HARGEISA—-A conference to analyze the draft law on persons with disabilities in Somaliland, which was issued in 2021, was held at the Guuleed Hotel in Hargeisa. on 16-17 November 2025. This conference was organized by the Alkownin Women Voluntary Organization (AWFO), with the support of the East African Regional Organization known as (SIHA NETWORK.
The meeting, which was attended by all relevant institutions, including the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the SNDF and some civil society organizations, was to analyze the progress of the draft law on the care of people with disabilities, the “Somaliland National Disability Act Draft 2021”, which was presented to the Somaliland House of Representatives for adoption.
The Chairperson of the Alkownin Women Voluntary Organization (AWFO), Ms. Hodan Abdi, who spoke at the meeting, said that the purpose of organizing this conference is to find out whether the Disability Care Act meets the needs and rights of disabled women. “During the two days that we are going to have, the Conference will discuss the draft Disability Care Act that was released in 2021, in order to draw effective decisions.” Said Chairperson Hodan Abdi Siciid.
Speaking at the event, the Director of the Somaliland Disabled People’s Association (SNDF), Sakariye, said that the law on the care of people with disabilities is progressing well, and is currently under the control of the Attorney General of the government, and it is expected that it will be submitted to the Somaliland House of Representatives for approval in the near future.
After extensive discussion and analysis by the participants of the two-day conference, it was discovered that the Somaliland Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Family (MESAF) has completely repealed the 2021 Law on the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which called for the establishment of a national committee (National Disability Commission), consisting of representatives from all types of disabled people in Somaliland.
Unfortunately, the participants learned that the Ministry had completely changed the Somaliland National Disability Act 2021, after the conference participants were presented with the new Act drafted by the Ministry, which shows that people with disabilities had no say in its drafting.
After a long analysis and discussion, the participants of the Conference proposed the reasons they believe are the reasons for the Ministry to completely abolish the Law, as follows:-
1. The Minister, Deputy Minister, and Director General of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Somaliland, who are the new leadership and have no information about the stages and processes that went through to make the Law, which came at the request of the disabled people in Somaliland.
2. The Department of Disability Affairs of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Somaliland MESAF, which has been stripped of the officials of the disabled who were intended to lead the department, and is now in the hands of non-disabled people, who have not abdicated their responsibility to defend the law on the welfare of the disabled.
3. The President of Somaliland, Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilaahi (Abdirahmaan-Cirro), who has completely abolished the position of Advisor on Disability Affairs to the President of Somaliland, a position previously appointed by the former President of Somaliland, Mr. Muse Bihi Abdi in 2017. In that position, he was the Presidential Advisor on Disability Affairs, which was important in connecting people with disabilities with the President of the Republic of Somaliland.
The participants of the meeting, which consisted of 50 members, expressed great concern about the Ministry’s outrageous action to repeal the law.
Finally, the meeting decided that the participants of the meeting should take immediate action to have the Ministry revoke the repeal of the law.
In order to convince the Ministry and everyone concerned with disability issues that the law protecting the rights of people with disabilities should be restored and implemented as soon as possible, the meeting appointed a committee to campaign for the restoration and implementation of the law.
