss Somalia, won 2013 Miss Africa Utah and was 2nd runner up in the 2013 Miss United Nations USA pageant
* Waris Dirie (b. 1965) – model, author, actress and human rights activist
* Ubah Hassan – Somali-Canadian model
* Iman (Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid) (b. 1955) – international fashion icon, supermodel, actress and entrepreneur
* Fatima Siad (b. 1986) – third-place finisher on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10; professional model
* Mona Tougaard – Danish-born model
* Yasmin Warsame (b. 1976) – Somali-Canadian model; in 2004, she was named "The Most Alluring Canadian" in a poll by Fashion magazine

## Royals

* Diiriye Guure – head of the Dhulbahante during Dervish era
* Ibrahim Adeer – Somali Sultan; founder of the Sultanate of the Geledi
* Osman Ahmed – last Sultan of the Geledi Sultanate
* Ahmad ibn Ali (fl. mid-14th century) – Somali Governor of the Ifat Sultanate
* Arrawelo – Somali Queen of 300 B.C.
* Gerad Ali Dable (d. 1503) – 12th Sultan of the Warsangali Sultanate
* Guled Abdi – first Grand sultan of the Isaaq
* Farah Guled – second Grand Sultan of the Isaaq
* Gerad Dhidhin (d. 1311) – founder of the Warsangali Sultanate
* Olol Diinle – last Sultan of the Neo-Ajuran Sultanate
* Deria Sugulleh Ainashe – second Sultan of the Habr Yunis
* Awad Deria – fifth Sultan of the Habr Yunis
* Mahamud Ibrahim – second Sultan of the Sultanate of the Geledi
* Yusuf Mahamud Ibrahim – third Sultan of the Geledi Sultanate and victor of the Bardera wars
* Ali Yusuf Kenadid – second Sultan of the Sultanate of Hobyo
* Yusuf Ali Kenadid – Somali ruler, and the founder of the Sultanate of Hobyo in the 1880s
* Osman Mahamuud – King of the Majeerteen Sultanate in the mid-19th to early 20th centuries
* Mahfuz – Emir of Harar and Governor of Zeila in the Adal Sultanate
* Abdillahi Deria – fifth Grand Sultan of the isaaq Garhejis [Eidagale]
* Abdulrahman Deria – Sultan of the Habr Awal
* Nur ibn Mujahid (d. 1567) – 16th-century Somali Emir and patron saint of Harar
* Faduma Sarjelle – Somali princess of the House of Garen
* Mohamoud Ali Shire (d. 1960) – 26th Sultan of the Warsangali Sultanate from 1897 to 1960
* Hersi Aman – legendary 3rd Sultan of the Habr Yonis
* Ahmed Yusuf (d. 1878) – fourth Sultan of the Gobroon Dynasty well versed in Islam and dominant in the Banadir
* Nur Ahmed Aman (d. 1908) – fourth Habr Yunis Sultan & major Dervish leader
* Deria Hassan – fourth Sultan of the Isaaq clan

## Pilots

* Asli Hassan Abade – first Somali female pilot; prominent member of the Somali Air Force; paved the way for gender equality within the military ranks
* Ali Matan Hashi – first Somali pilot and prominent member of SRC
* Mustafa Mohamed Moalim (Mustafa Maxamed Macalin) (1943–2009) – first Somali fighter pilot; chief of the Somali Air Force School; chief of the Somali Air Force Operations
* Muse Bihi Abdi – Somali air pilot
* Khalif Isse Mudan – Balidoogle military base pilot

## Politicians
### Presidents of Somalia

* Abdiqasim Salad (Cabdiqaasim Salaad Xasan) (b. 1941) – former President of Somalia
* Ali Mahdi Muhammad (1938–2021) – fourth President of Somalia
* Abdirashid Shermarke (1919–1969) – second President of Somalia
* Aden Daar (1908–2007) – Somali politician and the country's first president
* Siad Barre (1919–1995) – third President of Somalia
* Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (1934–2012) – former President of Somalia, first President of Puntland, founder of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, the Puntland State of Somalia, and the Transitional Federal Government
* Muse Hassan Sheikh Sayid Abdulle (b. 1940) – former acting President of Somalia and former speaker of the Federal Parliament of Somalia; former General in the Somali National Army
* Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (b. 1964) – former President of Somalia and former chairman of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia. He was also Commander in Chief of the Islamic Courts Union.

