Former NISA chief Sanbaloolshe re-elected to Somali Parliament

Former head of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sanbaloolshe), has been re-elected to seat HOP058 in the House of the People of Somalia’s 11th Parliament.

The election was held in Jowhar, the capital of the Middle Shabelle region in Hirshabelle State, where Sanbaloolshe won unopposed following the withdrawal of his expected challenger, Ismail Warsame Farah.

 

Sanbaloolshe, who was recently removed as NISA director, had left his parliamentary seat vacant while serving in the intelligence post. His re-election confirms a widely anticipated return to Parliament after stepping down from the intelligence role he held for the past year.

This marks a comeback for Sanbaloolshe, who previously lost the same seat during the Farmaajo administration, and failed to reclaim it in a subsequent attempt. He is notably the only official to have served as NISA director three times.

 

Sanbaloolshe’s re-election comes amid growing public criticism in his native Hiiraan region over what residents describe as the federal government’s neglect of the fight against Al-Shabaab militants. His return to Parliament is likely to influence ongoing security and intelligence debates within the federal legislature