| Villa Somalia | |
| Coordinates: | 2.0408°N 45.3353°W |
| Location Town: | Mogadishu |
| Location Country: | Somalia |
| Current Tenants: | Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia and the First Family |
Villa Somalia (Somali: Madaxtooyada Soomaaliya, Arabic: فيلا الصومال) in Mogadishu, is the palace and principal workplace of the president of Somalia. The current occupant of Villa Somalia is President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (HSM) of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS).
The edifice was built in the Art Deco style by the colonial authorities in Italian Somaliland, serving as a residence for the Governors.[1]
Villa Somalia (originally called Villa del Viceré when inaugurated in October 1936) was on high ground that overlooked Italian Mogadishu on the Indian Ocean, with access to both the harbour and Petrella airport. It was originally a large, squarish stucco building with a tiled roof.[2]
The edifice was built in the new section of the city (developed by the Italians in the late 1930s) and it was a famous symbol of modernist (art deco) architecture.
Following independence in 1960, the building became the presidential palace of the president of the Somali Republic.[2] After the start of the civil war and the overthrow of the Siad Barre administration in the early 1990s, various factions fought for control of and installed themselves in the residence. During the last stand of the regime in January 1991, the Villa was a final stronghold held by the security services in the capital. Mortars were fired from the palace into the city to attack insurgents - in particular Towfiq neighborhood where rebels had set up command posts.[3]
During the early 2000's, Villa Somalia was under the control of the powerful Mogadishu warlord Hussein Farah Aidid of the Somali National Alliance (SNA) and Somalia Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC). Aidid and the SRRC were opposed to the newly formed Transitional National Government (TNG) and used the Villa as a base to attack the TNG and forces loyal to it.[4] Following a dispute between Aidids forces during June 2003, a heavy weapon was discharged on the Villa's grounds resulting in one of the largest explosions in the capital since 1991.[5] In his role as Minister of the Interior of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Aidid made a public visit to the Villa in August 2005.[6]
Up until the summer of 2006 when the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) defeated the Somali Warlord Alliance, the Villa remained one of the last warlord holdouts in Mogadishu, then under the control of militia loyal to Hussein Aidid.[7] Villa Somalia served as the headquarters of the Islamic Courts Union during 2006.[8] During the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed of the Transitional Federal Government entered Mogadishu for the first time on 8 January 2007. The government subsequently relocated to Villa Somalia from its interim location at Baidoa.[9]
Today, it is the office of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed appointed Fahad Yasin to the position of Chief of Staff for Villa Somalia[10] in April 2017.[11]
On 8 September 2021 Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed appointed Abdisaid Muse Ali as Chief of Staff for Villa Somalia, previously he was National Security Advisor to the President.[12]
In June 2022 President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced the appointment of Hussein Sheikh Mohamud as the new Chief of Staff Villa Somalia. He made this important appointment after one month of assuming the office of President.
In August 2023 President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud officially announced the appointment of Abdihakim Mohamed Yusuf as the new Chief of Staff Villa Somalia; for the Office of the President.
Yusuf, previously a political advisor to President Mohamud, boasts over two decades of expertise in areas like government institution development, good governance, conflict resolution, and human rights advocacy.
In his address, President Mohamud encouraged the newly-appointed Chief of Staff Villa Somalia to serve with unwavering dedication and efficiency. He stressed the significance of faithful and devoted service to the country.
It’s worth noting that Hussein Sheikh Mohamud, the prior chief of staff, resigned in May but only made his departure public this week.