Former Somalia’s Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), Mahad Mohamed Salad, has been re-appointed to the same position. 

The re-appointment comes following an emergency Cabinet Meeting held on Saturday evening that resolved to replace the country’s head of state's intelligence agency.

His reinstatement is viewed as a strategic move by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to reassert control over Somalia’s embattled security apparatus, amid escalating domestic unrest and emerging regional tensions. 

According to the Cabinet, Salad’s re-appointment is crucial in countering a growing internal threat posed primarily by the militant group Al-Shabab.

Salad takes over from Abdullahi Mohamed Ali, popularly known as Sanbaloolshe, who was appointed to the position in April 2024.

This marks Sanbaloolshe’s third term as NISA director, having also served in 2014 and 2017. 

The Al-Qaeda-linked group, which has waged an insurgency against the federal government in Mogadishu for more than 16 years, has recently intensified its attacks, targeting senior security officials and key state installations.

“Salad’s return to NISA headquarters comes at a time when Somalia is grappling with a worsening diplomatic crisis and a highly politicised security and intelligence apparatus,” read part of a communique from the cabinet. 

The latest development unfolds just days after Mogadishu had a diplomatic flare-up with Kenya, following Nairobi’s decision to allow Somaliland to open a liaison office.

The inauguration, presided over by Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Abdillahi, has drawn criticism from Mogadishu, which considers Somaliland part of Somalia and rejects any move interpreted as recognising its independence.

Somalia’s cabinet expressed strong support for Salad’s leadership, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening Somalia’s security institutions while acknowledging Sanbaloolshe’s contributions during his latest tenure. 

Salad was first appointed as NISA Director General in August 2022 by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a close political ally, shortly after the President assumed office.

At the time, he vacated his parliamentary seat, as required by Somalia’s constitution, to take up the intelligence role in which he served until April 2024, when he was removed from office without any explanation offered by the cabinet.

Following his removal, Somalia is said to have experienced heightened security threats, most notably the attempted assassination of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on March 18, 2025, when Al-Shabab militants targeted his convoy with a roadside bomb in the heart of Mogadishu.

Salad is credited with significant reforms during his previous tenure, including modernising NISA’s operations.

A major milestone was the passage of the National Intelligence and Security Agency Law in 2023, which replaced outdated legislation inherited from the defunct National Security Service.

The new law clarified NISA’s mandate and introduced accountability measures aimed at protecting citizens’ rights while safeguarding national security.

The new spy boss is also recognised for cultivating strong international intelligence partnerships. In 2023, he visited the United States for talks with the CIA, FBI, and Pentagon on counterterrorism cooperation.

He has also fostered working relationships with Ethiopia’s and Kenya’s intelligence agencies, two critical regional allies of the Somali government.

In November 2022, Salad signed a counterterrorism and intelligence-sharing agreement with Ethiopia’s intelligence chief, Temesgen Tiruneh.

His tenure was also marked by enhanced domestic coordination, particularly in counterinsurgency efforts in Mogadishu and Somalia’s southern regions.

He is widely credited with dismantling several Al-Shabab sleeper cells embedded within key state institutions.

Before joining the intelligence leadership, Salad held several senior government positions, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2014 and State Minister for Presidential Affairs in 2015.

He also represented Dhusamareb in the federal parliament for more than a decade, resigning to accept his appointment to NISA. By Patrick Vidija | The Standard