Mohamed Yonis

Mohamed Behi Yonis (Arabic: محمد يونس‎‎) (b. 1947) Born in 1947, Mohamed Behi Yonis is a Somaliland diplomat and was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somaliland for 2 years.

Somaliland President, Ahmed Silanyo handpicked Mohamed B. Yonis to become Somaliland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs on 25 June 2013, and since then the Ministry’s profile and mandate has expanded domestically and internationally. Minister Yonis’ former positions have given him a head start in foreign relations; however that should not take away his efforts in forming new and fresh relationships as a Minister to enhance Somaliland’s profile at an international level and strive closer to achieving recognition for the nation.

Since his appointment, Minister Yonis has redeveloped the Ministry’s human resources, infrastructure, policies and procedures, communication, and has established many services to citizens including visas, entry permits and business certificates. He has also sent much time and effort to restructure the Ministry to better equip it to fulfill its mandate, including recruiting experienced Somalilanders who are experts in number of fields, to work as Advisors in Legal, Communication, Political Affairs and International Cooperation fields.

Nevertheless, the Minister’s quest for improvement did not stop there; Somaliland also saw improvement on international relations with other countries. In June 2015, he took part in the 25th World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, where he represented Somaliland and presented its case to a high-profile crowd of public and private sector leaders, including President Jacob Zuma and other senior officials within the South African Government.

He used this international platform to discuss the many obstacles facing Somaliland today, including low employment rates amongst the youth, inequality and potential avenues to tackle these issues through fairer policies and encouragement of foreign investment. Minister Yonis showcased Somaliland to world leaders, and presented our nation’s achievements including the peace and stability enjoyed here and its economic development potential to new investors. This marked a momentous moment for Somaliland’s relationship with South Africa both on personal and economical levels.

Other achievements under his leadership at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation include:

• Drafting Somaliland’s first Foreign Policy and Recognition Seeking Strategy presented to the Presidency.
• Spearheading Somaliland’s first Investment Conference co-hosted by the UK Government held in London 2014, which showcased Somaliland’s investment potential to a large number of European investors.
• Leading a high-level delegation comprising Minister of National Planning and Development, Dr. