1.
Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud
–
Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo is a Somaliland politician who has been President of Somaliland since 2010. He is a member of government, having served as Minister of Commerce of Somalia. During the 1980s, he acted as Chairman of the Somali National Movement. Standing as a candidate, he was elected as President of Somaliland in Somalilands 2010 presidential election. Mohamoud was born in 1936 in the town of Burco. Nicknamed Silanyo, he hails from the Habar-Jeclo clan of the Isaaq, ahmed M. Mohamoud Silanyo is the third child of four. His father was a merchant marine, so the family lived a half-nomadic and he was the only child in the family to attend a formal education, fostered by an uncle who was a strong influence on his early life. His brothers followed their father’s footsteps as merchant marines and he met his wife, Amina-Weris Sh. Like him, she completed her education as a registered nurse and she is one of the pioneers of the Somali’s educated women. They married in Mogadishu in 1968 and she has been a strong partner, by his side throughout the long and turbulent times of his political career. They have five children and six grandchildren Between 1946 and 1957, Mohamoud studied at schools in Sheekh and Amud, upon graduation, he moved to England to pursue higher studies. From 1958 to 1960, Mohamoud enrolled in London University and obtained an advanced General Certificate of Education and he then studied at University of Manchester, where he earned both a Bachelors Degree and a Masters Degree in Economics. In a professional capacity, between 1965 and 1969, Mohamoud served as an official at the Ministry of Planning and Coordination in Mogadishu during Somalias early civilian administration. He was also the national Minister of Planning and Coordination, Minister of Commerce, from 1982 to 1990, Mohamoud was the Chairman of the Somali National Movement, serving as the liberation groups longest-serving chairman. Between 1993 to 1997, Mohamoud was a member of the House of Representatives of Somaliland and he also worked as the Somaliland Minister of Finance from 1997 to 1999, in which position he initiated a program of fiscal reform. Between 1999 and 2000, Mohamoud served as Somalilands Minister of Planning and Coordination, during his years of public service, Mohamoud participated in a broad array of forums relating to a variety of developmental aspects of the world. Having successfully toppled the Siyad Barre regime in 1991, the SNM had been pivotal in reconstituting the Republic of Somaliland that on July 1,1960 united with Somalia, presently, Somaliland is a sovereign democratic country, but is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia. During the following years Mohamoud would become the SNMs longest-serving Chairman, in command throughout the most tumultuous, expansive, in 1984, the SNM was in its infancy, having been established only two years earlier
2.
Hargeisa
–
Hargeisa is a city situated in the Woqooyi Galbeed region of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa. It is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Somaliland, during the Middle Ages, Hargeisa was part of the domain of the Adal Sultanate. The city later succeeded Berbera as the capital of the British Somaliland protectorate in 1941, in 1960, the protectorate gained independence and united as scheduled days later with the Trust Territory of Somaliland to form the Somali Republic on July 1. Hargeisa is situated in a valley in the Galgodon highlands, home to rock art from the Neolithic period, the city is also a commercial hub for precious stone-cutting, construction, retail services and trading, among other activities. During November and December 2002, a survey was carried out in the area by a French team of researchers. During the course of the survey, the French archaeological team discovered the Laas Geel rock art, in an excellent state of preservation, the paintings show human figures with their hands raised and facing long-horned, humpless cattle. The rock art had been known to the inhabitants for centuries before the French discovery. However, the existence of the site had not been broadcast to the international community, in November 2003, a mission returned to Laas Geel and a team of experts undertook a detailed study of the paintings and their prehistoric context. Somaliland in general is home to numerous archaeological sites, with similar rock art and/or ancient edifices found at Haylan, Qa’ableh, Qomboul. However, many of old structures have yet to be properly explored. The British garrisoned the protectorate from Aden in present-day Yemen, British Somaliland was then administered by the Foreign Office until 1905 and afterwards by the Colonial Office. Berbera, a major trading harbour on the Red Sea, was the protectorates first capital due to its strategic importance, however, the capital was moved from Berbera to Hargeisa, and the city was granted capital status in 1941. During the East African Campaign, the protectorate was occupied by Italy in August 1940, the protectorate gained its independence on 26 June 1960 as the State of Somaliland, before uniting as planned days later with the Trust Territory of Somaliland to form the Somali Republic. In the post-independence period, Hargeisa was administered as the capital of the Woqooyi Galbeed province of Somalia, numerous new development projects were subsequently launched in the city by the Somali government. Among these initiatives was the creation in 1977 of the Hargeisa Provincial Museum and it was the first museum to be established in Somalia since independence in 1960. The Hargeisa International Airport was also renovated and modernized, with the aim of equipping the facility to accommodate larger aircraft. Most of the people who had helped plot the putsch were summarily executed. However, several managed to escape abroad and started to form the first of various dissident groups dedicated to ousting Barres administration by force
3.
