Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal ( so, Maxamed Xaaji Ibraahim Cigaal, ar, محمد الحاج ابراهيم عقال; August 15, 1928 – May 3, 2002) was a
Somali politician who served as the
President of Somaliland
The president of Somaliland ( so, Madaxweynaha Somaliland; ar, رئيس جمهورية أرض الصومال, Rayiys jumhuriat 'ard alsuwmal) is the head of state and head of government of Somaliland. The president is also commander-in-chief o ...
from 1993 to his death in 2002. He previously served as the first
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
of the
Somali Republic
The Somali Republic ( so, Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliyeed; it, Repubblica Somala; ar, الجمهورية الصومالية, Jumhūriyyat aṣ-Ṣūmālīyyah) was a sovereign state composed of Somalia and Somaliland, following the unification o ...
for eleven days in 1960 and again from 1967 to 1969.
Life and education
Egal was born in 1928, in
Odweyne then a part of
British Somaliland. He hails from the
Issa Musse sub-division of the
Habar Awal clan of
Isaaq
The Isaaq (also Isaq, Ishaak, Isaac) ( so, Reer Sheekh Isxaaq, ar, بني إسحاق, Banī Isḥāq) is a Somali clan. It is one of the major Somali clans in the Horn of Africa, with a large and densely populated traditional territory. Pe ...
.
He completed his primary, intermediate, and secondary education in former
British Somaliland and then moved to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. Egal was married to Asha Saeed Abby, and together they had three sons and two daughters.
Career
On 26 June 1960, Egal was Prime minister of the newly independent
State of Somaliland
The State of Somaliland (, ) was a short-lived independent country in the territory of present-day unilaterally declared Republic of Somaliland. It existed on the territory of former British Somaliland for five days between 26 June 1960 and 1 ...
, which merged five days later with the former
Trust Territory of Somalia to form the
Somali Republic
The Somali Republic ( so, Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliyeed; it, Repubblica Somala; ar, الجمهورية الصومالية, Jumhūriyyat aṣ-Ṣūmālīyyah) was a sovereign state composed of Somalia and Somaliland, following the unification o ...
on July 1, 1960.
Government work
He served as the first Somali's defence minister (1960–1962), Education Minister (1962–1963), Prime minister (1967–1969), and ambassador to India (1976–1978), although he was imprisoned twice under Barre dictatorship.
Prime Minister of Somali Republic
In 1967,
Abdirashid Ali Shermarke
Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke ( so, Cabdirashiid Cali Sharmaarke, ar, عبد الرشيد علي شارماركي) (8 June 1919 – 15 October 1969), also known as Abdirashid Shermarke, was Prime Minister of Somali Republic from 12 July 1960, to 14 J ...
was elected President and he appointed Egal as the Prime Minister.
He was still the Prime Minister and in Washington D.C. when President
Abdirashid Ali Shermarke
Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke ( so, Cabdirashiid Cali Sharmaarke, ar, عبد الرشيد علي شارماركي) (8 June 1919 – 15 October 1969), also known as Abdirashid Shermarke, was Prime Minister of Somali Republic from 12 July 1960, to 14 J ...
was assassinated on October 15, 1969. Shortly afterward, the newly established
Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC) led by Major General
Siad Barre, Brigadier General Mohamed Ainashe Gule, Lieutenant Colonel
Salaad Gabeyre Kediye
Salaad Gabeyre Kediye ( so, Salaad Gabeyre Kediye, 1933 – 3 July 1972), also known as Salah Gaveire Kedie, was a Somali senior military official and a revolutionary who was executed by the Siad Barre regime.
Biography
Kediye was born in Harard ...
and Chief of Police
Jama Korshel seized power.
[Adam, p.226] The SRC subsequently renamed the country the
Somali Democratic Republic
The Somali Democratic Republic ( so, Jamhuuriyadda Dimuqraadiya Soomaaliyeed; ar, الجمهورية الديمقراطية الصومالية, ; it, Repubblica Democratica Somala) was the name that the socialist military government gave to Som ...
,
[''The Encyclopedia Americana: complete in thirty volumes. Skin to Sumac'', Volume 25, (Grolier: 1995), p.214.] arrested members of the former civilian government, banned political parties,
[.] dissolved the parliament and the Supreme Court, and suspended the constitution.
[Peter John de la Fosse Wiles, ''The New Communist Third World: an essay in political economy'', (Taylor & Francis: 1982), p.279.] Egal was among the politicians detained by the SRC for his prominent role in the nation's early government. He was eventually released and was named the Ambassador to India (1976-1978) before the Barre regime imprisoned him again on charges of conspiracy until 1985.
President of Somaliland
Egal managed to successfully disarm and rehabilitate
rebel groups
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
, stabilised the north western region and
Economy of Somaliland
The Economy of Somaliland largely relies on primary production and agriculture, where livestock is the main export of the country, which it ships to neighbouring Djibouti and Ethiopia, as well as to Gulf states, such as UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oma ...
, successfully managed to establish bilateral trade with foreign countries, introduce Somaliland new currency the
Somaliland shilling
The Somaliland shilling ( so, Shillin Somaliland, ar, شلن صوماليلاندي; abbreviation: SLS; symbol: /-, sometimes prefixed Sl.Sh.) is the official currency of the Republic of Somaliland.
Overview
The shilling has been the curren ...
, as well as the
Somaliland passport
The Somaliland passport ( so, Baasaboorka Somaliland, ar, جواز سفر صوماليلاندي) is the passport issued to citizens of the unrecognized country of Somaliland for international travel. A passport was issued for the first time in ...
and
Somaliland national flag and creating the most successful and powerful armed police and military force in Somalia.
Throughout his term as president of the Republic of
Somaliland, Egal's dedication to the secessionist cause was doubted and challenged by hardliners, particularly within the
Somali National Movement (SNM), who believed that he still ultimately hoped to reconcile with other political actors in the rest of Somalia. In August 2001, Egal survived by one vote a
motion
In physics, motion is the phenomenon in which an object changes its position with respect to time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed and frame of reference to an observer and m ...
tabled by several regional MPs charging him of half-heartedly pursuing separatism.
In an interview with IRIN the same year, SNM leader Abdirahman Awale also said of Egal that "when he says he is for independence, it is for local consumption only. He tells the people here one thing, but in his speeches elsewhere he has clearly declared that Somalia will unite one day. He says we will talk to the southerners when they make their home clean and negotiate with them... He says one thing to the public, and a different thing to the international community."
Death
Egal died on May 3, 2002 in
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
while undergoing surgery at a military hospital. His body was returned to Somaliland for a
state funeral, whereafter his three sons laid him to rest next to his father, in accordance with his last wishes. Around 4,000 mourners reportedly attended his burial in
Berbera
Berbera (; so, Barbara, ar, بربرة) is the capital of the Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of the British Somaliland protectorate before Hargeisa. It ...
, and the regional parliament declared seven days of mourning.
Dahir Rayale Kahin was sworn in the next day as the new president.
References
External links
IRIN Interview with Mohamed Ibrahim Egal, President of Somaliland
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Egal, Mohamed Haji Ibrahim
1928 births
2002 deaths
20th-century prime ministers of Somalia
21st-century presidents of Somaliland
Presidents of Somaliland
21st-century Somaliland politicians
20th-century presidents of Somaliland
United Peoples' Democratic Party politicians
British Somaliland people of World War II
Somali independence activists
Issa Musa
Prime Ministers of Somalia