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 is not ...

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 British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate ( so, Dhulka Maxmiyada Soomaalida ee Biritishka), was a British Empire, British protectorate in present-day Somaliland. During its existence, the territory was bordered by Italian Soma ...

. He hails from the

Issa Musse The Issa Musa or ‘Isa Musa ( so, Ciise Muuse, ar, عيسى موسى , Full Name:'' ’Isa ibn Musa ibn Zubayr ibn Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ash- Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad'' ) is a northern Somali clan. Its members form a part of the Habr Awal cl ...

sub-division of the

Habar Awal The Habr Awal, also contemporarily known as the Subeer Awal, and alternately romanized as the Zubeyr Awal ( so, Habar Awal, ar, هبر أول, Full Name: '' Zubeyr ibn Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ash- Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad)'' is a major clan of ...

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. Per ...

. He completed his primary, intermediate, and secondary education in former

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 continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Egal was married to Asha Saeed Abby, and together they had three sons and two daughters.

Career

Somaliland Flying for the first time The White and Blue Somali Flag at the Independence Celebrations on 26 June 1960

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 The Trust Territory of Somaliland, officially the "Trust Territory of Somaliland under Italian administration" ( it, Amministrazione fiduciaria italiana della Somalia), was a United Nations Trust Territory situated in present-day Somalia. Its ca ...

to form the

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

was assassinated on October 15, 1969. Shortly afterward, the newly established Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC) led by Major General

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 ...

, 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 Jama Ali Korshel ( so, Jaamac Cali Qoorsheel, ar, جامع علي قورشيل) was a Somali army Major General and former Head of the Somali Police Force. He was the Vice President of the Supreme Revolutionary Council. Biography Korshel was b ...

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 Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...

, Egal's dedication to the secessionist cause was doubted and challenged by hardliners, particularly within the

Somali National Movement The Somali National Movement ( so, Dhaqdhaqaaqa Wadaniga Soomaaliyeed, ar, الحركة الوطنية الصومالية) was one of the first and most important organized guerilla groups opposed to the Siad Barre regime in the 1980s to the 19 ...

(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 mea ...

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 (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

while undergoing surgery at a military hospital. His body was returned to Somaliland for a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

, 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
, - , - , - {{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