Screenshot of a Daily News story posted Sunday, April 20.
The Somalian VIP identified in media reports as the “King of Somalia” likely was not a scam or impostor, just a victim of poor translation and fact-checking.
The man shown in photographs meeting with Thai officials at a Chonburi province park was the leader of a particular clan in the Puntland, according to a Somalian journalist.
“Beeldaje Maxamed literally means ‘Community leader’ Mohamed,” replied Cleophus “Tres” Thomas, III., to an inquiry from Coconuts. “His full title/name is Beeldaaje Mohamed Beeldaaje Ismaciil, and he’s basically the clan ‘leader’ of Puntland’s Ali Saleban sub-clan, which is under the Darod-Majerteen clan family.”
Tres covers all things Somalian at Somalia Newsroom and was kind enough to solve today’s mini-mystery.
“He’s definitely a big deal, but not a king. Somalia’s history is full of powerful sultanate kingdoms, of which his family might be derived from,” he continued. “In summary: the guy is important but he’s not a King.”
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