2024 Person of the Year: Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, the Visionary Behind Somalia’s Diplomatic Renaissance

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Year 2024: a monumental chapter etched into Somalia’s modern tapestry—a year where sovereignty hung delicately by a thread. As fireworks painted the sky on New Year’s Day, Ethiopia and North Western State of Somalia clandestinely inked a Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement, granting Ethiopia access to a 19-kilometer stretch of North Western State of Somalia’s coast, bypassed Somalia’s federal heartbeat. Was this a simple diplomatic maneuver, or a disruptive gambit? Ethiopia, in a tantalizing exchange, hinted at acknowledging North Western State of Somalia as an independent entity—a move carrying profound implications, threatening Somalia’s already fragile unity. Decades of struggling to reaffirm authority are challenged once again. This, unequivocally, was not a mere diplomatic kerfuffle; it felt like an existential threat.

From that moment, every diplomatic move, every whispered meeting—it all rotated around this fulcrum. Among this turmoil, a shrewd yet gentle figure emerged: Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, the steely-eyed Minister of Foreign Affairs. With atypical grace, he became the maestro orchestrating Somalia’s counter-response.

History could have painted this saga as another surrender—a chapter of Somali vulnerability taken advantage of by sturdier neighbors. Yet, in the meticulous hands of Fiqi, it unfolded as a tapestry of resilience and staunch defiance—an attempt to redraw Somalia’s global silhouette.

For decades Somalia bore the scars of relentless conflicts and internal discord. Frequently exploited, its vulnerability whispered to opportunistic forces. Ethiopia’s influence was notably pervasive, maneuvering militarily, economically, and diplomatically whenever Somali disunity widened its door. Ethiopia’s incursions often came cloaked in the guise of stabilizing endeavors or counterterrorism activities. However, these oftentimes masked deeper ambitions, intermixed with calculated maneuvers that undermined Somalia’s sovereign fabrics.

The 2024 MoU appeared as the sordid culmination of these ambitions. A potential erosion of Somalia’s sovereign stance was camouflaged as economic pragmatism. Yet narratives, Fiqi knew, can be challenged, even rewritten. When 1991’s fall of central governance echoed tales of a divided, defenseless nation, Fiqi envisioned a different narrative—a rewriting of history.

In an astute act of diplomacy, Fiqi didn’t merely react; he orchestrated a strategic crescendo of Somali dissent, resonating not just in Mogadishu, but worldwide. Ethiopia’s ambassador faced expulsion. The pact was publicly decried as aggression, catalyzing a wave of international condemnation via the Arab League, African Union, and United Nations. What about Ethiopia’s internal struggles—the unrest simmering in Amhara and Oromia, or the residual tensions from the Tigray conflict? These newfound fractures of Ethiopian stability offered leverage for Somalia’s cause.

Under Fiqi’s realm, Somalia forged connections with Egypt, Eritrea, and Turkey, igniting unseen alliances. August 2024 bore fruit, as Egypt’s historic military aid—a gesture dormant for four decades—embarked towards Somalia, entangled with Egypt’s Nile ambitions. By October, a trilateral summit emerged in Asmara between Egypt, Eritrea, and Somalia, forging a pact rooted in mutual security—promising to fortify Somalia’s military front against mounting risks. Collective trust and shared destinies knitted these nations closer, synchronizing their beats to rewrite regional dynamics.

By December, the Ankara Declaration surfaced—a Turkish-brokered masterstroke gently coercing Ethiopia to acknowledge Somalia’s territorial sovereignty without overtly dismantling the contentious MoU. This reset the terms of Ethiopia’s desired Red Sea access. Unmistakably, Somalia’s position in the Horn of Africa was no longer passive, but forceful and poised to engage.

Ahmed Moalim Fiqi’s diplomatic prowess wasn’t conjured overnight. His path was paved with diverse experience: from ambassadorial duties in Sudan to serving as Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). Formidable roles sculpted a leader strategically attuned to governance intricacies. Fiqi’s political forays continued, with co-founding the Daljir Party in 2015, eventually merging into the Union for Peace and Development Party (UPD), culminating in his appointment in 2024 as Minister of Foreign Affairs. That year, he wielded these political acumen into action, illustrating a masterclass in sophisticated diplomacy.

Hiiraan Online’s accolade crowns Fiqi as the Person of the Year 2024. His strategic acumen, his unyielding commitment to national sovereignty, and his ability to invigorate Somalia’s self-belief set him apart. Amid formidable challenges, Fiqi affirmed that Somalia’s story is indeed alive—an evolving narrative of resilience, of reclaiming authority, and defying historic labels. Somalia, through Fiqi’s saga, shone as a beacon of determination, reminding the world that courage and grit can indeed rewrite one’s destiny.

Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International—Monitoring