Somalia's presential residence and office
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).
History
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.
The story of Mogadishu’s Modernist buildings begins during the time of Italian colonial rule. Unlike Asmara in Eritrea and Tripoli in Libya, where the Italians built their colonial city alongside the native walled town, in Mogadishu the walls of the old medina were torn down and the occupiers’ buildings imposed in the city centre.....Another prominent building of the period is Villa Somalia, an Art Deco palace which served as the residence of the Italian governor.....it is still in good condition today, thanks to the fact that it remained the seat of whoever was internationally recognised as the leader of Somalia, with all the security that entailed. –Rakesh Ramchum[3]
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 local faction leaders fought for control of and installed themselves in the residence.
On 8 January 2007, Transitional Federal Government President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed entered Mogadishu for the first time since being elected to office. The government subsequently relocated to Villa Somalia from its interim location at Baidoa.[4]
Today, it is the office of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Chief of Staff
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed appointed Fahad Yasin to the position of Chief of Staff for Villa Somalia[5] in April 2017.[6]
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.[7]
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.