### Presidents of Puntland

* Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (1934–2012) – former President of Somalia, first President of Puntland, founder of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, the Puntland State of Somalia, and the Transitional Federal Government
* Yusuf Haji Nur (Yuusuf Xaaji Nuur) – former acting President of Puntland
* Jama Ali Jama – former President of Puntland
* Mohamed Abdi Hashi (d. July 12, 2020) – First Vice President of Puntland (1998-2004) and Second President of Puntland ~interim (2004-2005)
* Mohamud Muse Hersi Cadde (d. August 1, 2020) – Third President of Puntland (2005-2009)
* Abdirahman Farole (b. 1945) – Fourth President of Puntland (2009-2014)
* Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas (b. 1963) – Fifth President of Puntland (2014-2019)
* Said Abdullahi Deni (b. 1965) – Sixth and current President of Puntland ($\thicksim$2019)
* Hassan Dahir Afqurac (d. 2013) – Third Vice President of Puntland (2005 –2009)
* Abdisamad Ali Shire (d. 2021) – Fourth Vice President of Puntland (2009-2014)
* Abdihakim Abdullahi Haji Omar Amey – Fifth Vice President of Puntland (2014-2019)
* Ahmed Elmi Osman Karaash – Sixth and current Vice President of Puntland ($\thicksim$2019)

### Presidents of Somaliland

* Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur (1931–2003) – first President of Somaliland 1991-1993
* Abdirahman Aw Ali Farrah – third Vice President of Somaliland 1995-1997
* Dahir Riyale Kahin (b. 1952) – third President of Somaliland 2002-2010
* Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud (b. 1936) – fourth President of Somaliland 2010-2017
* Muse Bihi Abdi (b. 1948) – fifth President of Somaliland 2017-2024
* Abdirahman Mohamed Irro sixth and current President of Somaliland 2024.

### Presidents of Djibouti

* Hassan Gouled Aptidon (1916–2006) – first President of Djibouti, 1977-1999
* Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (b. 1947) – second and current President of Djibouti

### Acting Presidents

* Mohamed Jawari – acting President of Somalia and incumbent speaker of the Federal Parliament of Somalia
* Aden Madobe – former acting President of Somalia
* Michael Mariano (d. 1987) – Somali Youth League member, Ambassador, and notable advocate for occupied Somalis in Ethiopia

### Prime ministers

* Cabbaas Xuseen – first prime minister of the Darawiish (1895–1900)
* Abdirashid Shermarke – first prime minister of Somalia after independence ~1960
* Xaashi Suni Fooyaan – peace-time prime minister of the Darawiish (1905–1906)
* Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed – former prime minister of Somalia
* Abdiweli Gaas – former prime minister of Somalia
* Osman Jama Ali (Cismaan Jaamac Cali) (b. 1941) – prime minister under the Transitional National Government
* Muse Bihi Abdi (b. 1948) – former military officer; chairman of the Peace, Unity, and Development Party and current president of Somaliland
* Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal (Maxamed Xaaji Ibraahim Cigaal) (1993–2002) – President of Somaliland and former prime minister of Somalia
* Hassan Abshir Farah (Xasan Abshir Faarax) (b. 1945) – former prime minister of Somalia, former mayor of Mogadishu, and MP
* Ali Khalif Galaydh (Cali Khalif Galaydh) (1941–2020) – former prime minister of Somalia under the Transitional National Government
* Umar Arteh Ghalib (Cumar Carte Qaalib) (1922–2020) – former prime minister of Somalia
* Ali Ghedi (Cali Maxamed Geedi) (b. 1951) – former prime minister of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG)
* Abdiwahid Gonjeh – former acting prime minister of Somalia
* Abdi Farah Shirdon – former prime minister of Somalia
* Abdirizak Haji Hussein (Cabdirasaaq Xaaji Xuseen) (1924–2014) – Prime Minister of Somalia early in the 1960s
* Nur Hassan Hussein (Nuur Xasan Xuseen "Nuur Cade") (1938–2020) – former prime minister of the TFG
* Abdullahi Issa (Cabdullahi Ciise Maxamuud) (1922–1988) – first prime minister of Somalia
* Muhammad Abdi Yusuf – former prime minister of Somalia
* Hassan Ali Khaire (b. 1968) – former prime minister of Somalia
* Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ("Farmajo") (b. 1962) – former prime minister of Somalia and current president
* Omar Sharmarke (b. 1960) – former prime minister of Somalia
* Mohamed Hussein Roble – former prime minister of Somalia
* Hamza Abdi Barre – current prime minister of Somalia

