Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal

Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal محمد الحاج ابراهيم عقال
2nd President of Somaliland
In office May 16, 1993 – May 3, 2002
Vice President	Abdirahman Aw Ali Farah (1993-1997) Yusuf Yasin (1997-2002)
Preceded by	Abdurahman Ali Tuur
Succeeded by	Dahir Riyale Kahin
Prime Minister of the State of Somaliland
In office June 26, 1960 – July 1, 1960
Preceded by	Sir Douglas Hall (as Governor)
Succeeded by	(none)
1st Prime Minister of Somalia
In office July 1, 1960 – July 12, 1960
Preceded by	(none)
Succeeded by	Abdirashid Ali Shermarke
4th Prime Minister of Somalia
In office July 15, 1967 – November 1, 1969
Preceded by	Abdirizak Haji Hussein
Succeeded by	Mohamed Siad Barre
Personal details
Born	August 15, 1928(1928-08-15) Odweyne, British Somaliland
Died	May 3, 2002(2002-05-03) (aged 73) Pretoria, South Africa
Political party	UDUB
Spouse(s)	(1) Edna Adan (2) Asha Saeed Aabi (3) Kaltum Haji Dahir
Religion	Sunni Islam

Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal (Somali: Maxamed Xaaji Ibraahim Cigaal, Arabic: محمد الحاج ابراهيم ايغال‎) (born August 15, 1928 in Odweyne, British Somaliland - died May 3, 2002 in Pretoria, South Africa) was a Somali politician. He was president (from 1993) of the self-proclaimed but internationally unrecognized Republic of Somaliland in northern Somalia. He established an island of relative stability in war-torn Somalia but failed to win international recognition for his region as an independent state.

Biography

Egal was born in Somalia in 1928 to a Habar Awal Isaaq family. He hails from the north western region of Somalia.

Parliamentary offices

Left to right: Muriel Humphrey, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, First Lady Edna Adan, President Lyndon B. Johnson, Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal, and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, during a visit by Egal to the United States.

In June 1960 Egal was Prime minister of the newly independent State of Somaliland, which merged five days later with the former Italian Trust Territory to form Somalia. He served as Somalia's defense minister (1960–1962), Education Minister (1962–1963), Prime minister (1967–1969), and ambassador to India (1976–1978), although he was imprisoned twice under Barre dictatorship. When the Somali Democratic Republic collapsed in 1991, Somaliland unilaterally declared independent status; although he initially opposed its secession, two years later Egal was elected president by a council of Elders.

Presidential tenure

Egal managed to disarm rebel groups, stabilized the north western region and economy of Somaliland, successfully managed to establish bilateral trade with foreign countries, introduce Somaliland new currency the Somaliland shilling, as well as the Somaliland passport and Somaliland national flag and creating the most successful and powerful armed police and military force in Somalia.

Death

Egal died in Pretoria, South Africa while undergoing surgery at a military hospital. His three sons laid him to rest next to his father in accordance with his last wishes. He was buried at the port city of Berbera. He was given a state funeral in which around 4,000 Somalis mourned and attended the service. Dahir Riyale Kahin was inaugurated as the new leader after Egal's death. During which, the parliament declared seven days of mourning, however flags were not flying at half-staff because the emblem includes the Shahadah, Islam's holiest words. ^[1]

References

1. ^ [1]

External links

• IRIN Interview with Mohamed Ibrahim Egal, President of Somaliland

Political offices
New title	Prime Minister of the State of Somaliland 1960	Somaliland merged into Somalia
New title	Prime Minister of Somalia 1960	Succeeded by Abdirashid Ali Shermarke
Preceded by Abdirizak Haji Hussein	Prime Minister of Somalia 1967 – 1969	Succeeded by Mohamed Farah Salad
Preceded by Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur	President of Somaliland 1993 – 2002	Succeeded by Dahir Riyale Kahin

Persondata
Name	Egal, Mohamed Haji Ibrahim
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 15, 1928
Place of birth	Odweyne, British Somaliland
Date of death	May 3, 2002
Place of death	Pretoria, South Africa