 |
By Dr. Jamal Ali Hussein
At dawn, on August 24th, 2025, after finishing my morning prayers, I made my way to Boston’s Logan Airport. My destination was Washington, D.C./Virginia, where I would attend the funeral of a man whose name and legacy are etched into the history of Somaliland: Professor Mohamed Saeed Gees. As I traveled, I felt compelled to reflect, to put into words the profound impact this remarkable man had on his people, his nation, and on me personally.
Imagine a nation emerging from the ashes of war—a land stripped bare, with no functioning institutions, no electricity, no running water, no schools, no hospitals. Only ruins, despair, and fractured communities. That was Somaliland in the early 1990s, after the collapse of Somalia’s central government and the declaration of Somaliland’s independence. Rebuilding such a devastated land required vision, resilience, and leaders of rare caliber. Among those who stepped forward, few embodied the spirit of selflessness, intellect, and commitment more fully than Professor Mohamed Saeed Gees.
For more than two decades, Professor Gees gave his life’s work to Somaliland. He was a peacebuilder in the troubled Sanaag region, a mediator who helped heal wounds between clans, and later a statesman who served with distinction in the government of President Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal. In his hands, some of the nation’s most sensitive portfolios—Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Planning—were not just ministerial titles, but instruments for laying the foundations of a functioning state. His fingerprints remain on many of the critical decisions that gave Somaliland stability and legitimacy in its formative years.
After his years in government, Professor Gees continued his service as the Executive Director of the Academy for Peace and Development (APD) from 2004. Succeeding the work of Dr. Hussein Abdillahi Bulhan (the founder), he expanded the Academy’s role as a center for dialogue, research, and reconciliation. In doing so, he helped institutionalize peacebuilding as a permanent feature of Somaliland’s governance. What others saw as an experiment, he transformed into a living case study of how nations can rise from ruins when wisdom and integrity lead the way.
Yet to reduce Professor Gees’s contributions merely to offices he held would be to miss the essence of the man. Trained as a physicist, he carried into politics the discipline, clarity, and rigor of scientific thought. Physics, as he often reminded his colleagues, teaches one to think methodically, to respect evidence, to see patterns in chaos. He brought that same discipline into governance—approaching challenges not with arrogance, but with humility and reason. His leadership was not loud or domineering; it was persuasive, thoughtful, and deeply human.
Those who worked alongside him often spoke of his respect for every individual, no matter their rank or role. He was, in the truest sense, an intellectual—one who valued knowledge not for personal prestige, but for the collective good.
On a personal note, I was fortunate to grow close to him in the last five years of his life, particularly during my time in Washington, D.C. and Virginia. He welcomed me with warmth and generosity, and when I interviewed him for my doctoral research on peacebuilding and state-building in Somaliland, he shared not just history, but wisdom. His stories, insights, and reflections enriched my understanding of my country and its journey—and revealed the depth of his character as a humble, selfless servant of the people.
Professor Mohamed Saeed Gees was many things: a physicist, a professor, a merchant, a minister, a peacemaker, a state-builder, and above all, a noble human being. He proved that serving in office is temporary, but leaving an impact on people—that is eternal.
May Allah bless his soul, forgive his shortcomings, and grant him the highest place in paradise. Somaliland has lost a guiding light, but his legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.
