| Somaliland Armed Forces Ciidanka Qaranka |
|
|---|---|
| Service branches | Army Air Defense Forces Navy |
| Headquarters | Hargeisa Berbera |
| Leadership | |
| Minister of Defense | Ahmed Haji Abdi Adami |
| Chief of staff | Mohamed Hasan Abdullahi |
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 18 - 49 years. |
| Available for military service |
~800,000 (2005), age 16-45 (2011 est.) |
| Fit for military service |
~340,000 (2005), age 16-45 (2011 est.) |
| Active personnel | 28,000[1] |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | $6 million (2006)[2] |
| Percent of GDP | 0.9% of GDP (2005) |
The Somaliland Armed Forces (Somali: Ciidanka Qaranka) are the main military forces in Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia. They are composed of three principle military units: the army, the navy and the air defence forces. The Somaliland Police Force is also a part of the internal security forces but is subordinate to the military. The current person in charge of Somaliland's Armed Forces is the Minister of Defence Ahmed Haji Abdi Adami.
The Somaliland Armed Forces is the biggest item in the government's budget, with nearly 25% of revenues devoted to the armed forces.[2] An article on the 2006 budget cited a figure of approximately 41 billion Somaliland Shilling, approximately $6 million.[2] Due to Somaliland's lack of international recognition, the region receives no foreign assistance to maintain its military.
Contents |
| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Nuh Ismail Tani[1][3] | 2003 | 11 December 2011 | Dismissed |
| 2 | General Mohamed Hasan Abdullahi[3] | 11 December 2011 | Incumbent |
| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hasan Abdi Yusuf[3] | 11 December 2011 | Dismissed | |
| 2 | Mohamed Adan Saqadhi[3] | 11 December 2011 | Incumbent |
The army is organized into 12 divisions which comprise 4 tank brigades, 45 mechanized and infantry brigades, 4 commando brigades, surface-to-air missile brigade, 3 artillery brigades, 30 field battalions, and an air defense battalion.
Regular soldiers of Somaliland have been seen with G3 rifles, SKS carbines and various versions of the AK-47. [4]
The Somaliland army operates and unknown number of the following equipment:[1][5]
Because of the UN arms embargo on Somalia, the semi-autonous Somaliland is unable to purchase arms and therefore rely on repairing/modifying old equipment. Some arms are believed to have been delivered by Ethiopia and Yemen.[1]
The Somaliland navy (Somali: Ciidanka Bada ee Somaliland) was formed in 2009. The headquarter is located in the coastal town of Berbera where its also a diving center run by foreign divers who train the Somaliland navy. The Navy operates with small speedboats mounted with guns, pick-ups and trucks.[1]