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Somaliland Armed Forces

Not to be confused with Somali Armed Forces.

The Somaliland National Armed Forces (Somali: Ciidamada Qalabka Sida ee Soomaaliland; Arabic: القوات المسلحة الصوماليلاندية, romanized: alquaat almusalahat alsuwmalilandia) are the military services of the Republic of Somaliland. The Somaliland National Armed Forces consist of the Somaliland National Army, the Somaliland Coast Guard, the Somaliland Police Force, the Somaliland Custodial Corps, the Somaliland Immigration and Border Control and the Somaliland Fire Brigade. There is no air force.[4] The Armed Forces is under the command of President Muse Bihi Abdi, who is the Commander-in-chief. Minister of Defence Dr. Rooble Muuse Abdi is the designated minister that oversees the armed forces.[5]

Somaliland Armed Forces
Ciidamada qalabka sida ee Soomaaliland (Somali)
Somaliland Armed Forces emblem
Somaliland Armed Forces flag
Founded1993; 31 years ago (1993)
Service branches

Security and War time only:
Somaliland Police Force
Somaliland Immigration and Border Control

Guarding prisons only:
Somaliland Custodial Corps
HeadquartersHargeisa, Somaliland
Leadership
Commander-in-chief Muse Bihi Abdi
Minister of DefenceDr Rooble Abdi cilmi
Chief of Staff Major general Nuh Ismail Tani
Personnel
Fit for
military service		300,000, age 15–49
Reaching military
age annually		500,000
Active personnel8,000–13,000 est.[1][2]
Expenditure
Budget$115 million (2019)[3]
Percent of GDP0.6%
Industry
Foreign suppliers United Kingdom
 Yemen
 Ethiopia
 European Union
Related articles
HistoryMilitary history of Somaliland
RanksMilitary ranks of Somaliland

Somaliland has 45 T-54/55 tanks and, 20 armoured fighting vehicles, 50 rocket projectors, and has about 55+ pieces of artillery in its national army.

The total strength of the Somaliland armed forces in recent estimates have put the number of active duty personnel between 8,000 and 13,000.[6][7] There are fewer than 9,000 men and women working for the Somaliland police force overall. The Special Police Unit (SPU), which protects foreign organizations and individuals who work for them, and the Rapid Response Units (RRU), which are specialized counterterrorism forces, are both housed inside the police force. Somaliland has 7 defender class boats and 1 coast guard vessels in its coast guard, and The coast guard of Somaliland numbers a few hundred in personnel.[8]

Somaliland spends $115 million budget on its armed forces, its largest government expenditure.[3] Due to a United Nations arms embargo on Somalia, the state is not allowed to procure weapons.[9]

History

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Protectorate period

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Main articles: Somaliland Camel Corps and Somaliland Scouts
 
Logo of the Somaliland Scouts

In 1914, the Somaliland Camel Corps was formed in British Somaliland and saw service before, during, and after the Italian invasion of the territory during World War II.[10]

In 1942, the Somaliland Scouts were tasked with defending the reserve.[11]

Independence and Union with Somalia

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Somaliland became independent on 26 June 1960 as the State of Somaliland, and the Trust Territory of Somalia (the former Italian Somaliland) followed suit five days later. On 1 July 1960, the two territories united to form the Somali Republic.[12]

After independence, the Somaliland Scouts merged with the former Dervishes to form the 5,000 strong Somali National Army.

War of Independence

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Main article: Somaliland War of Independence

In 1981, the Somali National Movement was one of the first rebel groups to form in the country.[13]

Then Somali dictator Siad Barre accused them of being separatist groups and ordered the extermination of the Isaaq tribe,[14][15] to which the rebel group belonged. The movement fought a guerrilla war in the northwest of the country with the aim of overthrowing and replacing the military government.[16] After the dictator's defeat and special developments in 1991, the Somali sultans decided to abolish unity in 1960 and declared Somaliland an independent state.

Restoration of sovereignty

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Main article: Somaliland Declaration of Independence

In 1991, after Somaliland reasserted its sovereignty, the new government faced great problems with armed groups and armed clans, who were boycotting roads to earn a living.[17][18]

The new government launched the Somaliland peace process jointly with the Somali National Movement. The communities in Somaliland negotiated what led to the Great Reconciliation Conference in Borama in 1993 which allowed the transfer of power from the Somali National Movement.[19] An interim government for a new civil administration, paving the way for democratic governance and stability.[19]

After a civilian government led by Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal disarmed armed clans and armed groups and recruited armed forces from all over Somaliland.

The Armed Forces of Somaliland was officially established on 2 February 1994.[20]

Border War

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Main article: Puntland–Somaliland dispute
Further information: Somalia–Somaliland border

In 1998 Puntland State of Somalia claimed Somaliland territory on the basis of clan kinship with some Somaliland communities in the eastern regions of Sool and Sanaag. Which led to tribal and armed conflicts, as a result, The armed forces of Somaliland withdrew from some cities in the eastern regions to avoid casualties until 2007 when the Somaliland communities in the eastern regions demanded that they intervene.

Commanders

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Main article: Chief of the General Staff (Somaliland)

The Chief of the General Staff (Somali: Taliyaha Guud ee Ciidanka) is the head of the General Staff and the highest ranking officer of the Somaliland Armed Forces. He is appointed by the President of Somaliland, who holds the position of Commander-in-Chief and the head of the Somaliland Armed Forces. The current Chief of the General Staff is Major general Nuh Ismail Tani.

