The Somaliland National Armed Forces ( so, Ciidamada Qalabka Sida ee Soomaaliland; ar, القوات المسلحة الصوماليلاندية, alquaat almusalahat alsuwmalilandia) are the military services of

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 consid ...

. The Somaliland National Armed Forces consist of the

Somaliland National Army The Somaliland National Army ( so, Ciidanka Qaranka Somaliland, ar, الجيش صوماليلاندي), is the land force and largest branch of the Somaliland Armed Forces is based in the Somaliland capital of Hargeisa. There are approximately 1 ...

, the Somaliland Coast Guard, the

Somaliland Police Force The Somaliland Police, officially the Somaliland Police Force ( so, Ciidanka Booliska Somaliland, ar, قوات الشرطة صوماليلاندي) is a body responsible for law enforcement in the Republic of Somaliland. History Establishmen ...

, the Somaliland Custodial Corps, the Somaliland Immigration and Border Control and the

Somaliland Fire Brigade The Somaliland Fire Brigade (Somali: ''Ciidanka Dab-demiska Somaliland'') It is a force for firefighting disasters, human safety and other national services related to the Somaliland Armed Forces, a new force throughout the Republic of Somaliland ...

. There is no air force. The Armed Forces is under the command of President

Muse Bihi Abdi Musa Bihi Abdi ( so, Muuse Biixi Cabdi, ar, موسى بيحي عبدي) (born 1948 in Hargeisa, British Somaliland, now Somaliland) is a Somaliland politician and former military officer who has been President of Somaliland since December 2017. ...

, who is the Commander-in-chief.

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

Abdiqani Mohamoud Aateye is the designated minister that oversees the armed forces. Somaliland has 85 T-54/55 tanks, 6 armoured fighting vehicles, 100-200 rocket projectors, and 45 artillery in its national army, and 100,000 soldiers. Somaliland has over 200 police cars and other vehicles in its police force as well as 22,000 police officers. Somaliland has 7 defender class boats and 1 coast guard vessels in its coast guard, and 1,000 naval officers. Somaliland spends $115 million budget on its armed forces, its largest government expenditure. Due to a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

arms embargo on

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

, the state is not allowed to procure weapons.

History

Protectorate period

In 1914, the

Somaliland Camel Corps The Somaliland Camel Corps (SCC) was a Rayid unit of the British Army based in British Somaliland. It lasted from the early 20th century until 1944. Beginnings and the Dervish rebellion In 1888, after signing successive treaties with the then r ...

was formed in

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 ...

and saw service before, during, and after the Italian invasion of the territory during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1942, the

Somaliland Scouts The Somaliland Scouts was a Rayid military unit, a regiment, of the British Army. It was established after the liberation of British Somaliland from Italy in December 1941 and the dissolution of the Somaliland Camel Corps in 1942, which was form ...

were tasked with defending the reserve.

Independence and Union with Somalia

Somaliland became independent on 26 June 1960 as the

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 ...

, and the

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 ...

(the former Italian Somaliland) followed suit five days later. On 1 July 1960, the two territories united 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 ...

. After independence, the

merged with the former Dervishes to form the 5,000 strong Somali National Army.

War of Independence

In 1981, 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 ...

was one of the first rebel groups to form in the country. Then Somali dictator

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 ...

accused them of being separatist groups and ordered the

extermination Extermination or exterminate may refer to: * Pest control, elimination of insects or vermin * Genocide, extermination—in whole or in part—of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group * Homicide or murder in general * "Exterminate!", t ...

of the

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 ...

tribe, to which the rebel group belonged. The movement fought a guerrilla war in the northwest of the country with the aim of overthrowing and replacing the military government. After the dictator's defeat and special developments in 1991, the Somali sultans decided to abolish unity in 1960 and declared Somaliland an independent state.

Restoration of sovereignty

In 1991, after Somaliland reasserted its

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

, the new

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

faced great problems with armed groups and armed clans, who were boycotting roads to earn a living. The new government launched the Somaliland peace process jointly with the

. The communities in Somaliland negotiated what led to the Great Reconciliation Conference in Borama in 1993 which allowed the transfer of power from the Somali National Movement. An interim government for a new civil administration, paving the way for democratic governance and stability. After a civilian government led by

Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal 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 from 1993 to his death in 2002. H ...

disarmed armed clans and armed groups and recruited armed forces from all over

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 ...

. The Armed Forces of Somaliland was officially established on 2 February 1994.

Border War

In 1998 Puntland State of Somalia claimed Somaliland territory on the basis of clan kinship with some Somaliland communities in the eastern regions of

Sool Sool ( so, Sool, ar, صول) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in south eastern Somaliland/north western Somalia. It borders Togdheer to the west, Sanaag to the north, Ethiopia to the south and Nugal, Bari to the east. Its capital city ...

and

Sanaag Sanag ( so, Sanaag, ar, سَنَاج) is an administrative region (''Administrative divisions of Somaliland, gobol'') in north eastern Somaliland.

