This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website
Quasi-independent and semi-autonomous regions in Somalia
Last modified: 2014-07-26 by bruce berry
Keywords: somalia | awdal | azania | darwishland | hinterland state | gedoland | hiiraan | khaatumo | maayland | somali central | sool | tanadland | ximan and xeeb |
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- Background
- Awdal
- Azania
- Darwishland
- Federated Hinterland State
- Gedoland
- Hiiraan State
- Khaatumo State
- Maayland
- Northland
- Somali Central State
- Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions
- Tanadland
- Ximan and Xeeb (Himan and Heeb) Administration
- Somalia
- Somalia - national index
- Somaliland
- Al-Shabaab
- Galmudug State
- Jubaland
- Maakhir State
- Puntland
- South-West Somalia
- Islamic Courts Union (ICU)
Background
As a result of many years of civil war and the emergence of a number of armed rival "clans" seeking to establish hegemony, Somalia is considered a "failed" state as currently no central governing authority has exclusive control over the entire country. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is the recognised central government authority but its control is weak and a number of areas and local authorities within Somalia have declared themselves "independent" of the TFG or aligned themselves with its opponents and do not recognise it as the legitimate governing authority.
The Transitional Federal Government has nominal control in the centre of the country and has the support of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and Al-Shabaab. In the north and north-west five quasi-independent areas have formed since the 1990s, namely:
South-Western Somalia has declared itself autonomous in the southern part of the country.
Some of these areas, like Somaliland,
have declared themselves fully independent republic and established rival
governing and administrative structures while others such as Puntland do not
recognise the authority of the TFG and have declared themselves "autonomous". Some of these quasi-independent and semi-autonomous regions in Somalia have also
adopted distinctive symbols, including flags, while others continue to use the
Somali flag.
Bruce Berry, 26 Oct 2008
Awdal
image by Eugene Ipavec, 19
Sep, 2010
Awdal is clan based division based on a 16th century sultanate in the
westernmost region between Somaliland and
Djibouti inhabited by Gadabursi subclan of the Dir.
Somaliland and Adwalland are vying for control of this region. Awdal State of
Somalia wants to be part of a federal government of Somalia. Its second
anniversary took place in Switzerland on March, 20, 2012. The closest that
Rashid Aw Nor Hirsi, the president of Awdal State of Somalia, can travel is
Mogadishu and the areas where Somaliland army have no presence.
Cai Zhenyuan,16 July 2013
It is not clear if Awdal is another self-proclaimed state or semi-autonomous region. The proposed flag of Awdal (see above) can be seen on many websites and variant can be seen in a photo on Somali.net (see below), which probably means it has been adopted.
image by Eugene Ipavec, 19 Sep, 2010
Valentin Poposki, 16 Sep 2010
Azania / Azaaniya
image by Cai Zhenyuan, 28 Dec 2011
Azania was established on 20 March 2011 in Kenya and is supported by Kenya,
which is interested helping develop a regional administration and establish a
buffer zone against threats from al-Shabaab. Azania state is led by Mohamed Abdi
Gandhi, a former Somalia defence minister. He is an educated man who has
personal contacts with the governments of both Ethiopia and Kenya. The regional
state works in Gedo and Lower Jubba regions, and its capital is Bu'aale town.
Cai Zhenyuan, 16 July 2013
After seven days of deliberations in April 2011, Somalia’s Transitional Federal
Government, members of parliament, civil society groups and clan elders agreed
to the formation of a semi-autonomous state to be called Azaaniya.
Originally known as Jubaland, Azaaniya comprises lower
and middle Juba and Gedo regions on the Kenya-Somalia
border. On 03 April 2011, Prof Muhamed Gandhi Mohamed was sworn in as the
interim
president of the newly-created state.
http://jubbalandnews.com
It was further reported that the flag of
Azania shall be rectangular in shape with three colours - red at the bottom,
White at the top and blue in the middle, with all stripes being of equal
size (as seen in the photo below).
Cai Zhenyuan, 28 Dec 2011
Image
sent by
Jens Pattke, 08 Apr 2011
creation of Azania was celebrated Sunday in Kenya's capital of Nairobi. Its President, Mohamed Abdi Gandhi, said his primary duty is to retake his territory from al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab. Since the ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 the Horn of Africa country has split into a number of clan-ruled territories and seen the creation of such self-styled nations as the Republic of Somaliland and Puntland.
