Kulmiye Party Activist Forms Political Party in Somalia

For the first time since 1991, a Somaliland politician has formed a political party in Somalia to contest elections set for the country next year. Furthermore, the party is led and established by a prominent activist of Somaliland’s incumbent party, Kulmiye. 

Osman Abokar Dubbe, a former lecturer at universities in Hargeisa, has declared Hilow Party in Mogadishu yesterday. In a press conference, Mr. Osman said the party stands for peace, prosperity, and unity. 

Osman Abokor Dubbe said the difficult situation of the Somali nation has necessitated forming his political party. The main goals of the new party he said are to achieve genuine reconciliation, reunification, and reconstruction. The unitarian doctrine of the party has alluded in its name ‘Hilow’ which means longing in the Somali language.

Osman Abokor Dubbe was an activist in Somaliland incumbent party Kulmiye. He was a member of the politicians who drafted the party’s platform in the last presidential election. It is not clear if he had severed his ties with the Kulmiye party and government. 

Politicians from Somaliland have held high ranking positions in Somalia governments since the two countries parted ways in 1991. However, it is the first time that a politician from the Togdheer region, where Somaliland’s independence was declared in 1991, leads a political party in Somalia.