MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somaliland is in mourning following the death of former President Ahmed Mohamud Silanyo on Friday, who led the self-declared republic from 2010 to 2017 after winning a popular election, as the region’s electoral authorities continue the painstaking process of counting ballots from the November 13 elections.
Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi visited the residence of the late former leader shortly after his death was announced on state television, offering condolences to the family and relatives of the breakaway region’s fourth head of state.
Silanyo, whose political career began in the early 1970s when he was appointed Minister of Planning under the military regime of Siad Barre, later led the region’s armed resistance against the regime in the 1980s, a struggle that ultimately contributed to the overthrow of the junta; he also played a pivotal role in Somaliland’s secession, serving as a key minister in the government of the late President Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal during its formative years.
Remembered as a staunch opponent of reunification with Somalia, Silanyo was nonetheless a pragmatist who believed that Somalis in the north and south could coexist peacefully, setting aside political differences while living as citizens of two separate nations.
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