The son of former Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, whose more than two-decade rule was marked by allegations of widespread atrocities, has lived in Ohio for years, according to a new report.
Ayanle Siad Barre, 61, resides in the Columbus area, which is home to a sizable Somali community, the New York Post reported. The outlet also identified his sister, Deka Mohamed Siad, as an Ohio resident.
Their father led Somalia from 1969 until his government was toppled in 1991. His regime has been accused of mass killings that claimed as many as 200,000 lives, along with torture and other human rights abuses, including atrocities targeting the Isaaq clan. Mohamed Siad Barre died in 1995.
Historian and Oxford University doctoral researcher Mohamed Haji Ingiriis described Ayanle as his father’s “right-hand man” and alleged that he held substantial influence within the government, the Post reported. News Outlet has not independently verified those claims.
Mohamed Siad Barre, president of Somalia, on Nov. 18, 1981. (UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images, File)
News Outlet previously reported that another prominent figure from the Barre era, former Somali military commander Yusuf Abdi Ali, had lived in the United States before being deported.
In 2024, an immigration judge found that Ali had personally participated in torture during his service in the Somali National Army. The judge also determined that he ordered troops under his command to detain and torture civilians and help carry out extrajudicial killings, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Ali, who had held permanent resident status while living in 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)
The Post further reported that Ayanle founded a translation-services company called Somal Global Services.
His sister, Deka, and her late husband ran 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 Outlet 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 Outlet’s request for comment.
