Mohamed Aden Tiiceey

He received his nickname "Tiiceey" in childhood.[3]

He attended Ahmed Gurey Primary School, then Yusuf Al-Kowneyn Secondary School, where he graduated in 1989. While in school, he helped establish number of student and not profit organizations including North American Somali Student Organization Umbrella to help his fellow students and the community.[4][5]

At the age of 22, he immigrated to the United States. Aden spent some of his life in Minneapolis running a small medical company. He received his master's degree in 2005 from Mankato. He was an election campaigner of the Democratic Party.[6]

Tiiceey became Deputy Chairman of the United Somali Diaspora, established in October 2007, before moving back to Somalia.[7]

Soon Tiiceey was called to his homeland.[3] In March 2008, after leaving his family and comfortable suburban life, with the support of the Somali diaspora, he formed Himan and Heeb, an autonomous Habar Gidir controlled regional administration located in the west of Galgadug and covering the South Central Somali Districts of Adado, Godinlabe, Bahdo, Gelinsor, Amara, El Hur, Harardhere, and Hobyo. Using some of the knowledge he gained from his master's degree in Public Administration, which he received at the state Minnesota State University, Mankato, he helped restore order in the state.[5]

At the time, in an average, about 20 people were dying daily either from hostile or accidental gunfire. The people of the region lacked basic necessities. In response, Tiiceey, as Chairman and later President of Himan and Heb,[7] reconciled warring groups, built schools, clinics, dug wells, and established a functioning government structure. In his tenure as the President of Himan and Heeb, he campaigned against both Al-Shabaab and Pirates. Tiiceey crusaded finding offshore solutions to the piracy problem in the region.[5] Together with his administration, he persuaded many young people to leave these groups, at least 100 people did.[8] Thanks to Tiiceey's formidable efforts, the people of Himan and Heeb and its surrounding regions enjoyed relative peace and stability.[5]

Mohamed Aden Tiicey was credited with transforming Adado and its surrounding villages between 2008 and 2011 by promoting peace through instituting a functioning police force, establishing many new business enterprises, new schools, and new rules on self-governing structures that included Islamic courts, police stations, jails, legal checkpoints, municipal council's offices, and revenue collection centres. More recently in 2010 and 2011, the President and his governing Council of Elders also rehabilitated the airstrip and the parliamentary buildings, which is still on-going through Diaspora funding. The President's standing and credibility among the communities as been cemented as a result of the visible progress he is regarded as having driven forward.[9]

In October 2009, when asked by the media about the booming and ever-growing phenomenon of Somali piracy, Tiiceey said:

I’d take these guys on, but I can’t right now because I don’t have the resources. Besides, you can’t just wipe out a whole line of work for thousands of young men. If you take something away, you must replace it with something else. Otherwise, more problems.[7]

On the other hand, Tiiceey also used his powerful position as a local politician and Saleban militia leader to enrich himself by assisting and facilitating the activities of local Saleban pirates as well as renowned pirate kingpin Mohamed Abdi Hassan. Moreover, it appears that Tiiceey's main assistance to the pirates was to facilitate the release of hostages, the payment of ransoms, and related negotiations. In some cases, Tiiceey extorted tens of thousands of dollars from aggrieved parties for granting permission to land the plane, which was usually charged about $200. Tiiceey is also suspected of providing the pirates with all the necessary funds and assistance to ensure uninterrupted communication and negotiations with representatives of the captured vessels.[7]

In the spring of 2011, he visited Bush House, traveling to European countries.[10] On 25 April 2018, Tiiceey visited the residence of President of Galmudug Ahmed Duale Gelle in Mogadishu.[11] On 30 April, he visited Galkayo, the capital of the Mudug region, and was greeted by Galmudug officials, military personnel, and community members.[12][13][14] On 1 May he arrived in Adado, the capital of Galmudug,[15] and on 2 May he visited Adado general hospital, accompanied by former Vice President of Himan and Heb Abdirahman Shaatadde, Minister Omar Gureye, and Adado district сommissioner. They observed the operation of the hospital, which is the largest in Galmudug. Dr. Mohamed Omar greeted the officials and showed them how the hospital works. Tiiceey also visited the presidential palace of Galmudug.[16] In the evening, an official ceremony was held for Tiiceey at SIMAD University in the city.[17] As one of the members of the delegation, Tiiceey visited Dusmareb on 23 December 2019.[18]

• Himan and Heeb
• Mohamed Abdi Hassan