Somaliland Armed Forces
The Somaliland National Armed Forces (Somali: Ciidanka Qaranka Somaliland) are the military services of Somaliland. They are composed of two active military branches: the army and the navy. There is no air force.[3]
| Somaliland Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| Ciidanka Qaranka Somaliland | |
 Flag of Somaliland Armed Forces | |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Service branches |  Army Navy |
| Headquarters | Hargeisa |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-chief | Muse Bihi Abdi |
| Minister of Defence | Abdiqani Mohamoud Aateye |
| Chief of Staff | Nuh Ismail Tani |
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 18-45 |
| Fit for military service | 300,000, age 18-45 |
| Reaching military age annually | 250,000 |
| Active personnel | 75,000[1] |
| Reserve personnel | 4,000 |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | $350 million[2] |
| Percent of GDP | 30% |
| Related articles | |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Somaliland |
The Somaliland Police Force is also a part of the internal security forces and subordinate to the military. The Armed Forces is under the command of President Muse Bihi Abdi, who is the Commander-in-chief. Minister of Defence Abdiqani Mohamoud Aateye is the designated minister that oversees the armed forces.
Somaliland has 126 tanks, 109 armoured fighting vehicles, 23 rocket projectors, and 11 artillery in its national army, and 29,000 soldiers. Somaliland has 97 police cars and other vehicles in its police force as well as 22,000 police officers. Somaliland has 40 patrol craft and 13 patrol vessels in its navy, and 1,000 naval officers.
Somaliland spends a third of its $350 million budget on its armed forces, its largest government expenditure.[4] Due to a United Nations arms embargo on Somalia, the state is not allowed to procure weapons.[5]
Commanders
| Name | Took office | Left office | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuh Ismail Tani[5] | 2003 | 11 December 2011 | Dismissed |
| Mohamed Hasan Abdullahi | 2011 | 2012 | |
| ? | |||
| Nuh Ismail Tani | 2016 |
Army
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 had been developed and would be implemented by January 2013.[3]
Equipment
When the former Somalia ruler Siad Barre was ousted in 1990, Somaliland inherited the military equipment, hardware and facilities that were within the territories of present-day Somaliland.[5]
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Due to a United Nations 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 via the port of Berbera, usually during the night.[5]
Regular Somaliland soldiers have been seen with SKS carbines and various versions of the AK-47.[6]
Additionally, the Somaliland army operates an unknown number of the following equipment:[5]
- BM-21 mobile rocket launchers (100-200)
- BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles
- BTR-50 tracked armored personnel carriers
- T-34 medium tank (Dozens?)
- T-55 main battle tank (85)
Navy
The Somaliland navy (Somali: Ciidanka Bada ee Somaliland) was formed in 2009.[5] The headquarters is located in the coastal town of Berbera; a diving center run by foreign divers who train the Somaliland navy is also located there. The Navy operates with small speedboats mounted with guns.[5] Much of this equipment was provided by the United Kingdom, in an effort to combat piracy.[3]
References
- "Kirk Report Ending Somali Piracy Against American and Allied Shipping" (PDF). Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- Rubin, Michael. "Somaliland – Key to Winning America's Longest War". www.realcleardefense.com. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- Somaliland Sun (27 November 2012). "Somaliland: After Two Decades the Armed Forces Come to Age". somalilandsun.com. Somaliland Sun. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- Rubin, Michael. "Somaliland – Key to Winning America's Longest War". www.realcleardefense.com. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- Hussein, Abdi "Somalilands Military Is A Shadow of the Past" SomaliaReport, August 13, 2011, accessed August 13, 2011
- 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.