Jens Pattke, 08 Apr 2011
Not mentioned in that short article
above is that this region has been until now better known as
Jubaland, consisting lately of the Somali "regions" of
Lower Juba, Middle Juba and Gedo. Jubaland in the colonial era was
originally part of British East Africa (Kenya),
ceded to Italy in 1925 (administered for a year as a separate colony, Oltre
Giuba, or Trans-Juba), and incorporated into Italian Somaliland in 1926. This
region borders Kenya which is now interested in its independent status as a
buffer state between it and the rest of the chaos in Somalia. Jubaland was
briefly independent in 1998-99 (unrecognized), and
Wikipedia reports a
different flag from what is described in FOTW.
While Azania has been in recent times been better known as a proposed name for
Black-majority rule South Africa (ultimately
rejected by the ruling African National Congress),
as well as sometimes applied to all sub-Saharan Africa, the name in the era of
the Roman Empire applied to the coast of East Africa below the Horn to somewhere
around Tanzania (thus including modern
Jubaland). According to Wikipedia, the etymology of
Azania remains unclear.
T.F. Mills, 08 Apr 2011
Darwishland
The following link
http://www.afnugaal.com/ktmllite/images/uploads/AA%20darwiishland%20flag.JPG
shows an image named the "Darwishland flag". It looks
like a Somali flag with a horse head and the words "Darwishland of
Somalia" added.
The image does not give the proof that Darwiishland /Northland state of Somalia
actually uses this as a flag but I think it was worth being
reported.
Olivier Touzeau, 02 Aug 2008
Federated Hinterland State
image sent by Cai Zhenyuan and resized by Eugene Ipavec, 06 Dec
2010
State Flag of the Federated
Hinterland State is shown at http://www.maayland.com/hinterland.htm
and is described as follows:
The
State Flag shall have a rectangular shape with three equal horizontal stripes. Green indicates the fertile nature of the territory and
is the bottom stripe; Red indicates the bloodshed and is the top stripe. The Black
stripe indicates that Federated Hinterland is African State
within the Somali Federal Republic. In the fly of
the red stripe is a large white five pointed star surrounded below and on the
'east" and "west" sides by three smaller white five pointed stars.
Cai Zhenyuan, 05 Dec 2010
A map of the area showing an image of the flag has been provided.
Rob Raeside, 06 Dec 2010
Gedoland
A horizontally divided green-light blue-red flag with five white stars in line on
the blue stripe is shown at
http://www.allgedo.com/Tempe/fegradda%20daahir%20faarax%20ee%20calanka%20mgg%20n\ews.htm
as the flag of Gedoland - an autonomous area within Somalia.
Olivier Touzeau, 02 Aug 2008
Hiiraan State
image by Cai Zhenyuan, 13 Mar 2011
Cai Zhenyuan, 13 Mar 2011
Khaatumo State
Image by Cai Zhenyuan, 03 May 2012
Khaatumo was announced in January 2012 after a meeting in Taleh town of Sool
and it comprises the Sool, Sanaag and Eyn regions. Khatumo was established
during a conference known as Khatumo2 and supports the Transitional Federal
Government (TFG) rather than Somaliland. The
Dhulbahante clan, a sub clan of Darod clan, is dominant in the regions of Sool,
Sanag and Eyn and has maintains the SSC militia fighters who fought against
Somaliland in Buuhoodle. Major politicians including Ali Khalif Galeyr, a former
Somali prime minister and lecturer at US universities, backed the conference.
The Khatumo state of Somalia will have three presidents, rotating on a six month
basis, and a Supreme Council comprising of three members, and a cabinet of six
members. The three routine presidents are: Ahmed Elmi Osman (Amed Karash),
Mohmaed Yusuf Jama (Indhasheeel) and Nur Elmi (Biindhe). In March of this year,
the TFG officially recognized Khatumo. In March 2012, the TFG recognized the
state, but rescinded this few days a later.
Cai Zhenyuan,16 July 2013
Khaatumo State is a newly formed semi-autonomous state located in north eastern Somalia. It was formed after a conference held in the Taleh district of Sool region in December 2011. The conference was attended by representatives from Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions.
Based on a photograph on
flickr, the state flag
has a dark blue background with a large white five-pointed star in the hoist
half and a horse in the fly half, also in white. The name of the state (in
English) is written at the top of the flag in white.
Cai Zhenyuan, 03 May 2012
Image by
Cai Zhenyuan, 27 May 2013
According to this
source, Khaatumo has a new flag which is blue with a white five-pointed star
in the centre. Near the hoist, to the left of the star, is a jumping white
horse. No further information is provided.
Cai Zhenyuan, 27 May 2013
Maayland
An image of the flag of Maayland / Southern Somali Union is shown at http://maayland.com/. This flag has already been reported as the flag of South-West Somalia.