Personnel

The sub of Somaliland army in Somaliland has long operated without a formal rank structure. However, in December 2012, Somaliland defense ministry announced that a

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

had been developed and which was implemented in January 2013.

Equipment

When the former Somali dictator

was ousted in 1991, Somaliland inherited the military equipment, hardware and facilities that was left behind by the previous

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 ...

. Due to a

arms embargo on Somalia, which the semi-autonomous Somaliland region is internationally recognized as being a part of, the territory is not allowed to purchase weapons. Consequently, military officials from the region rely on repairing and modifying old equipment. Some also claim that weapons are at times delivered from Ethiopia and

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

via the port of Berbera, usually during the night. Regular Somaliland soldiers have been seen with SKS carbines (for parades) and various versions of the

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas operated, gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian s ...

.Forberg, Ekkehard and Ulf Terlinden.
Small Arms in Somaliland: Their Role and Diffusion
Berlin Information-center for Transatlantic Study (BITS). March 1999. Retrieved February 13, 2013.

Vehicles, Equipment and Camouflage

Commemoration of the 27th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Somaliland National Army

* Tanks **

T-55A The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks ...

(Main Battle Tank) * Armoured Personnel Carriers **

Fiat 6614 The Fiat CM6614 is a 4x4 wheeled armoured personnel carrier developed as a joint venture between Fiat and Oto Melara of Italy. The hull is welded steel, and the vehicle is amphibious. The first prototype was built in 1972. Description The C ...

** Fiat 6616 (Turret - 20mm) * Transport Vehicles **

Iveco LMV Iveco LMV (Light Multirole Vehicle) is a 4WD tactical vehicle developed by Iveco, and in service with several countries. After its adoption by the Italian Army as the ''Veicolo-Tattico-Leggero-Multiruolo'' (VTLM) ''Lince'' ("Light tactical multi ...

(4x4) ** Renault GBC-180 (6×6) ** M939 Truck (6×6) ** Toyota Landcruiser J79 **

Toyota Hilux The , stylized as HiLux and historically as Hi-Lux, is a series of pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The majority of these vehicles are sold as pickup truck or cab chassis variants, although they ...

Nissan Frontier The Nissan Frontier is a nameplate used on two different pickup truck models by Nissan: * Nissan Frontier (international), an alternative nameplate for the NP300/Navara on some markets * Nissan Frontier (North America), a rebadged NP300/Navara from ...

** Ford F350 (Armoured Gun Truck) **

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...

* Self-Propelled Artillery **

BM-21 Grad The BM-21 "Grad" (russian: БМ-21 "Град", lit= hail) is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first comba ...

(Multiple Rocket Launcher - 122mm) **

(Multiple Rocket Launcher) ** D-44 (Artillery - 85mm) * Mortar ** M-224 (Mortar - 60mm) ** M1938 (Mortar - 120mm) * Anti-Aircraft Gun *

ZU-23-2 The ZU-23-2, also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23×152mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. ZU stands for ''Zenitnaya Ustanovka'' (Russian: Зенитная Установка) – anti-aircraft mount. The GRAU index is 2A13. Developm ...

(Twin-barreled anti-aircraft gun - 23mm) * Camo **

U.S. Woodland The U.S. Woodland is a camouflage pattern that was used as the default camouflage pattern issued to the United States Armed Forces from 1981, with the issue of the Battle Dress Uniform, until its replacement in the mid to late 2000s. It is a four ...

(Primary Camo) **

Multi-Terrain Pattern The Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) is the standard camouflage pattern of the British Armed Forces. As part of the British Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Personal Equipment and Common Operational Clothing (PECOC) programme, three new camouflage patter ...

Coast Guard

The Somaliland Coast Guard ( so, Ciidanka Bada ee Somaliland) was formed in 2009. The headquarters is located in the coastal town of

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 ...

; a diving center run by foreign divers who train the Somaliland coast guard is also located there. The coast guard operates with small speedboats mounted with guns. Much of this equipment was provided by 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 ...

, in an effort to combat piracy.

Ranks

;Officers ;Enlisted

Gallery

File:Somaliland patrol boat.jpg, Somaliland Patrol Boat of the Somaliland Coast Guard File:Somaliland Army 1.jpg, Somaliland

T-55 The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks ...

main battle tank File:Somaliland Fiat armored car1.jpg, Somaliland

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

armored car File:Scenes from Somaliland Independence Day (29324245600).jpg, Somaliland

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somaliland Armed Forces Military in Somaliland 1993 establishments in Somaliland Military units and formations established in 1993 Factions in the Somali Civil War