Somaliland Armed Forces

Somaliland Armed Forces
Ciidamada Qalabka Sida ee Soomaaliland القوات المسلحة الصوماليلاندية
Somaliland Armed Forces Emblem
Somaliland Armed Forces Flag
Founded	1993
Service branches	Army Navy Security and War time only: Police Immigration and Border Control Guarding prisons only: Custodial Corps Firefighting only: Fire Brigade
Headquarters	Hargeisa
Leadership
Commander-in-chief	Muse Bihi Abdi
Minister of Defence	Abdiqani Mohamoud Aateye
	Nuh Ismail Tani
Manpower
Military age	18-45
Fit for military service	300,000, age 18-45
Reaching military age annually	250,000
Active personnel	100,000[1]
Reserve personnel	4,000
Expenditures
Budget	$115 million [2]
Industry
Foreign suppliers	Unknown
Related articles
History	Military history of Somaliland Somaliland War of Independence Puntland–Somaliland dispute Battle of Las Anod 2010 Ayn clashes Battle of Tukaraq
Ranks	Military ranks of Somaliland

The Somaliland National Armed Forces (Somali: Ciidamada Qalabka Sida ee Soomaaliland; Arabic: القوات المسلحة الصوماليلاندية‎) are the military services of Somaliland. They are composed of two active military branches: the army and the navy. There is no air force.^[3]

The Somaliland Police Force is also a part of the internal security forces and subordinate to the military. The Armed Forces is under the command of President Muse Bihi Abdi, who is the Commander-in-chief. Minister of Defence Abdiqani Mohamoud Aateye is the designated minister that oversees the armed forces.

Somaliland has 65 T-54/55 tanks, dozens of T-34 tanks and M41 tanks, 87 armoured fighting vehicles, 38 rocket projectors, and 45 artillery in its national army, and 29,000 soldiers. Somaliland has 97 police cars and other vehicles in its police force as well as 22,000 police officers. Somaliland has 40 patrol craft and 13 patrol vessels in its navy, and 1,000 naval officers.

Somaliland spends a third of its $350 million budget on its armed forces, its largest government expenditure.^[2] Due to a United Nations arms embargo on Somalia, the state is not allowed to procure weapons.^[4]

History[]

Protectorate period[]

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.^[5]

In 1942, the Somaliland Scouts were tasked with defending the reserve.^[6]

Independence and Union with Somalia[]

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.^[7]

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

War of Independence[]

In 1981, the Somali National Movement was one of the first rebel groups to form in the country.^[8]

Then Somali dictator Siad Barre accused them of being separatist groups and ordered the extermination of the Isaaq tribe,^[9][10] 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.^[11] 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[]

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.^[12][13]

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.^[14] An interim government for a new civil administration, paving the way for democratic governance and stability.^[14]

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.^[15]

Border War[]

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[]

No.	Photo	Name (born–died)	Term of office			Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		?	1993
?		Colonel		2 December 2003
?		Colonel Nuh Ismail Tani	2 December 2003	11 December 2011	8 years, 9 days	[4]
?		Major general Mohamed Hasan Abdullahi	11 December 2011	11 February 2012	62 days	[16]
?		Major general Ismail Mohamed Osman	11 February 2012	15 August 2016	4 years, 217 days	[16]
?		Major general Nuh Ismail Tani	15 August 2016	Incumbent	5 years, 0 days	[17]

Army[]

Personnel[]

The sub of Somaliland army in Somaliland 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.^[3]

Equipment[]

When the former Somalian dictator Siad Barre was ousted in 1991, Somaliland inherited the military equipment, hardware and facilities that was left behind by the fleeing soldiers of the dictator.^[4]

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, usually during the night.^[4]

Regular Somaliland soldiers have been seen with SKS carbines and various versions of the AK-47.^[18]

Additionally, the Somaliland army operates an unknown number of the following equipment:^[4]

• BM-21 mobile rocket launchers (100-200)
• BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles
• BTR-50 tracked armored personnel carriers
• T-34 medium tank (Dozens?)
• T-55 main battle tank (85)
• Fiat armored car (Dozens?)

Navy[]

The Somaliland navy (Somali: Ciidanka Bada ee Somaliland) was formed in 2009.^[4] The headquarters is located in the coastal town of Berbera; a diving center run by foreign divers who train the Somaliland navy is also located there. The Navy operates with small speedboats mounted with guns.^[4] Much of this equipment was provided by the United Kingdom, in an effort to combat piracy.^[3]

Ranks[]

Officers

Rank group	General/flag officers										Field/senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
Somaliland National Army v t
					Lieutenant general Sareeye Guud		Major general Sareeye Gaas		Brigadier general Sareeye Guuto		Colonel Gashaanle Sare		Lieutenant colonel Gashaanle Dhexe		Major Gashaanle		Captain Dhamme		First lieutenant Laba Xídígle			Second lieutenant Xídígle

Enlisted

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Somaliland National Army v t
	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

Gallery[]

• 

  Somaliland Patrol Boat of the Somaliland Coast Guard

• 

  Somaliland T-55 main battle tank.

• 

  Somaliland Fiat armored car.

• 

  Somaliland BM-21 Grad

See also[]

• National Service (Somaliland)

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Military of Somaliland.