In a dramatic return to the helm of Somalia’s most powerful intelligence institution, Mahad Mohamed Salad is set to reclaim his position as Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), ending Abdullahi Mohamed Ali “Sanbalooshe’s” brief but eventful tenure. The leadership transition, confirmed by high-level sources to Somali Stream, is part of a broader pattern of frequent security reshuffles that have come to define President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration.
The forthcoming leadership change at NISA follows days of closed-door deliberations in Mogadishu, during which both Mahad Salad and Sanbalooshe held separate meetings with President Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre. Multiple sources confirmed that the talks—reportedly spanning several hours over two consecutive days—finalized Salad’s return to the top spy post, a move that has both stirred intrigue and deepened political fault lines.
Salad, a close confidant of the president and a key figure within the ruling Union for Peace and Development (UPD) Party, previously led NISA until his replacement by Sanbalooshe in April 2024. His reappointment now signals a significant recalibration of the security apparatus just months after he expressed interest in running for the presidency of Galmudug State.
While official channels remain tight-lipped, Somali Stream has learned that President Mohamud personally informed Sanbalooshe of the transition, suggesting that either performance concerns or political realignment may have influenced the decision. The reinstatement of Salad, by the very leader who replaced him, marks a rare reversal in Somalia’s often opaque security hierarchy and could be interpreted as a rebuke of Sanbalooshe’s tenure.
A Broader Pattern of Rotations
The move raises questions about whether the leadership switch is driven by national security concerns or political strategy.
This is not the first time Somalia’s top security posts have undergone sudden upheaval. Since regaining the presidency in May 2022, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has rotated leaders of the Armed Forces, Police, Custodial Corps, and NISA with striking frequency. Salad’s return marks the third time a security chief has been reinstated during Mohamud’s current term—a trend critics argue undermines continuity in the ongoing battle against insurgent groups like Al-Shabaab.
Frequent changes at the top are seen as destabilizing national command structures, causing Somalia to lose valuable intelligence momentum and leaving windows of opportunity that terrorist groups have previously exploited.
While the administration insists that these reshuffles aim to ensure efficiency and accountability, skeptics view the rapid turnover as symptomatic of deeper political rifts within the ruling UPD coalition. Allegations of favoritism, factional pressure, and even foreign influence have repeatedly dogged the president’s appointments.
For Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanbalooshe, who previously served as NISA chief under different administrations before being reappointed in 2024, the move could be a significant blow to his political credibility. Being replaced by the very man he had succeeded highlights the volatility of political allegiances at the highest levels of Somali power.
However, his removal may not constitute an outright dismissal. Some insiders suggest Sanbalooshe may be reassigned elsewhere in government—a common practice in Somali politics, where departures often result in repositioning rather than exclusion.
As Mahad Salad prepares to retake the helm at NISA, Somalia’s already fragile security landscape braces for another period of transition. Whether his return will restore institutional stability or further politicize the agency remains to be seen.