ADDIS ABABA
Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somalia's recently-deceased former prime minister, was laid to rest in Mogadishu on Friday.
Hussein passed away last Saturday at the age of 89 in Minnesota, USA, following a long struggle with illness.
The funeral was attended by senior government officials, including Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Parliamentary Speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari.
A delegation led by Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gas, president of the semi-autonomous Puntland region, also attended the funeral ceremony, along with high-level government officials from Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti.
Hussein served as prime minister of the Horn of Africa country from 1964 to 1967. A native of Puntland, he had asked to be buried next to the grave of Aden Abdullah Osman – Somalia's first president, under whom he served – in Mogadishu.
Flags will be flown at half-mast in Somalia and Puntland for a three-day period in honor of the late leader.
By Mohamed Taha Tawakel
englishnews@aa.com.tr
