Former Defense Minister of Somalia’s revolutionary government, General Mohamed Said Hirsi Morgan, has passed away at a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya.
Taking to an official statement, Abdullahi Aden Kulane, a Somali MP, sent his condolence message to the family as he confirmed the death on Wednesday, May 28.
''With great sorrow, I extend my condolences to the entire family, relatives, and the Somali Armed Forces on the passing of General Mohamed Saeed Hirsi (Morgan), who passed away today in the city of Nairobi, Kenya,'' read part of the statement.
Sources close to the family told Somalia's Horseed Media that the veteran military figure had been ill for several days while in Kenya after experiencing severe abdominal pain during his stay in Bosaso, the capital of Bari region.
Born in 1949 in Qardho, Karkaar region, General Morgan received advanced military training in the United States and Italy, the media house reported.
He later served as Defense Minister under the revolutionary government led by President Mohammed Siad Barre. He was the last Minister of Defense of Somalia under President Barre.
Barre was a Somali military officer, politician, and revolutionary who served as the third president of Somalia from 21 October 1969 to 26 January 1991. After his fall, Barre was forced into exile in Nigeria, where he died in 1995 after suffering a heart attack.
Morgan was once the commander of the 26th Division, which operated in what were then known as the Northern Regions—now the self-declared independent Republic of Somaliland.
The MP eulogised the military figure as a high-ranking officer who played a crucial role in the country's defense forces.
''He was a high-ranking officer in the Somali Armed Forces and played a crucial role in defending the nation's sovereignty and protecting its borders,'' MP Kulane wrote.
The Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mr Hamsa Abdi Barre, described the military figure as the backbone of the officers during the central government of the Somali National Force and revealed that he would be remembered for the role he took in defending the country.
"I am sending my condolences to the family, the nation, and the entire army of the shocking death, may God have mercy on General Mohamed Said Hirsi Morgan who was an officer who was a brave and brave, who played a big role in building and developing the Somali army" Prime Minister Abdi Barre said.
In recent years, General Morgan spent most of his time in Nairobi, Oman, and most recently in Garowe, the capital of Puntland, where he served as one of the senior military advisors to the Puntland President.
