– Abdirahman Du’ale Beileh, former Finance Minister of Somalia, arrived in Hargeisa on Sunday after purportedly being granted permission to return to Somaliland by President Muse Bihi Abdi. Minister Beileh is one of Somaliland’s most prominent political personalities, having formerly served in the federal government of Somalia before returning to Somaliland as part of an amnesty agreement.
Somaliland’s Parliament issued a statutory ban on its people working in Mogadishu’s Federal Government, which was updated in 2021. Mohamed Omar Arte, former Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, and Mustafe Kodah, a former member of Somalia’s Upper House, were the most recent figures to return to Somaliland.
Minister Beileh is said to possess real estate in Hargeisa, notably Al-Jabal, an expensive hotel that opened in February, among other companies. After resigning as finance minister, the former finance minister stated a wish to return to Somaliland.
After social media users’ charges that the hotel was built with embezzled funds, the former finance minister defended himself in a video broadcast to his personal Facebook page, explaining his professional background. Beileh asserted that before entering the Farmajo administration, all of his assets were publicly listed, and the source of his riches was his nearly five-decade-long profession in banking. Nonetheless, it should be noted that the asset disclosures were never made public.
Somaliland, a former British province, declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but the international community has not recognized it. While the region has been relatively stable, Somalia has been ravaged by decades of civil war and Islamic insurgency.