### Other politicians

* Asha Ahmed Abdalla – Somali parliamentarian and activist
* Yusuf Hassan Abdi (b. 1958) – senior Somali diplomat; Member of Kenya Parliament
* Zahra Abdulla (b. 1966) – Somali politician in Finland; a member of the Helsinki City Council, representing the Green League
* Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi – former speaker of House of Representatives of Somaliland and founder of Waddani Party
* Fowziya Yusuf Haji Adan – former foreign minister of Somalia
* Abdullahi Ahmed Addow (Cabdilaahi Axmed Caddoow) (b. 1936) – senior Somali politician and diplomat
* Ali Mohamed Ahmed – Head of Somali Business union and former Somali Customs Manager; former adviser of Somali president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
* Mohamed Kahin Ahmed – current Minister of Interior of Somaliland
* Abdurrahman Mahmoud Aidiid – current Mayor of Hargesia
* Mohamed Farrah Aidid (Maxamed Faarax Caydiid) (1934–1996) – chairman of the United Somali Congress and later the Somali National Alliance
* Fatuma Ibrahim Ali – Somali legislator; MP in National Assembly of Kenya
* Abdihakim Amey – Vice President of Puntland
* Abukar Arman – Somali writer and diplomat; former Special Envoy of Somalia to the United States
* Hassan Dahir Aweys (Xasan Daahir Aweys) (b. 1935) – head of the 90-member Shura council of the Islamic Courts Union
* Abdirahman Jama Barre – former foreign minister of Somalia and close relative of Siad Barre; longest-serving Somali diplomat
* Haji Bashir – first president of the Somali National Assembly; former Minister of Health and Labour of Somalia
* Fatimo Isaak Bihi – ambassador to Geneva and former director of the African Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
* Ali Dhere – cleric; head of the first Islamic Courts Union in Mogadishu in 1996; spokesman for Al-Shabaab
* Hussein Ali Duale (Xuseen Cali Ducaale) – former Finance Minister of Somaliland, and former ambassador of Somalia to Kenya and Uganda
* Hussein Abdi Dualeh – former Minister of Energy & Minerals of Somaliland
* Adan Ahmed Elmi – former Minister of Agriculture of Somaliland
* Bashe Mohamed Farah – speaker of the House of Representatives of Somaliland
* Adde Gabow (Mohamed Ali Hassan or Maxamed Cali Xasan) – former governor of the Banaadir region and mayor of Mogadishu
* Suleiman Haglotosiye – former Minister of Health of Somaliland
* Anisa Hajimumin – Somali-American politician, social activist and writer; Minister of Women & Family Affairs of Puntland
* Bur'i Mohamed Hamza – State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia
* Abdulkadir Abdi Hashi – politician; MP and former Minister of State for Planning and International Cooperation of Puntland
* Abdishakur Mohamoud Hassan – current Mayor of Berbera
* Ahmed M. Hassan – Somali American member-elect of the Clarkston City Council
* Hassan Abdallah Hassan – current mayor of Bosaso
* Mohamed Moallim Hassan – politician who served as minister of fishery and marine resources of Somalia, 2010-2011
* Sadak Omar Hassan – politician and Brigadier General
* Mark Hendrick (b. 1958) – Somali-British politician and Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament
* Mohamud Siraji – Member of Somali Parliament
* Abdirashid Mohamed Hidig (Cabdirashiid Maxamed Xidig) – Member of Parliament in the Transitional Federal Parliament
* Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein (Sheekh Mukhtaar Maxamed Xuseen) (b. 1912) – speaker of parliament and interim president
* Zakia Hussein – politician; Secretary General of the Hanoolaato Party
* Halima Ismail Ibrahim – Chair of Somalia's National Independent Electoral Commission
* Mohamed Mohamud Ibrahim (b. 1946/47) – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia
* Jaylaani Nur Ikar – first deputy speaker of the Federal Parliament of Somalia
* Yusuf Mohammed Siad Inda'ade (Yuusuf Maxamed Siyaad "Indhacadde") – member of the Islamic Courts Union
* Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail (Cabdullaahi Sheekh Ismaaciil) – deputy prime minister and foreign minister in the TFG
* Edna Adan Ismail (Edna Aadan Ismaaciil) (b. 1937) – former Foreign Minister of Somaliland