United States Military Academy
–
It sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River,50 miles north of New York City. It is one of the four U. S. military service academies, the entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of historic sites, buildings, and monuments. The majority of the campuss Norman-style buildings are constructed from gray, the campus is a popular tourist destination complete with a large visitor center and the oldest museum in the United States Army. Candidates for admission must both apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually from a member of Congress or Delegate/Resident Commissioner in the case of Washington, puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. Other nomination sources include the President and Vice President of the United States, students are officers-in-training and are referred to as cadets or collectively as the United States Corps of Cadets. Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Army in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation, approximately 1,300 cadets enter the Academy each July, with about 1,000 cadets graduating. Cadets are required to adhere to the Cadet Honor Code, which states that a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, the academy bases a cadets leadership experience as a development of all three pillars of performance, academics, physical, and military. Most graduates are commissioned as lieutenants in the Army. Foreign cadets are commissioned into the armies of their home countries, since 1959, cadets have also been eligible to cross-commission, or request a commission in one of the other armed services, provided that they meet that services eligibility standards. Every year, a small number of cadets do this. The academys traditions have influenced other institutions because of its age and it was the first American college to have an accredited civil-engineering program and the first to have class rings, and its technical curriculum was a model for later engineering schools. West Points student body has a rank structure and lexicon. All cadets reside on campus and dine together en masse on weekdays for breakfast, the academy fields fifteen mens and nine womens National Collegiate Athletic Association sports teams. Cadets compete in one sport every fall, winter, and spring season at the intramural, club and its football team was a national power in the early and mid-20th century, winning three national championships. The Continental Army first occupied West Point, New York, on 27 January 1778, between 1778 and 1780, the Polish engineer and military hero Tadeusz Kościuszko oversaw the construction of the garrison defenses. While the fortifications at West Point were known as Fort Arnold during the war, as commander, Benedict Arnold committed his act of treason, after Arnold betrayed the patriot cause, the Army changed the name of the fortifications at West Point, New York, to Fort Clinton. With the peace after the American Revolutionary War, various ordnance, Cadets underwent training in artillery and engineering studies at the garrison since 1794. In 1801, shortly after his inauguration as president, Thomas Jefferson directed that plans be set in motion to establish at West Point the United States Military Academy and he selected Jonathan Williams to serve as its first superintendent
4.
Somaliland
–
Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is a self-declared state internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. Somaliland lies in northwestern Somalia, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and it is bordered by Puntland State of Somalia to the east, Djibouti to the northwest, and Ethiopia to the south and west. Its claimed territory has an area of 137,600 square kilometres, the capital and the largest city is Hargeisa, with the population of around 1,200,000 residents. In 1988, the Siad Barre regime launched a crackdown against the Hargeisa-based Somali National Movement and other militant groups, the conflict left the countrys economic and military infrastructure severely damaged. Since then, the territory has been governed by elected governments that seek international recognition as the Government of the Republic of Somaliland. The central government maintains informal ties with foreign governments, who have sent delegations to Hargeisa. Ethiopia also maintains an office in the region. However, Somalilands self-proclaimed independence remains unrecognised by any country or international organisation and it is a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, an advocacy group whose members consist of indigenous peoples, minorities, and unrecognised or occupied territories. The earliest human artefacts in the area are the Laas Geel cave paintings, the region is sometimes thought to be part of the Land of Punt. Islam was introduced to the northern Somali littoral early on from the Arabian peninsula, various Muslim Somali kingdoms were formed around this period in the area. In the 14th century, the Zeila-based Adal Sultanate battled the forces of the Ethiopian emperor Amda Seyon I, the Ottoman Empire later occupied Berbera and environs in the 1500s. Muhammad Ali, Pasha of Egypt, subsequently established a foothold in the area between 1821 and 1841, the British garrisoned the protectorate from Aden and administered it as part of British India until 1898. British Somaliland was then administered by the Foreign Office until 1905, generally, the British did not have much interest in the resource-barren region. The stated purposes of the establishment of the protectorate were to secure a supply market, check the traffic in slaves, hence, the regions nickname of Adens butchers shop. Colonial administration during this period did not extend administrative infrastructure beyond the coast, on 1 July 1960, the protectorate and the Trust Territory of Somaliland united as planned to form the Somali Republic. A government was formed by Abdullahi Issa, with Aden Abdullah Osman Daar as President, on 20 July 1961 and through a popular referendum, the Somali people ratified a new constitution, which was first drafted in 1960. In 1967, Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal became Prime Minister, a position to which he was appointed by Shermarke, Shermarke was assassinated two years later by one of his own bodyguards. His murder was followed by a military coup détat on 21 October 1969
5.
