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Hiiraan Online Today from Hiiraan Online: Somali Music advertisements Somalia digitizes legal archives to rebuild rule of law after decades of conflict FacebookFacebook messengerTwitterWhatsAppLinkedInTelegramEmail Thursday October 30, 2025 Somalia’s Deputy Minister of Justice Ahmed Abdirahman Hassan is seen in this undated file image shared on X (formerly Twitter Mogadishu (HOL) — After more than two decades without an official gazette, Somalia is digitizing its legal archives to restore public access to the law — a landmark step by the Ministry of Justice aimed at rebuilding state institutions, strengthening transparency, and renewing trust in the rule of law. Speaking at the African Gazettes Forum in Djibouti, Deputy Minister of Justice Ahmed Abdirahman Hassan said the absence of an official gazette since the civil war left Somalia without a way to record or verify new legislation. “During the war, our laws existed, but no one could consult them,” he said. “Decrees circulated by hand, without any framework, in an atmosphere of legal uncertainty.” That began to change in the early 2010s as the government rebuilt its institutions. The traditional process of drafting, reviewing, and publishing legislation—standard since independence in the 1960s—was revived. “Each law is prepared by a ministry, reviewed by the Ministry of Justice, approved by Parliament, and published in the Official Gazette,” Hassan said. Publication resumed in the mid-2010s in Somali, English, and Arabic. The ministry is now completing the digitization of its legislative archive. “The process is almost complete,” Hassan noted. “We want every citizen to have direct access to the law, without an intermediary.” The project forms part of a modernization program supported by the World Bank and regional partners to improve transparency, ensure accountability, and bring justice closer to citizens. Somalia has also backed a proposed African Gazettes Charter, which seeks to promote open governance and regional cooperation across the continent. Hassan praised Djibouti for its “brotherhood and courage” in supporting Somalia’s state-building process, noting that cultural and linguistic ties between the two nations have deepened cooperation in the Horn of Africa. Opinion| Privacy Policy|Sports|Somali Music|Somali Map All Rights Reserved Copyright. © 1999-2025, www.hiiraan.com
