In a powerful and unyielding address to newly graduated recruits, Brigadier General Nim’an Yusuf Osman, Commander of the Somaliland National Army, issued one of the starkest public warnings in recent years, vowing that the army stands ready to decisively repel any attempt by Somalia to violate Somaliland’s borders.
“You are the swords that will cut down anyone who attempts to create instability in the Republic of Somaliland and anyone who poses a threat to its sovereignty,” General Osman declared during the graduation ceremony in Ainabo.
The commander emphasized that the National Army has inherited a legacy of sacrifice from past heroes, and generations of fighters, and made it unmistakably clear that today’s soldiers will never falter in defending the country’s independence.
Addressing Somalia directly, he stated: “We have no fear that anyone who attempts to violate Somaliland’s borders will be strongly defended against.” He further challenged Somalia officials by asking how far their own troops can actually travel within the territories they claim to control.
In pointed remarks aimed at those brethren in Las Anod and beyond, General Nim’an insisted: “The land does not move. Whatever is between us, we will resolve it in peace.” Yet he simultaneously warned that Somaliland’s army is “not invading anyone” while reaffirming the policy of peaceful coexistence under President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro)—but only as long as Somaliland’s sovereignty and borders remain untouched.
The speech came amid growing diplomatic momentum for Somaliland, which the general credited to the president’s leadership and the blood of past martyrs rather than any form of appeasement. He told the international community that formal recognition of Somaliland would reaffirm and strengthen long-term stability across the Horn of Africa.
General Nim’an concluded by announcing good news to the troops: Somaliland now became a recognized nation, and the immediate priority is the development and strengthening of the National Army on every front.
The address has been widely interpreted as both a morale booster for Somaliland’s forces and a blunt message to Mogadishu: any incursion will be met with full military force.
Long live the National Army of the Republic of Somaliland.