Monday October 6, 2025
Captain Mohamed Muse Mohamed, the first Somali officer in 40 years to graduate from the United Kingdom’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, poses in full ceremonial uniform after completing the prestigious officer training program. SUPPLIED
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s armed forces have recorded a moment of pride after the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom graduated a Somali officer for the first time in four decades. Captain Mohamed Muse Mohamed was honoured in Mogadishu by Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, who said the achievement symbolized the Somali National Army’s return to professional standards once associated with its formative years.
The event, organized by the British Embassy, drew senior officials including British Ambassador Charles King, UK Defence Attaché Captain James Edwards, Deputy Commander of the Somali National Army Land Forces Brigadier General Abdullahi Adan Hussein (Irro), and senior officers from both countries. For many in attendance, the ceremony evoked memories of an earlier generation of Somali officers who trained abroad before the civil war fractured the military.
Minister Fiqi praised Captain Muse’s perseverance, calling his graduation “a source of national pride and a sign that the Somali army is regaining its discipline and dignity.” He added that the officer’s success represented the government’s broader effort to rebuild a force capable of protecting the nation without reliance on foreign troops.
For Somalia, the graduation is symbolic and structural. The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Britain’s officer school that has prepared generations of leaders from the UK and partner militaries, once counted Somali cadets among its foreign intakes before the state collapsed. The four-decade gap after the 1980s reflects the unravelling of Somalia’s training pipelines and the long effort to rebuild a unified, professional officer corps.
Fiqi also commended the United Kingdom for its ongoing partnership with Somalia in security training and defence reform, noting that such cooperation is critical as the country prepares to assume full responsibility for national security after the drawdown of the African Union mission.
Captain Muse’s graduation also lands in the middle of a wider modernization push built on partner-delivered training and professional military education. Turkey’s TURKSOM base in Mogadishu, its largest overseas military facility, has produced thousands of Gorgor commandos and is expanding cooperation into maritime security and possible naval deployments; the United States has trained and exercised with the Danab commandos while investing in base infrastructure and doctrinal courses; the EU Training Mission (EUTM) provides institutional advising and training; the UAE has trained SNA cadet; and soldiers have also been trained in Eritrea.
Somalia’s Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi (center) meets with British Ambassador Charles King, UK Defence Attaché Captain James Edwards, and senior Somali military officials in Mogadishu during a ceremony honouring Captain Mohamed Muse Mohamed, the first Somali officer in 40 years to graduate from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The meeting highlighted ongoing Somalia–UK defence cooperation in training and institutional reform. Credit: SONNA