Queen Elizabeth II rewarded Mo Farah as part of a New Year list in which Farah was made knight. Somalilanders warmly welcomed the honour of a man they view as their follow citizen.

The Olympic gold runner moved from Somalia at the age of eight. He was born in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, but his family is from the Republic of Somaliland where he visited couple of times in recent years. His mother lives in Somaliland.

The people in Somaliland closely follow his success. Now they are happy to see him knighted. Taking the social media, they congratulated him.

Although he runs under the flag of UK, many people in Somaliland celebrate when he wins the race.

Somaliland was a British Protectorate before it took independence in 26^th June 1960. But it immediately joined union with Somalia which was Italian colony. In 1991, Somaliland declared separation from the union.

Since then it remained peaceful country. However, it has not gained international recognition. Because of the lack of recognition, its athletes cannot compete the Olympic games. Mo Farah is their representative.

About the author

 

Jama Ahmed Jama is Editor-in-Chief of Somaliland Daily