Togdheer

Togdheer (Arabic توغدير Tūghdayr ) is a region ( Gobolka ) of Somalia. She has one estimate of 350,000 inhabitants, according to a calculation even 921,000.

Togdheer is located in the north of Somalia, and is bordered to the south by the Somali region of Ethiopia. Since 1991 it is part of the de facto independent Somaliland, the eastern third of the region is also claimed by the autonomous region of Puntland since 2002.

2007 have been discovered in Dhambalin, Jilib Rihin and Haadh millennia-old cave paintings. In Buhoodle mid-19th century Sufi Sheikh, poet and uprising leader Mohammed Abdullah Hassan was born.

Geography

The region's capital is Burao, another larger towns are Buhoodle, Oodweyne and Sheekh. The region is divided into four districts. It is named after the seasonal water-bearing river Togdheer.

Population

The inhabitants of the region are Somali. Most belong to the clan of the Isaaq; in the eastern part of the region around Buhoodle living members of the Dhulbahante, a sub- clan of the Harti Darod. Main livelihood is nomadic cattle breeding, which is continually affected by drought.

Policy

Since the north-western part of Somalia - the former British Somaliland - 1991 Somaliland declared itself independent, is part of Togdheer Somaliland. The eastern part of the region is claimed, since 2002, of Puntland, which in 1998 declared itself an autonomous region within Somalia.

The region is allocated 15 of 82 seats in the Parliament of Somaliland. In the 2002 local elections, the ruling party UDUB received 27.52 % with the most votes, followed by Kulmiye with 26.24 % and SAHAN ( Somalilänische alliance of Islamic democracy ) with 22.87 %; SAHAN thus achieved in Togdheer their best result, however, was all over Somaliland only fourth- largest party and therefore was not one of the three parties that have been approved for future elections. In the presidential elections in 2003 Ahmed Mohammed Silanyo Mahamoud of Kulmiye got 55.19 % of votes. In the 2005 parliamentary elections 39.1 % of the vote went to Kulmiye, 32.5 % and 28.4 % at UDUB of UCID, which were occupied by the parliamentary seats of Togdheer 6 of Kulmiye, 5 of UDUB and 4 of UCID.

Swell

  • IRIN News, April 30, 2008: Somalia: Starvation fears in north

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