Somali: Independence Day and Recovery

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed

Saturday, July 1, 2017, Somalia marked 57th Independence Day. Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest.

The outbreak of civil war in 1991 caused by the ouster of the then Head of State, Mohamed Siad Barre, led to many Somalians fleeing the country in search of asylum in other countries.

Some form of relative stability can be said to be in place in Somalia since August 2012 when a new provisional constitution was passed and with the recent election of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed whose tenure began February 8, 2017.

Hassan Omar

The Executive Director of Somali Community Association, Columbus, Ohio, Hassan Omar said, “Somalia is in the process of recovery. The President is doing a good job. Security is the priority right now. Mogadishu, the capital is being cleared of arms. Also all military and paramilitary are being stationed out of the capital, Mogadishu,” adding that, “about 5,000 Somali troops are mobilized to fight al –Shaba, especially in southern Somali.”   

While expressing that “there is hope,” Hassan noted that the many countries including the United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Turkey working with the government will hasten the ongoing reconciliation in the country. 

Khadra Mohamed, the Director of Center for Somali Women's Advancement said “Whatever the political environment in Somali is or the situation in the country, the status of the recovery and nation development I was able to reach Mogadishu for the first time in 28years. 

Khadra Mohamed

“I was able to capture a lot of things. I am very sad and disappointed to see that some structural landmark and historical sites that were in the memory of my childhood somehow damaged significantly.  But I was also impressed by the resilient and the will of the very average people that lived there for a long period of time without stable government and the conflict,” she said. 

According to her, “Now people are being hopeful for the first time in many years and things are evolving for the better. Whatever the political climate might have been, whatever the political crisis, turmoil or change, unhappiness or civil war or whatever it is called, Independence Day is Independence Day. 

“It is a day to remember. It shows Somalia is a country, it is a Republic and it has its own flag. The unnecessary conflicts took a very long time for Somali to get together and put their differences aside and to attain a nation,” she added.