Somali Armed Forces
–
The Somali National Armed Forces are the military forces of Somalia, officially known as the Federal Republic of Somalia. Headed by the President as Commander in Chief, they are mandated to ensure the nations sovereignty, independence. The SAF was initially made up of the Army, Navy, in the post-independence period, it grew to become among the larger militaries in Africa. Due to patrimonial and repressive policies, the military had by 1988 begun to disintegrate. By the time President Siad Barre fled in 1991, the forces had dissolved. As of January 2014, the security sector is overseen by the Federal Government of Somalias Ministry of Defence, Ministry of National Security, the Somaliland, Puntland and Khaatumo regional governments maintain their own security and police forces. Historically, Somali society conferred distinction upon warriors and rewarded military acumen, all Somali males were regarded as potential soldiers, except for the odd religious cleric. Somalias many Sultanates each maintained regular troops, in the early Middle Ages, the conquest of Shewa by the Ifat Sultanate ignited a rivalry for supremacy with the Solomonic dynasty. Many similar battles were fought between the succeeding Sultanate of Adal and the Solomonids, with both sides achieving victory and suffering defeat. However, both polities in the process exhausted their resources and manpower, which resulted in the contraction of both powers and changed regional dynamics for centuries to come, many historians trace the origins of hostility between Somalia and Ethiopia to this war. Some scholars also argue that this conflict proved, through their use on both sides, the value of such as the matchlock musket, cannons and the arquebus over traditional weapons. In Italian Somaliland, eight Arab-Somali infantry battalions, the Ascari and these units served as frontier guards and police. There were also Somali artillery and zaptié units forming part of the Italian Royal Corps of Colonial Troops from 1889 to 1941, between 1911 and 1912, over 1,000 Somalis from Mogadishu served as combat units along with Eritrean and Italian soldiers in the Italo-Turkish War. Most of the troops stationed never returned home until they were transferred back to Italian Somaliland in preparation for the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. In 1914, the Somaliland Camel Corps was formed in the British Somaliland protectorate and saw service before, during, just prior to independence in 1960, the Trust Territory of Somalia established a national army to defend the nascent Somali Republics borders. A law to that effect was passed on 6 April 1960, thus the Somali Police Forces Mobile Group was formed. 12 April 1960 has since been marked as Armed Forces Day, British Somaliland became independent on 26 June 1960 as the State of Somaliland, and the Trust Territory of Somalia followed suit five days later. On 1 July 1960, the two united to form the Somali Republic
6.
Ethiopia
–
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north and northeast, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With nearly 100 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and it occupies a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres, and its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa. Some of the oldest evidence for modern humans has been found in Ethiopia. It is widely considered as the region from modern humans first set out for the Middle East. According to linguists, the first Afroasiatic-speaking populations settled in the Horn region during the ensuing Neolithic era, tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BC, Ethiopia was a monarchy for most of its history. During the first centuries AD, the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region, subsequently, many African nations adopted the colors of Ethiopias flag following their independence. It was the first independent African member of the 20th-century League of Nations, Ethiopias ancient Geez script, also known as Ethiopic, is one of the oldest alphabets still in use in the world. The Ethiopian calendar, which is seven years and three months behind the Gregorian calendar, co-exists alongside the Borana calendar. A slight majority of the population adheres to Christianity, while around a third follows Islam, the country is the site of the Migration to Abyssinia and the oldest Muslim settlement in Africa at Negash. A substantial population of Ethiopian Jews, known as Bete Israel, resided in Ethiopia until the 1980s, Ethiopia is a multilingual nation with around 80 ethnolinguistic groups, the four largest of which are the Oromiffa, Amhara, Somali, and Tigrayans. Most people in the country speak Afroasiatic languages of the Cushitic or Semitic branches, additionally, Omotic languages are spoken by ethnic minority groups inhabiting the southern regions. Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken by the nations Nilotic ethnic minorities. Ethiopia is the place of origin for the coffee bean which originated from the place called Kefa and it is a land of natural contrasts, with its vast fertile West, jungles, and numerous rivers, and the worlds hottest settlement of Dallol in its north. The Ethiopian Highlands are Africas largest continuous mountain ranges, and Sof Omar Caves contain Africas largest cave, Ethiopia has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa. Ethiopia is one of the members of the UN, the Group of 24, the Non-Aligned Movement, G-77. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ethiopia suffered from civil wars, the country has begun to recover recently however, and now has the largest economy in East Africa and Central Africa. According to Global Fire Power, Ethiopia has the 42nd most powerful military in the world, the origin of the word Ethiopia is uncertain
