Mohammed Omar Osman

Vice Admiral Mohammed Omar Osman
Commodore Admiral Osman in formal white dress
1st Chief of the Navy
In office circa. 1975 – 1991
Succeeded by	Admiral Farah Qare
Personal details
Born	1940 (age 83–84) Italian East Africa (now Somalia)
Political party	XHKS (c. 1975–1991) ONLF (1998-present)
Alma mater	Egyptian Military Academy Kuznetsov Military Academy
Awards	Order of the Somali Star, 1st Class
Military service
Allegiance	Somalia
Branch/service	Somali Navy
Years of service	(1960's–1991)
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands	General Staff of the Navy

Admiral Mohamed Omar Osman (born 1940) (Somali: Maxamad Cumar Cismaan) is a Somali admiral, war hero and the incumbent chairman of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).

He was born in Somalia, but attended secondary school in Mogadishu. He later went to Egypt where he graduated from the Naval Section of the Egyptian War College where Somali Army generals were completing their military education simultaneously, and later Admiral Osman completed his naval military education in the Soviet Union's Kuznetsov Military Academy.^[1]

After returning to Somalia, he was appointed a member of the central committee of the ruling Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party in the mid-1970s, then became chief of the party's Politbureau. Afterward, he was appointed commander of the Somali Navy and promoted to the rank of vice admiral, as chief of naval operations, he oversaw and commanded navy forces in the Ogaden war against the Ethiopian Navy and commanded naval infantry units to assist the Army. After the collapse of the central government in Somalia in 1991, he returned to the Somali Region in Ethiopia, where in 1998 he was chosen to be the leader of the ONLF at the Party Congress.^[1]

In the later years, Admiral Osman and his supporters had been in a power struggle against a group led by the ONLF head of Planning and Research Department, Dr. Mohamed Sirad Dalool, who was assassinated March 2009.^[2] This has reportedly led to a split in the ONLF, with one faction loyal to Admiral Osman, while another, led by Abdiwali Hussein Gas, holds Admiral Osman responsible for Dr. Dalool's death, which he has not commit, in fact, it is to be said that Dr. Dalool and Admiral Osman were very close friends and that he relied heavily on Dr. Dalool for advice and that he was a key member who was important of the party.^[3]