Jama Ali Korshel ( so, Jaamac Cali Qoorsheel, ar, جامع علي قورشيل) was a Somali

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and former Head of the

Somali Police Force ) , mission = , formedyear = , formedmonthday = , preceding1 = Police Corps of Somalia (1910–1960) , employees = , volunteers = , budget = , nongovernment = , country ...

. He was the

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

of the Supreme Revolutionary Council.

Biography

Korshel was born in the town of

Erigavo Erigavo ( so, Ceerigaabo, ), also spelled as Erigabo, is the capital and largest city of the Sanaag region of Somaliland. History The Erigavo settlement is several centuries old. The surrounding area was supposedly built by the Madigan Dir. ...

, situated in the eastern

Sanaag Sanag ( so, Sanaag, ar, سَنَاج) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north eastern Somaliland.Regions o ...

region of Somaliland. Korshel completed the Quran in Erigavo and started school at

SOS Sheikh Secondary School The former SOS Sheikh Secondary School (currently known as Pharo Sheikh Secondary School) is situated near the town of Sheikh in a remote part of the country Somaliland, and a three-hour drive from the country's capital, Hargeisa. The once-renowned ...

to finish his middle school education. The SOS Sheikh Secondary School is situated near the town of Sheikh in a remote part of present day Somaliland. Korshel finished his high school studies in Aden, Yemen. After completing high school Korshel went back to northern Somalia and joined the police force. He was given a scholarship to go to the National Police College in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire, England to complete his training. He was a leader in the

Somali National League Somali may refer to: Horn of Africa * Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region ** Proto-Somali, the ancestors of modern Somalis ** Somali culture ** Somali cuisine ** Somali language, a Cushitic language ** Somali, ...

(SNL) when British Somaliland gained its independence in 1960. Following the establishment 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 ...

and the assassination of the young nation's second president, Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, Korshel would later emerge as one of the key figures in the

1969 Somali coup d'état The 1969 Somali coup d'état was the bloodless takeover of Somalia's government on 21 October 1969 by far-left military officers of the Supreme Revolutionary Council led by Siad Barre. Somali troops supported by tanks under the command of Barre ...

which saw the

military junta A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...

Mohamed Siad Barre Mohamed Siad Barre ( so, Maxamed Siyaad Barre, Osmanya script: ; ar, محمد سياد بري; c. 1910 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali head of state and general who served as the 3rd president of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 199 ...

take power. He was appointed vice president of the new Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC) that assumed office, and put in charge of Internal Affairs. In 1970, an alleged counter-coup d'état attempt, reportedly masterminded by Korshel, was uncovered. Korshel was subsequently arrested in April 1971,Burke, p.233 until 1975, when he was released from prison. Korshel later embarked on a business career. He died in 1989 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and was subsequently flown to

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...

, where a religious ceremony was held in his honor before finally being laid to rest in

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...

. Korshel's son, Said Korshel, would later follow in his father's footsteps, entering politics and serving in the

Puntland Puntland ( so, Puntland, ar, أرض البنط, it, Terra di Punt or ''Paese di Punt''), officially the Puntland State of Somalia ( so, Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland ee Soomaaliya, ar, ولاية أرض البنط الصومالية), is a F ...

regional administration as a minister between 2002-2007 and the federal Government of Somalia as Minister of Transportation.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Korshel, Jama Vice presidents of Somalia Somalian military leaders Somalian police chiefs Year of death missing Year of birth missing Somalian generals

Biography

See also

Notes

References