Olivier Touzeau, 02 Aug 2008
Northland
Northland State is an autonomous
state in the disputed Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions of Somalia
between the self-declared republic of Somaliland
and the autonomous Somali states of Puntland and
Maakhir. Northland State was declared autonomous on
01 May 2008. Currently it appears as if the Somali national flag is still being
used.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 13 July
2008
The Northland State (01 May 2008 - 11
January 2009) was an autonomous state in the disputed Sool, Sanaag and Cayn
regions of Somalia. While Northland's official capital was Las Anod, its
parliament never met due to Las Anod being under the control of
Somaliland.
Cai Zhenyuan, 04 Dec 2013
Somali Central State
image by Valentin Poposki,
15 Sep 2010
Valentin Poposki, 15 Sep 2010
Somali Central state was established in
2011 and claims control over parts of Galgudud and Mudug regions and has links
with Himan and Heeb. The center of the regional
state is Abudwak and is dominated by the
Mareehan clan. It does not yield much political power and has been overshadowed
by disagreements with Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jaama (ASWJ), which is currently the
most powerful force in Abdudwak. Mohamed Hashi Abdi is the president. He was
arrested in Abdudwaq by ASWJ militia forces.
Cai Zhenyuan, 16 July 2013
I think the 'Somali Central State' is
just a proposal by an exile group in the United Kingdom. You can see this at the
last line at the bottom of the first link "Maxamed Xaashi Cabdi Leicester,
UK". There are also Youtube video links of a meeting in the UK showing
people discussing this development.
The cities they claim, Caabudwaaq (Abudwak), Dusa Mareb, Gelinsoor, etc. are
deep in the Mudug and Galguduud regions near the Ethoipan border. I don't
think the 'SCS' has any control over these areas. Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a, a Sufi
militia, now controls much of the Galgaduud Region after defeating Al Shabaab in
a number of battles in early 2009.
Ben Cahoon, 16 Sep 2010
Valentin Poposki reported on the flag
of Somali Central State in September 2010, but there were some doubts about its
existence.
I have now found pictorial evidence of this flag. Local
online news reported a meeting in Nairobi and Sawiro held on 16 October
2010. Maybe this is the date of the formal establishment of the newly
formed Somali Central State?
As it can be expected in case of an African entity, there are many variations of
this flag. There are wider and narrower crescents being used, and variants
with and without inscriptions. Some images show white letters, the others have
black letters. But the motifs are the same (light blue field, white
crescent and star).
I have no information on existence of this state but it is mentioned in a number
of online news articles.
Zoltan Horvath, 16 Jan 2011
Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions
image sent by Cai Zhenyuan,
13 Mar 2011
Cai Zhenyuan, 13 Mar 2011
Tanadland
The flag of Tanadland is reported to be 8 horizontal stripes, alternatively orange and blue,
with the Japanese
naval ensign design in the canton and is shown at
http://www.tanadland.com/calankatanad.jpg
and
http://www.tanadland.com/.
It is not clear whether this is a de facto entity in Somalia.
Olivier Touzeau, 02 Aug 2008
Ximan and Xeeb (Himan and Heeb) Administration
image sent by Cai Zhenyuan, 14 Mar 2011
Himan and Heeb was established in 2008 and mainly covers parts of the
Galgudud regions. One of the oldest of the regional
states proclaimed in Somalia, it is dominated by the Saleeban sub clan of Habar
Gidir.
Himan and Heeb was presumably a direct answer to the Sa’ad dominated Galmdug
administration. The two homogenous clans of Galmudug and Himan and Heeb are the
most influential and had some permanent presence in Galkacyo and Addado, and a
technical presence beyond these two towns. Officials from both Galmudug
and Himan and Heeb made efforts to unite the two administrations but failed as
neither leader wanted to lose
his government position. Mohamed Abdulahi Ticey serves as president.
Cai Zhenyuan,16 Jul 2013
badweyn.com reports that the Himan and Heeb Administration was formed by the Elders and Elite of the Reer Haji Suleiman (Saleban) sub-clan of the Haber Gidr Hawiya Clan in 2008 at a ceremony held in the Administration capitol, Adado. Adado is located along the main tarmac road that connects northern Somalia with the south. The Administration covers approx 5,000 square miles and is bordered by Godin Labe Village in the South, Amaaro village (Harardhere district) in the South East, and Hobyo in the North East and Been-Dhaarte of Galmudug administration in the North and West.
Himan and Heeb is a local provisional government in the southern and central
regions of Somalia which uses the flag shown above.
Cai Zhenyuan, 14 Mar 2011