Farah was born on 22 October 1919, in Barry, Wales, and came from the Issa Musse subclan of the Isaaq. His father Abby Farah, was a Somali entrepreneur and sailor, who was awarded an MBE for his community service to sailors in war time. His mother, Hilda Anderson, ran a boarding house. Racial tensions in South East Wales were high at the time, following on from the Cardiff Race Riots in June 1919. Farah grew up in Barry, attending Gladstone Road School, and Barry Grammar School. He earned degrees from the University College, Exeter and Balliol College, Oxford University in England. His two brothers also studies at Oxford. Farah was married four times, and divorced twice. He met his third wife Sheila Farrell, a history teacher and speechwriter at Oxford. He married his fourth wife, Hodan Goth, in 2001. He had seven children.
Career
Farah began his diplomatic career with the Trust Territory of Somaliland administration, sent there age 17 by his father. After independence, with the early civilian government of the Somali Republic. He therein served in various capacities from 1951 to 1961, including as Director of the Somali Information Service. Between 1961 and 1965, Farah was Somalia's Ambassador to Ethiopia. He acted as Somalia's representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in 1962. Ambassador Farah also represented the nation at Council of Ministers meetings of the Organisation of African Unity in 1964 and 1965. From 1965 to 1972, Farah was the Permanent Representative of Somalia to the United Nations in New York City. He concurrently served as the Acting Director General of Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1966. From 1969 to 1972, Farah was the Chairperson of the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid, presiding over a special session of the United Nations Security Council in 1972. He acted as the Assistant Secretary-General for Special Political Questions between 1973 and 1978. Additionally, Farah served as Somalia's representative within the League of Arab States. From 1973 to 1978, he was the Undersecretary-General for Special Political Questions, later becoming the Undersecretary General from 1979 to 1990. In 1990, Farah headed the UN Mission on ‘Progress made on the Declaration on Apartheid and its Destructive Consequences on South Africa’. In 1998, Farah helped found the Partnership to Strengthen African Grassroots Organizations. He later served as the non-governmental organization's Chairperson. Farah died in May 2018 at the age of 98. He maintained his Welsh accent throughout his life.