* Ismail Ali Ismail – writer and former diplomat
* Bashir Isse – Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia
* Ali Ibrahim Jama – current governor of the Central Bank of Somaliland
* Ahmed Sheikh Jama – academician, writer, poet and politician; former Minister of Information of Puntland
* Farah Ali Jama – politician; former minister of finance of Puntland
* Abdirizak Jurile – Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (1989-1991); Minister of Planning and International cooperation (2005-2008); Minister of telecommunications (2009-2011); Member of the Upper House of the Federal Government of Somalia; Senator (2016)
* Maryam Kassim – Minister of Social Development of Somalia
* Mohamed Kiimiko – politician and diplomat
* Farah Maalim – current deputy speaker of the Kenyan parliament
* Mahboub Maalim – diplomat; Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
* Hassan Ali Mire – politician; first Minister of Education of the Somali Democratic Republic
* Abdinur Sheikh Mohamed – Somali-American educator and politician; former Minister of Education, Higher Education and Culture of Somalia
* Ali Omar Mohamed – former manager of Berbera Port
* Amina Mohamed – former chairman of the International Organization for Migration and the World Trade Organisation's General Council, and current Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya
* Hussein Maalim Mohamed – former Kenyan Minister of State in the office of the president
* Hassan Haji Mohamoud – former Minister of Education of Somaliland
* Yasin Haji Mohamoud – current Foreign Minister of Somaliland
* Mohamed Hassan Maidane – current mayor of Borama
* Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan (Maxamed Siciid Xirsi Moorgan) – son-in-law of Siad Barre and Minister of Defense of Somalia
* Gobsan Muhumed – member of the Federal Parliament of Somalia and the Pan-African Parliament
* Ismail Qasim Naji (Ismaaciil Qaasim Naaji) – chief of staff of the Transitional Federal Government
* Ahmed Abdi Ogle (1937–2006) – first Somali to serve in the Kenyan Parliament in the 60s; three times elected and served as Assistant Minister and later Deputy Mayor of Nairobi
* Daud Mohamed Omar – Minister of Mineral Resources of Somalia
* Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar – former Foreign Minister of Somalia
* Mohammad Abdullahi Omar – politician; former Foreign Minister of Somaliland
* Daud Mohamed Omar – Minister of Mineral Resources of Somalia
* Ilhan Omar – U.S. Representative from Minnesota's 5th congressional district
* Mohamed Amin Osman – member of the Transitional Federal Parliament
* Sheikhnor Abikar Qassim – founder of one of the Southern Somali Union
* Saynab Qayad – member of the Transitional federal parliament of Somalia
* Ali Said Raygal – former Minister of Youth and Sports of Somaliland
* Yusuf Warsame Saeed – former Mayor of Hargeisa
* Abdirahman Saylici – current vice president of Somaliland
* Mohamed Aden Sheikh (c. 1925–2010) – intellectual, former head of Somali Technological Development, former Minister of Education, and former Minister of Health
* Dr. Saad Ali Shire – current Finance Minister of Somaliland
* Abbas Abdullahi Sheikh Siraji (1985-2017) – Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction
* Faysal Ali Warabe – engineer and politician; founder and Chairman of (UCID political party
* Abdi Warsame – Somali American member-elect of the Minneapolis City Council
* Saado Ali Warsame – singer-songwriter and politician; former MP in the Federal Parliament of Somalia
* Adan Keynan Wehliye – Kenyan politician and long time member of parliament from Wajir
* Ahmed Yusuf Yasin (b. 1957) – former vice president of Somaliland
* Mohamed Bihi Yonis (b. 1947) – Deputy Joint United Nations African Union Special Representative for Darfur and former Foreign Minister of Somaliland
* Maryan Abdullahi Yusuf – banker; deputy governor of the Central Bank of Somalia
* Ahmed Abdallah Wayel – former Minister of Education (2012)
* Aden Ibrahim Aw Hirsi (b. 1968) – Somali politician, Sufi, author, educator and poet; the governor of Gedo region, 2006–2009
* Hamse Mohamed Abdi - Somaliland politician; Governor of Togdheer 2018-present

