Somaliland: Government to Finalize Armed Forces Ranking
Hargeisa, Aug 7, 2013 (SDN) —Somaliland president Ahmed Mohamed Mohamed ‘Silanyo’ announced yestedday that his government will begin to institutionalize the chain of command within the armed forces by finalizing the award of ranks.
In presidential decree issued by president Silanyo directed the ministry of Defence to finalize armed forces ranking where 10,000 serving officers pooled from the three branches of the country’s armed forces are to be awarded relevant ranks. The presidential decree reads:
In presidential decree #JSL/M/XERM/249-1948/082013 the head of state president Ahmed Mahmud Has directed the ministry of Defence to institutionalize the chain of command within the armed forces by finalizing the award of ranks.
The presidential decree informed that the president made the decision in conformity with the Somaliland constitution and relevant powers it; the constitution confers on him read:
Quote- I the president
• Conforming to Section 4, Article 90 of the somaliland constitution
• In Reference to recommendations made by
I. The national committee on Armed forces Rankings and
II. The National Security Committee
• Having observed the imperative need of establishing a proper chain of command within the armed forces
• In the confidence that a proper chain of command and
• In exercise of powers conferred on my office
I hereby order the immediate and complete award of relevant rankings within the country’s three branches of the armed forces.
The rankings shall be conferred to 10,000 officers and commiserating with their skills as recommended by the report of the Armed forces Rankings committee.
The rankings exercise should start on Eid-Ul-Fitr day 2013 –Unquote
The establishment of a proper chain of command for the two decades old armed forces which was one of the pledges made by the ruling Kulmiye party during the 2010 presidential election campaign were started in February 2013 when 12 senior ranking officers from the three branches of Army, police and Prisons service saw their shoulder Epaulets adorned with golden insignias of their ranks that ranged between Colonel to Brigadier general.
SDN Hargeisa