Over the last 30 years, hundreds of thousands of people have fled Somalia due to political instability and civil war. Some have resettled in Maine, seeking peace and safety for their families. But there is an established global trend of displaced Somalis returning home to seek public office. One man, who has lived in Maine for more than a decade, has set his sights on returning to his homeland to run for president of his former state.
Like so many of his fellow Somali refugees, Abdullahi Ali was raised in refugee camps in Kenya.
In 2009, he was resettled in Maine, and soon found success here. He started a nonprofit that focuses on mental health and well-being in immigrant communities, got a doctorate in public policy from the University of Southern Maine, and recently launched an aid organization to deliver basic aid to communities in East Africa.
Through that charity, Ali began making trips back to his home state of Jubaland, in southern Somalia. He said he encountered a population grappling with violence, government corruption and a lack of economic opportunity.
“But also there’s so many good people with good intentions that want to — would love to — see things change, but don’t have the capacity to do so,” he said.
Ali said he was motivated to offer those people a hopeful vision of the future — one with greater government accountability and transparency. He helped form a new political party, and threw his hat into the ring to run for president of Jubaland, one of six federal states in Somalia. The role of a state president is roughly equivalent to that of a governor in the U.S.
“If, you know, someone like me does not take the risk to bring about that change, to rally people with the same vision and the same values,” he said, “Who else will do it?”
Ali moved to neighboring Kenya this summer, where he can meet with leaders from Jubaland and make trips to Somalia. Kenya is home to one of the largest Somali populations outside of Somalia, and Ali said he cannot travel widely in Jubaland due to the strong presence of the insurgent group al-Shabaab.
Ali is joining a long tradition of displaced Somalis returning to seek public office.
“It’s actually quite common,” said Omar Mahmood, an East African policy analyst with the International Crisis Group. “A lot of Parliament, most of them have a second passport.”
He said that’s in part because many in the diaspora have received political training and educational opportunities abroad that are not accessible in Somalia.
Still, Jubaland is not an easy place to seek public office. The state is a stronghold for the extremist militant group al-Shabaab, which controls much of the territory, severely limiting the regional government’s authority.
And Mahmood said the incumbent president — who’s held power for more than a decade — is deeply entrenched.
“He has control, you know, complete control over government functions. He will have a lot of sway over how this election proceeds,” Mahmood said.
How and when the election proceeds is also in flux. Originally intended for November, Mahmood said it’ll likely get delayed. And despite growing interest in universal suffrage, he said the election will probably be decided by clan elders, who select members of Parliament, who in turn pick a president.
Despite the uphill battle, Ali’s campaign has galvanized many of his friends and supporters in Maine’s Somali community, including Mohamed Khalid.
“They’re excited that someone, you know, with Abdullah’s caliber that actually doesn’t have to do this, is doing this,” Khalid said.
Khalid grew up in Lewiston, and co-leads a civic engagement group focusing on communities of color in Maine. He also considers Ali a friend and mentor, and said he’s helping advise the campaign from afar.
Khalid said Ali’s candidacy represents a ray of hope for a more democratic future in Somalia.
“Where women are uplifted, young people are uplifted. Everyone has a say in what actually goes on in their community,” he said.
As he navigates the complex political currents of Jubaland’s regional elections, Ali is trying to bridge two worlds.
While engaging in and studying the U.S. political system, Ali came to see accountability and transparency as fundamental values for someone holding public office.
“So I want to bring those values to my local community in Jubaland,” he said. “But at the same time, I also want to understand and acknowledge that the environment is different, the culture is different, the people are different.”
Ali is under no illusion that he alone can upend decades of insecurity, weak public institutions and other challenges.
But, he said, he at least wants to offer a platform for Somalis who want something different. If he doesn’t win, he’ll continue to stay engaged in Somali politics, while also spending time in Maine.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
