Picture of the day : Somaliland delegation to Addis Ababa via Kalabaydh in January 1996

  – Following is a picture taken on the day the Ministers from Somaliland travelled to Addis Ababa via Kalabayidh airport because Hargeisa Airport was closed at the time by the civil war.

The date was January,1996. The delegation was flying from Calabaydh Airport:
Here are the names of the Ministers from left to right :
1. Osman Adan Dool (Quule); Minister for telecomm. and posts
2. Abdiraman Aw Ali Farah; Vice president.
3. Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud (Silanyo). member of parliament.
4. Mohamed Barud Ali; minister for MRRR.

Background : Somaliland seceded from Somalia  in May 1991 after a bloody civil war that had left tens of thousands of civilians dead. Since then,  the country  has sought to build a new polity, charting a path away from violent conflict to a competitive and democratic political system. The country is not recognised internationally as a sovereign state but has its own currency ,  armed forces as well as national flag and issues own passport. Two presidential elections have been held since secession along with three local elections and one parliamentary election.