Army

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Main article: Somaliland National Army
 
Members of the Somaliland National Army

Personnel

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The Somaliland army has long operated without a formal rank structure. However, in December 2012, Somaliland defense ministry announced that a chain of command had been developed and which was implemented in January 2013.[4]

Equipment

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When the former Somali dictator Siad Barre was ousted in 1991, Somaliland inherited the military equipment, hardware and facilities that was left behind by the previous Somali Democratic Republic.[9]

Due to a United Nations arms embargo on Somalia, which the semi-autonomous Somaliland region is internationally recognized as being a part of, the territory is not allowed to purchase weapons. Consequently, military officials from the region rely on repairing and modifying old equipment. Some also claim that weapons are at times delivered from Ethiopia and Yemen via the port of Berbera.[9]

Regular Somaliland soldiers have been seen with SKS carbines (for parades) and various versions of the AK-47.[21]

Vehicles and Equipment

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Commemoration of the 27th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Somaliland National Army

Coast Guard

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Main article: Somaliland Coast Guard
 
Somaliland Coast Guard

The Somaliland Coast Guard (Somali: Ciidanka Bada ee Somaliland) was formed in 2009.[9] The headquarters is located in the coastal town of Berbera; a diving center run by foreign divers who train the Somaliland coast guard is also located there. The coast guard operates with small speedboats mounted with guns.[9] Much of this equipment was provided by the United Kingdom, in an effort to combat piracy.[4]

Ranks

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Main article: Military ranks of Somaliland
Officers
Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers
  Somaliland National Army
                  
Sareeye guud Sareeye gaas Sareeye guuto Gashaanle sare Gashaanle dhexe Gashaanle Dhamme Laba xídígle Xídígle
Enlisted
Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
  Somaliland National Army
                
Chief warrant officer
Musharax sarkaal 		Warrant officer class 1
Sadex xarígle 		Warrant officer class 2
Laba xarígle 		Warrant officer class 3
Xarígle 		Sergeant
Sadex alífle 		Corporal
Laba alífle 		Lance corporal
Alífle 		Private
(or equivalent)
Dable


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See also

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Military of Somaliland.
  1. ^ Horton, Micheal (November 2019). "How Somaliland Combats al-Shabaab". CTC Sentinel. 12 (10): 24. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Building capability and accountability within the Somaliland army and coastguard". Adam Smith International. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  3. ^ a b Rubin, Michael (7 March 2019). "Somaliland – Key to Winning America's Longest War". www.realcleardefense.com. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  4. ^ a b c Somaliland Sun (27 November 2012). "Somaliland: After Two Decades the Armed Forces Come to Age". somalilandsun.com. Somaliland Sun. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  5. ^ "The Minister of Defense JSL has officially taken over the position of that ministry". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  6. ^ Horton, Micheal (November 2019). "How Somaliland Combats al-Shabaab". CTC Sentinel. 12 (10): 24. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Building capability and accountability within the Somaliland army and coastguard". Adam Smith International. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  8. ^ Horton, Micheal (November 2019). "How Somaliland Combats al-Shabaab". CTC Sentinel. 12 (10): 24. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e Hussein, Abdi (August 13, 2011). "Somalilands Military Is A Shadow of the Past". SomaliaReport. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  10. ^ Metz 1993, p. 199-200.
  11. ^ Metz et al. 1993, "The Warrior Tradition and Development of a National Army," in Somalia: A Country Study.
  12. ^ "Somalia: A Country Study – Chapter 5: National Security" (PDF). Library of Congress. c. 1981. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Resource Information Center. "Somalia: Somali National Movement from its inception through the present".
  14. ^ Ingiriis, Mohamed Haji (2016-07-02). ""We Swallowed the State as the State Swallowed Us": The Genesis, Genealogies, and Geographies of Genocides in Somalia". African Security. 9 (3): 237–258. doi:10.1080/19392206.2016.1208475. ISSN 1939-2206. S2CID 148145948.
  15. ^ Mullin, Chris (1 October 2010). A View From The Foothills: The Diaries of Chris Mullin. Profile Books. p. 504. ISBN 978-1-84765-186-0. Siad barre's holocaust.
  16. ^ Balthasar, Dominik (2017-07-26). "State-making at Gunpoint: The Role of Violent Conflict in Somaliland's March to Statehood". Civil Wars. 19: 65–86. doi:10.1080/13698249.2017.1343411. ISSN 1369-8249. S2CID 149160219.
  17. ^ "Taliyaha Ciidanka Qaranka Oo Sharraxay Taariikhda iyo Waxqabadka Ciidanka". 3 February 2018.
  18. ^ "Wax ka baro taariikhda ciidanka qaranka somaliland. | ToggaHerer".
  19. ^ a b Ali, Mohamud Omar; Mohammed, Koss; Walls, Michael (2007-12-31). "Peace in Somaliland: An Indigenous Approach to State-building". Africa Portal. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  20. ^ "Somaliland Military Law".
  21. ^ Forberg, Ekkehard and Ulf Terlinden. "Small Arms in Somaliland: Their Role and Diffusion" Berlin Information-center for Transatlantic Study (BITS). March 1999. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  22. ^ https://x.com/MoBakayle/status/1799443512896758166 [bare URL]
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