Galmudug

Galmudug State
Galmudug State
Flag	Coat of arms
	Motto: "My Home State"
	Anthem: Qolobaa Calankeed
Capital	South Galkayo; 6°46′N 47°25′E / 6.767°N 47.417°E
Largest city	South Galkayo
Official languages	Somali; English;
Government
Autonomy within federated Somalia
Area
Currency	Somali shilling (SOS)
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)
Calling code	+252 (Somalia)
Internet TLD	.so

Galmudug, officially Galmudug State, is an autonomous region in central Somalia. It is bordered to the north by the Puntland region, to the west by Ethiopia, and to the south by other regions of Somalia.

Galmudug's name is derived from a conflation of the names of the Galguduud and Mudug provinces. Unlike the secessionist Somaliland region in northwestern Somalia, Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation. It considers itself an autonomous state within the larger Federal Republic of Somalia, as defined by the constitution.

Location[edit]

Galmudug is the most centrally located area in Somalia. It is situated about 750 km from Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Bosaso and Harar in Ethiopia. The region is bordered to the east by the Indian Ocean, to the west by Ethiopia, to the north by the Mudug region of Puntland, and to the south by the Hiran region.

History[edit]

Establishment[edit]

On August 14, 2006, the autonomous Galmudug region was established. Mohamed Warsame Ali 'Kiimiko' was elected as the new administration's President, and the southern portion of Galkayo was declared the new polity's capital.^[2]

The appellation Galmudug is a conflation of Galguduud and Mudug.

Relations between Galmudug and the Puntland region to its immediate north have historically been tense. However, the two regions gradually made strides toward strengthening inter-regional relations. To this end, representatives of the two autonomous administrations signed an accord on February 2011 in Garowe, the capital of Puntland, wherein both governments officially agreed to cooperate on security, economic and social matters.^[3]

Presidential elections[edit]

On 1 August 2012, Galmudug's 25-seat parliament elected General Abdi Hasan Awale (Qaybdiid) as the region's new president. He replaced former president Mohamed Ahmed Aalin, who was receiving medical treatment abroad.^[2] Qaybdiid had obtained 22 votes versus 1 vote for the other candidate, Abdisamad Nur Guled. Qaybdiid was subsequently sworn in as Galmudug President in a ceremony in Galkayo marking the 6th anniversary since the establishment of the Galmudug administration.^[4] During his inauguration speech, Qaybdiid reiterated his pre-election promises to firm up on regional security, expand his administration's control to areas that had not been covered by the regional authority, and foster relations with neighbouring regional states and national bodies.^[5]

Official status[edit]

As of 2013, Galmudug's official status as a federal state is in the process of being finalized. Qaybdiid's administration has asserted that Galmudug meets the requirements for official state status, as outlined in the federal constitution. As of April 2013, the federal authorities have not accepted this claim.^[6] Article 49 of the constitution, which oversees the establishment of the Federal Republic of Somalia's constituent states, stipulates that "based on a voluntary decision, two or more regions may merge to form a Federal Member State".^[7] Since Galmudug only includes part of the official Mudug region, the federal Interior Minister Abdikarim Guled has urged the local Galmudug authorities to merge with other would be states, including Himan and Heeb, to form one unitary state consisting of two or more regions, in accordance with the constitution.^[8]