Sitting in a gilded armchair in his official palace, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi looks every inch the statesman. As well he might: unusually for East Africa, Somaliland has free and fair elections, a two-chamber parliament in its capital, Hargeisa, a legal system inspired by British colonial law and an army that is accountable to its…
Today (18 May) Somaliland celebrates the anniversary of its independence declaration from Somalia in 1991. A former British protectorate, Somaliland has spent more than three decades building something exceptionally rare in the Horn of Africa: relative stability, functioning democratic institutions, and security in one of the world’s most volatile regions. While much of the international…
Burao is not just another city in Somaliland. It is the second-largest city in the country, the capital of Togdheer region, and one of the most important economic and historical centres in Somaliland. Most importantly, Burao is remembered as the birthplace of Somaliland’s restoration in 1991, where leaders and elders declared the return of Somaliland’s…
Borama is one of the most important cities in Somaliland. With a population of around 200,000 people, the city plays a major role in trade, education, agriculture, livestock, and regional business. It is also known for its educational institutions, especially Amoud University, which has helped Borama become one of the leading centres of learning in…
Every year on 18 May, the people of Somaliland celebrate the restoration of their independence with enormous pride, patriotism, and national unity. Across the country and throughout the diaspora, Somalilanders gather in streets, homes, stadiums, public squares, and community centres to commemorate one of the most important days in their history. From Hargeisa to Berbera,…
In many African countries, leaders begin their political journey with good intentions and public support, but over time they become isolated from ordinary citizens. They stop hearing the truth. Instead, they only hear what their inner circle wants them to hear. And this is where the danger begins. Behind almost every weak government, unpopular leader,…
Abdi Ahmed Farah, 70, has watched most of his hundreds of goats perish. For three years, steady rain has eluded his part of Somalia – a reality he never imagined possible. Now, burdened by debt from buying water, his reservoir is almost empty. His family subsists on a single daily meal of rice with sugar…
On 16 September 2025, the Somaliland government announced that it had signed an agreement with a company called Maharat Investment Company to develop and modernise Hargeisa Egal International Airport with an investment reportedly worth 70 million US dollars. The agreement was signed in Dubai by Somaliland’s Minister of the Presidency, Khadar Hussein Abdi, and the…
Today, the local government council of Hargeisa elected Eng. Abdirisaq Mohamed Farah “Wiiwaa” as the new Mayor of Hargeisa and Eng. Aadan Jama Haddi “Mideeye” as the Deputy Mayor of the capital city. Their election comes at an important political moment following the resignation of the former mayor, Abdikarim Ahmed Mooge. Mooge legacy The departure…
For Somalia’s malnourished children, already suffering the twin catastrophes of looming famine and radical cuts in foreign aid, the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran means more than soaring petrol pump prices; it is a matter of life and death. Shortages of lifesaving therapeutic foods exacerbated by shipping disruptions are forcing clinics to turn away severely malnourished…