## Scientists

* Abdusalam Abubakar (b. 1989/90) – one of the youngest winners of the BT Young Scientist of the Year Award; later went on to win the European Union Contest for Young Scientists for his project, An Extension of Wiener's Attack on RSA
* Hassan al-Jabarti (d. 1774) – mathematician, theologian, astronomer and philosopher, considered one of the great scholars of the 18th century
* Ali Said Faqi – scientist and the leading researcher on the design and interpretation of toxicology studies at the MPI research center in Mattawan, Michigan
* Jama Musse Jama (b. 1967) – ethnomathematician and author; known for his research on traditional Somali board games such as Shax and the history of mathematics in the Horn of Africa and the founder of Hargeisa Cultural Center
* Ahmed Mumin Warfa – scientist, specialised in botany and jointly discovered the Cyclamen somalense, the first genus from tropical Africa with his colleague Mats Thulin; the "world's pre-eminent authority on frankincense"; professor at Salt Lake Community College

## Muslim Theologians

* Ishaaq bin Ahmed – 12th century cleric and forefather of the large Isaaq clan-family
* Sheikh Ali Warsame (1939–2022), prominent Somali Islamic cleric and preacher
* Abd al Aziz al-Amawi (1832–1896) – 19th-century diplomat, historian, poet, jurist and scholar living in the Sultanate of Zanzibar
* Sheikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah – Somali Cleric assassinated by Al-Shabab 2013
* Uways al-Barawi (1847–1909) – scholar credited with reviving Islam in 19th-century East Africa and with followers in Yemen and Indonesia
* Sheikh Madar (1825–1918) – Qadiriyya leader who was influential in the expansion of Hargeisa
* Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti (1753–1825) – scholar living in Cairo; recorded the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt
* Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti (fl. 10th-11th centuries) – early Muslim leader and forefather of the Darod clan
* Ali al-Jabarti (d. 1492) – 15th-century scholar and politician in the Mamluk Empire
* Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn – 13th-century scholar and saint; associated with the development of Wadaad's writing
* Abdallah al-Qutbi (1879–1952) – polemicist theologian and philosopher; best known for his Al-Majmu'at al-mubaraka ("The Blessed Collection"), a five-part compilation of polemics
* Abd Al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'i (1820–1882) – scholar; played a crucial role in the spread of the Qadiriyya movement in Somalia and East Africa
* Abadir Umar Ar-Rida – 13th-century cleric and saint of Harar; forefather of the Sheekhaal Somali clan
* Sa'id of Mogadishu – 14th-century scholar and traveler; his reputation as a scholar earned him audiences with the Emirs of Mecca and Medina; travelled across the Muslim world and visited Bengal and China
* Shaykh Sufi – born Abdul-Rahman bin Abdallah al Shashi (Arabic: عبد الرحمن بن عبد الله شاشي) (1829–1904), 19th-century scholar, poet, reformist and astrologist
* Uthman bin Ali Zayla'i (d. 1342) – 14th-century theologian and jurist who wrote the single most authoritative text on the Hanafi school of Islam, four volumes known as the Tabayin al-Haqa'iq li Sharh Kanz al-Daqa'iq
* Hussain Bisad – tallest Somali man alive; has the largest hand span in the world
* Haji Ali Majeerteen – popularly known as al-Majeerteen; was a Somali Sheikh and poet