Villa Somalia (, ) in

Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

, is the

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

and principal workplace of the

president of Somalia The president of Somalia () is the head of state of Somalia. The president is also commander-in-chief of the Somali Armed Forces. The president represents the Federal Republic of Somalia, and the unity of the Somali nation, as well as ensuri ...

. The current occupant is president

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somali language, Somali: ''Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud''; ; born 29 November 1955) is a Somali politician serving as the president of Somalia since 15 May 2022. He previously held the office from 2012 to 2017. Hassan was previo ...

of the

Federal Government of Somalia The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS; , DFS; ) is the internationally recognised government of Somalia, and the longest running attempt to create a central government in Somalia since the collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic in 1991. It ...

(FGS).

History

The edifice was built in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style by the colonial authorities in

Italian Somaliland Italian Somaliland (; ; ) was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia, which was ruled in the 19th century by the Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate in the north, and by the Hiraab Imamate and ...

, serving as a residence for the Governors. Villa Somalia (originally called ''Villa del Viceré'' when inaugurated in October 1936) was on high ground that overlooked Italian Mogadishu on the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

, with access to both the

harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

and Petrella airport. It was originally a large, squarish

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

building with a tiled roof. The edifice was built in the new section of the city (developed by the Italians in the late 1930s) and it was a famous symbol of modernist (art deco) architecture. Following independence in 1960, the building became the presidential palace of the president of the

Somali Republic The Somali Republic (; ; ) was formed by the union of the Trust Territory of Somaliland (formerly Italian Somaliland) and the State of Somaliland (formerly British Somaliland). A government was formed by Abdullahi Issa Mohamud and Muhammad ...

. After the start of the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

and the overthrow of the

Siad Barre Mohammed Siad Barre (, Osmanya script: , ''Muhammad Ziād Barīy''; 6 October 1919 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali military officer, politician, and revolutionary who served as the third president of Somalia from 21 October 1969 to 26 Janu ...

administration in the early 1990s, various factions fought for control of and installed themselves in the residence. During the last stand of the regime in January 1991, the Villa was a final stronghold held by the security services in the capital. Mortars were fired from the palace into the city to attack insurgents - in particular Towfiq neighborhood where rebels had set up command posts. During the early 2000's, Villa Somalia was under the control of the powerful Mogadishu warlord Hussein Farah Aidid of the

Somali National Alliance The Somali National Alliance (abbreviated SNA) was a major politico-military faction formed on 16 June 1992 by four different rebel groups that had been in opposition to the regime of former President Mohamed Siad Barre. The SNA was among the f ...

(SNA) and Somalia Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC). Aidid and the SRRC were opposed to the newly formed

Transitional National Government The Transitional National Government (TNG) was the internationally recognized central government of Somalia from 2000 to 2004. Overview The TNG was established in 20 April–5 May 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Arta, Djibo ...

(TNG) and used the Villa as a base to attack the TNG and forces loyal to it. Following a dispute between Aidids forces during June 2003, a heavy weapon was discharged on the Villa's grounds resulting in one of the largest explosions in the capital since 1991. In his role as Minister of the Interior of the

Transitional Federal Government The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) (, , ) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Somalia from 14 October 2004 until 20 August 2012. It was established in Nairobi, Kenya, following the Transitional National Govern ...

(TFG), Aidid made a public visit to the Villa in August 2005. Up until the summer of 2006 when the

Islamic Courts Union The Islamic Courts Union () was a legal and political organization founded by Mogadishu-based Sharia courts during the early 2000s to combat the lawlessness stemming from the Somali Civil War. By mid-to-late 2006, the Islamic Courts had expanded ...

(ICU) defeated the Somali Warlord Alliance, the Villa remained one of the last warlord holdouts in Mogadishu, then under the control of militia loyal to Hussein Aidid. Villa Somalia served as the headquarters of the

during 2006. During the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, President

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (, ‎; 15 December 1934 – 23 March 2012), was a Somali politician and former military official who served as the first President of Puntland from 1998 to 2004. He also played a key role in establishing the Transitional ...

of the

entered Mogadishu for the first time on 8 January 2007. The government subsequently relocated to Villa Somalia from its interim location at

Baidoa Baidoa (, Somali (Af-Maxaa): , ) is the largest city of the South West State of Somalia. Between 2002 and 2014, Baidoa was the capital of the South West State. In 2014, the capital was changed to Barawa. Overview Baydhabo is the main hub of ...

. Soon after, the Ethiopian

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a Sovereign state, state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase ...

was set up in the Villa Somalia compound. Today, it is the office of President

Chief of Staff

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (, ; born March 11, 1962), also known as Farmaajo, is a Somali politician who served as president of Somalia from 2017 to 2022. He was Prime Minister of Somalia, prime minister of Somalia for six months, from Novembe ...

appointed Fahad Yasin to the position of

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

for Villa Somalia in April 2017. On 8 September 2021

appointed Abdisaid Muse Ali as

for Villa Somalia, previously he was National Security Advisor to the President. In June 2022 President

announced the appointment of Hussein Sheikh Mohamud as the new Chief of Staff Villa Somalia. He made this important appointment after one month of assuming the office of President. In August 2023 President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud officially announced the appointment of Abdihakim Mohamed Yusuf as the new Chief of Staff Villa Somalia; for the Office of the President. Hussein Sheikh Mohamud, the prior chief of staff, resigned in May but only made his departure public this week.

References

External links

Video of Villa Somalia in 1991
{{Somalia italiana (Colonia) Presidential residences Buildings and structures in Mogadishu Art Deco architecture Houses completed in 1932 Italian Somaliland Government buildings completed in 1932

History

Chief of Staff

See also

References

External links