Mohammed Haji Ibrahim It doesn't matter

Mohammed Haji Ibrahim It doesn't matter

Mohammed Haji Ibrahim Egal ( Somali Maxamed Xaaji Ibraahim Cigaal ; born August 15, 1928 in Oodweyne , British Somaliland, † May 3, 2002 in Pretoria , South Africa) was a Somali politician. He was Prime Minister of Somalia in 1960 and again from 1967 to 1969 and President of Somaliland, which is not recognized internationally, from 1993 to 2002 .

life and career

Regardless son of a wealthy trader from the clan of Habar-Awal- Isaaq and a mother from the clan of Habar-Yunis-Isaaq. He received his education in British Somaliland , Sudan and London , where he studied political and economic sciences. He entered politics in the 1950s when he became a member of the Somali National League (SNL), which campaigned for the independence of British Somaliland. In 1956 he became chairman of the SNL branch in Berbera , and in 1958 he was promoted to general secretary of the party.

In 1959, Egal became First Minister of the British Somaliland Advisory Council . From June 26 to July 1, 1960 he was Prime Minister of the briefly independent British Somaliland, after its unification with Italian Somaliland he remained the first Prime Minister of all Somalia until July 12. In the cabinet of his successor Abdirashid Ali Shermarke he was Minister of Defense until 1962, then Minister of Education until 1963.

After Shermarke had overthrown President Aden Abdullah Osman Daar in a coup in 1967 , he reinstated Egal as head of government on July 15, 1967. During this time he was also the country's foreign minister. As such, he achieved a relaxation of relations with neighboring states, which were tense because of Somalia's territorial claims (cf. Greater Somalia ) that he represented.

Egal's tenure ended on November 1, 1969, when Shermarke was killed and Siad Barre took power. Barre abolished the post of prime minister, and Egal was imprisoned without a trial until 1975. After his imprisonment, he was offered the post of ambassador to India . However, he was recalled after six months in 1977 and held in solitary confinement in the notorious Labataan Jirow Prison until 1982. In 1983 he was appointed chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture by Siad Barre, which he remained until the fall of the government in 1991.

Presidency in Somaliland

In 1991 the rebel organization “ Somali National Movement ” declared Egal's home region of Somaliland unilaterally independent. When power was transferred from the movement to a civilian government at a conference of the Somaliland clans in Boorama in 1993, Egal was elected second president of Somaliland. This choice came as a surprise to some observers, since Egal did not belong to any of the various factions of the SNM. On the other hand, precisely because of this, Egal's election should help end the conflicts between parts of the SNM. Since his parents belonged to different clans, this choice should also help to reunite the Isaaq sub-clans, which were divided at the time.

During his first term in Somaliland, Egal faced further internal conflicts. These were settled at a renewed conference in Hargeysa in 1996/97, where his presidency was confirmed for another five years. In the years that followed, Egal fulfilled his obligation to draw up a Somaliland constitution . Differences with Parliament led to delays. Sections of the public suspected Egal of corruption ; He was also said to have ambitions for a presidency in a reunified Somalia. In 2001 a referendum was finally held, in which the constitution was adopted by a large majority of voters. After the constitution was adopted, Egal founded the UDUB party , with which he would run in the planned elections.

On May 3, 2002, Egal died unexpectedly during an operation in South Africa. He was buried in Berbera . His successor was the previous Vice President Dahir Riyale Kahin .

The Hargeisa International Airport will honor him also matter International Airport called.

swell

• Profile on africadatabase.org ( Memento from February 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
• Mark Bradbury: Becoming Somaliland , 2008, ISBN 978-1847013101 (pp. 109f., 131-136)

Web links

Commons : Mohammed Haji Ibrahim Egal  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files