A fresh controversy has emerged surrounding Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) after a historian specializing in Somalia’s turbulent history alleged that the congresswoman’s late father held a senior position in the military government of former Somali dictator Siad Barre.
The allegations, reported by the New York Post, add another dimension to the federal investigation involving Omar’s immigration history. However, the historian’s claims about her father have not, by themselves, established any wrongdoing by the congresswoman.
Mohamed Haji Ingiriis, an Oxford University historian and researcher, told the newspaper that Omar’s father, Nur Omar Mohamed, allegedly served as a colonel under Barre’s regime before eventually leaving Somalia.
According to Ingiriis, the former military government was responsible for widespread atrocities, with estimates of as many as 200,000 people killed during its rule. The allegations raise questions about the circumstances surrounding the family’s departure from Somalia, although the precise details of Mohamed’s military service and refugee application have not been independently established in the reporting cited here.
