Mohamed Abdi Mohamed (Gandhi) (Somali: Maxamed Cabdi Maxamed «Gaandi», Arabic: محمد عبدي محمد; 1949 – 18 April 2021) was a Somali geologist, anthropologist, historian and politician. He was the former Minister of Defense of Somalia, and the former President of Azania (Jubbaland). In July 2014, Gandhi was appointed Somalia's Ambassador to Canada.
Biography Professor Mohamed Abdi Xaji-Mohamed, nicknamed "Gandhi", was a candidate for Somali president 2021. He was a Somali politician, scholar, writer & double Ph.D., holder. He served as a Somali member of Parliament since 2009. Professor Gandhi previously served as a Defense Secretary and Minister of Air and Transportation in the Somali Transitional Federal Government. From childhood, Mohamed was a great student and managed to memorize the Koran at an early age. He excelled in his elementary schooling as well. He was accepted to the most prestigious high school at the time, Jamal Abdelnazer High School, in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, where he graduated as an honor student in 1970. He was one of the top students in his high school and the entire country for that year and was awarded a full scholarship to go to France for higher education. He arrived in France in October 1972 to attend Besançon University. There he majored in geology and graduated with a B. A. in September 1976. He continued to acquire his Master of Science in Geology in 1979. He obtained his Ph.D. in applied geology in June 1983. The title of his thesis was "Study of Geology and Hydrogeology of the Central Somalia Basin (Somali Democratic Republic)". After graduation, Gandhi started lecturing at the same university. Prof. Gandhi pursued another major (history and civilization of antiquity) and received his second Ph.D. in 1990. Through that decade, the professor continued lecturing at the University of Besançon, France. Prof. Gandhi received his Certificate in Anthropology of Space, March 1992, at the University of New Lisbon, in Portugal under the Erasmus exchange. In addition to that, he received a Higher Degree in Research (HDR) from Besançon University in Besançon, France. Prof. Gandhi was awarded an International Baccalaureate Diploma from the French Academy, and served as a senior program advisor of UNDP Somalia in Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR). Prof. Mohamed Abdi Gandhi was an active participant in the Somali peace process and was a Lead Consultant in Mapping the Somali Civil Society. He chaired the Technical Committee at the Arta Somali Peace process in Arta, Djibouti, and Somali Peace and Reconciliation Conference held in Kenya. Mohamed Abdi Mohamed was an accomplished author; he has published 12 books and more than 50 scientific articles in various academic journals. He has also edited three studies. Gandhi recently announced that he would be contesting the upcoming President Election 2021 in Somalia.
Professional activities During his studies in France, Prof. Gandhi returned every year in Somalia to teach and support as a Professor in the Departments of History and Geology at the University of Mogadishu. Since 1987 Professor was a consultant to the National Museum of Somalia (since 1988), which he had set the task of identifying and classifying ancient manuscripts (especially those held by the Sheikhs and clan leaders) to build a directory of literary (oral or written) and objects of art. Prof. Gandhi was the co-founding member of the Association Somali Peace Line, Paris, 1996. Prof. Gandhi worked as a consultant to "Doctors Without Borders" from Switzerland, Spain, and other international organizations between Jan 2006-Feb 2007, where they built schools and training centers for nurses' clinics in Kulbiyoow, Lower Jubba, and the surrounding area where his beloved mother was born. Besides, Professor Gandhi built a mosque and education center for the midwife-nurse clinic to remember his beloved mother. Professor Gandhi worked as Consultant Expert to UNESCO between 1995 and 1998, where he wrote many books and articles, including:
Somali Translation of Poems for a Poetry of Anthology of African sub-Saharan Africa, published in 1995 under the direction of Bernard Magnier who was conducting an inventory of intellectuals and nongovernmental organizations Somali opening for peace in Somalia published 10/25/1995. "How to involve women in the Somali peace process," Program for Culture of Peace, UNESCO published 1998. "Women and the Somali Peace" Program for Culture of Peace, UNESCO published 1998. "Dictionary of the People", companies from Africa, America, Asia and Oceania, under the direction of Jean-Christophe Tamisier, and Larousse-Bordas, 1998. Professor Gandhi was an Associate Member of the Institute of Science and Techniques of the Ancient World (ISTA), CNRS, ESA 6048 (since 1992), he was still a supervisor of the research. Prof. Gandhi worked as Research Officer 1st Class March 1999-February 2001 IRD: at the Institute of Development Research (formerly ORSTOM). Gandhi was the Technical Committee Chairman for the Conference for Peace held at Arta in Djibouti (Republic of Djibouti), from March to September 2000.
Consultant for UNOPS, Somali Civil Protection Program 2001 and consultant advisor to the UNDP. Senior Program Advisor, SCPP, UNDP, 2002.
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