Personal Account information of 26 June 1960 from Author. Politician, historian General Mohamed Ghalib

In general, the independence of a colonised country or nation begins at 12 o’clock mid-night, which is also quite rightly called the midnight freedom. It was (is) customary that the colonial Governor must leave the colonised country on the day before that country‘s independence. That is before the flag, which that Governor represented would be folded up and replace by the flag of the newly would be independent nation. Therefore, the last British Governor of Somaliland left Hargeisa in the morning of 25 June 1960. Normally a flag is hoisted (put up) at sunrise and lowered at sunset every day. However, in that fateful evening of 25 June 1960, the Union Jack, as the British flag is called, was being lowered for the last time, and it was being saluted good-bye and honoured with a military parade. And since military parades are held only in day light, the Union Jack was lowered on that day at 5 p.m. i.e. one hour before sunset, at a special ceremony marked by a guard of honour (military parade and salute) mounted (given) by a unit of  the Somaliland Scouts Regiment. In that evening of 25 June 1960, about scores of stands (poles) of metal were erected on the hill below Radio Hargeisa in the northern side of the town. Large sheets were fixed upon those stands on which were written in big capital letters: ‘‘G O B A N I M O ‘’ and lighted, in order to be seen from all corners of the town.

People crowed everywhere, especially around those stands on the hill and on the ground below, waiting until after midnight to see the hoisting of the new, blue Somali flag. In the meantime, they continued folk dances, songs and poems etc.

I was not near where the late Abdullahi Suldaan, alias ‘Tima-Cadde’ recited his famous poem, ‘‘Kaana siib, kanna saar’’. I only heard it later, when it was broadcast over the Radio. But I was standing, in about less than five meters to the other famous artist, the late Abdullahi Gharshe when he sang for the first time his patriotic inaugural song commemorating the new Somali flag and said, ‘‘Qolabaa calan keeduu waa cayneh, innagaa keenu waa cir koo kalee, oo aan caadna la hay nee caashaqa’ee”. During the whole night of 25 – 26 June 1960, the acting British Governor, his Chief Secretary and Mohamed Ibrahim Egal who was taking over from him, together with their legal advisers were busy completing and signing the transfer of sovereignty documents, especially the statutory functions to the new Somali Government, i.e. all the laws that were in force during the British, because it was impossible to enact new laws because of the shortage of time.In the following morning, 26 June 1960, a big military parade was mounted by the armed forces, i.e. The Somaliland Scouts Regiment and a unit of the Somaliland Police Force, was held in commemoration of the independence of the State of Somaliland. The parade was  taken (led) by the British Colonel, the Commander of the Somaliland Scouts Regiment. The whole population of Hargeisa crowed around the parade ground to witness the flying of the Somali flag at the ceremony marking the occasion. A British Band was brought from Aden to entertain the people on the occasion.

Interesting enough, the national flag that was hoisted, was that which had been designed for the south, which the Somalilanders brought from Mogadishu before the actual reunion became effective on 1st July. It is the same flag that the Somalilanders now say it does not belong to them. And although Somaliland gained its independence, there was no any new government formed. Only the four ministers who had been appointed by the colonial governor before the independence remained in office, nor did Somaliland apply new membership of the United Nations. Between 26 June and 1 July 1960, the only real institution in Somaliland was its parliament that also hoisted the Somali blue flag. Throughout during the ceremonies of the Somaliland independence, all members of the police force were on duty round the clock to maintain law and order. Their biggest task was that of traffic and crowd control and looking after properties, both public and private. Because all people locked up their homes and businesses and left them unattended, in order to participate in the ceremonies and it could be a big opportunity for thieves to steal a lot. We had to detail so many police patrols round the clock to look after everything, everywhere.

My personal role was the supervision of all those police operations during the entire occasion. And at the same time, I had to be at all functions (events) and meetings of the new government. I did not see my family for nearly twenty-four hours.Unquote. Hope this gives first hand information how the ceremony occurred.This information was entered Google on April 30, 2014.

Ismail Yusuf.