Lists of office-holders
Governors of Italian Somaliland, 1889 to 1960
Italy ran southern Somalia through company agents, commissioners and governors from 1893 to 1941, Britain ran it from 1941 to 1950, and Italy ran it again as a United Nations trust territory from 1950 to 1960. Abdullahi Issa became the first Somali Prime Minister of the trust territory in 1956. This page lists every head of the administration.
In short
Italy declared a protectorate over parts of the Benadir coast in 1889. The Filonardi company ran the coast from 11 October 1893, then the Benadir Company from 1 May 1898 to 1905. Italian Somalia became a colony on 30 April 1908. British forces took Mogadishu on 25 February 1941, and on 1 April 1950 the territory became a United Nations trust territory under Italian administration until 1 July 1960. (World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland)
Each row below gives the holder's name in English and Somali spelling, dates in office and the source for that row. Dates are from World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland; where sources give different dates, the note says so. How we source: How we check facts.
Company and royal commissioners, 1893 to 1901
Governors and commissioners, 1901 to 1941
Trans-Juba, 1925 to 1926
| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrado Zoli | 10 July 1925 to 31 December 1926 | High Commissioner | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland |
British administration, 1941 to 1950
| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Gordon Cunningham | 25 February 1941 to 20 March 1941 | General Officer Commanding, East Africa Force | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland |
| William Eric Halstead Scupham | 14 March 1941 to 3 May 1943 | Deputy Chief Political Officer | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland |
| Denis Henry Wickham | 3 May 1943 to 1948 | Chief Administrator | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland |
| Eric Armar Vully de Candole | 1948 to 1948 | Chief Administrator | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland |
| Geoffrey Massey Gamble | 1948 to 1 April 1950 | Chief Administrator | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland |
Trust Territory under Italian administration, 1950 to 1960
| Name | In office | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giovanni Fornari | 1 April 1950 to 1953 | Administrator | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland |
| Enrico Martino | 1953 to 1957 | Administrator | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland |
| Enrico Anzilotti | 1957 to 24 July 1958 | Administrator | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland |
| Mario Di Stefano | 24 July 1958 to 30 June 1960 | Administrator | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland |
| Abdullahi Issa (Cabdullaahi Ciise Maxamuud) | 29 February 1956 to 1 July 1960 | first Somali Prime Minister of the trust territory | World Statesmen, Somalia, Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland |
Related pages
- Italian Somaliland and the trusteeship
- Fascist rule and the war, 1923 to 1941
- Prime ministers of Somalia
Sources
We also publish every row of every office-holder list as one open data file: office-holders.csv.
Sources
- World Statesmen, Somalia · worldstatesmen.org
- Wikipedia, List of colonial governors of Italian Somaliland · en.wikipedia.org
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Keep reading
- Deputy Prime Ministers of Somalia, 2005 to 2026Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Hussein Mohamed Farah Aidid, Abdihakim Mohamoud Haji-Faqi, Hussein Arab Isse, Fawzia Yusuf Adam, Ridwan Hirsi Mohamed, Mohamed Omar Arte and others.
- Rival and transitional heads of Somalia, 1991 to 2012Who claimed or held the top post in Somalia from 1991 to 2012: Ali Mahdi, the Aidids, the National Salvation Council, the Arta and Federal transitional governments and the Islamic Courts.
- Governors of the Central Bank of Somalia, 1960 to 2026Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Abdi Adan Mohamed, Abdi Haji Abikar, Abdullahi Ahmed Addow, Abdirahman Nur Hirsi, Omar Ahmed Omar, Mahmoud Jama Ahmed and others.
- Ministers of Defence of Somalia, 1960 to 2026Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, Ali Ismail Yacqub, Hilowle Moalin Mohamed, Aden Isaq Ahmed, Abdirahman Haji Mumin, Haji Yusuf Iman Guled and others.
- Foreign Ministers of Somalia, 1960 to 2026Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Abdullahi Issa Mohamud, Ahmed Yusuf Dualeh, Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, Haji Farah Ali Omar, Omar Arteh Ghalib, Mohamed Siad Barre and others.
- Foreign Ministers of Somaliland, 1991 to 2026Every holder of the office, with dates and a source on each row: Sheikh Yusuf Ali Sheikh Madar, Osman Abdillahi Jama, Hassan Ali Awaleh, Suleiman Mahmud Adan, Mahmoud Salah Nur, Abdihamid Garad Jama and others.