A son of former Somali ruler Mohamed Siad Barre, whose government faced accusations of sweeping atrocities during more than two decades in power, has spent years living in Ohio, according to a new report.
Ayanle Siad Barre, 61, resides in the Columbus region, an area with a sizable Somali population, the New York Post reported. The publication also reported that his sister, Deka Mohamed Siad, lives in Ohio.
Mohamed Siad Barre governed Somalia from 1969 until his administration was toppled in 1991. His rule was accused of mass killings that may have claimed up to 200,000 lives, as well as torture and other human rights violations, including abuses targeting the Isaaq clan. He died in 1995.
Mohamed Haji Ingiriis, a historian and doctoral researcher at Oxford University, characterized Ayanle as his father’s “right-hand man” and alleged that he held considerable influence within the Somali government, according to the Post. News Media has not independently confirmed those claims.
Mohamed Siad Barre, president of Somalia, on Nov. 18, 1981. (UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images, File)
News Media has previously reported on another official associated with the Barre era: former Somali military commander Yusuf Abdi Ali, who lived in the United States before his deportation.
In 2024, an immigration judge found that Ali personally participated in torture during his service in the Somali National Army. The judge also found that he directed troops under his command to detain and torture civilians and to aid in extrajudicial killings, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Ali, a former permanent resident of Virginia, was deported to Somalia in December 2024.
“The United States will not be a safe haven for those who commit human rights violations,” ICE official Russell Hott said at the time.
Somalia President Mohamad Siad Barre in 1981. (Kevin Fleming/Corbis via Getty Images, File)
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The Post also reported that Ayanle established a translation-services company called Somal Global Services.
His sister, Deka, and her late husband operated Vanguard Home Health Care, which received more than $1.8 million in Medicare funding, according to documents reviewed by the publication.
The Post reported that the company appeared to have operated legitimately and filed the appropriate paperwork.
Some survivors of the Barre regime are now calling for U.S. authorities to investigate members of the former dictator’s family.
Human rights activist Suleiman Bolaleh called for an investigation to determine what Barre family members knew or did during the dictatorship, according to the Post.
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Mohamed Siad Barre, left, president of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 1991, stands with military officers and senior regime officials in Mogadishu in 1969. (Pictures from History/Universal, File)
The calls for an investigation do not establish wrongdoing by Ayanle or other family members.
News Media reached out to Ayanle Siad Barre for comment, but attempts to reach him through publicly listed contact information were unsuccessful.
ICE, Department of Justice and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services did not immediately respond to News Media’s request for comment.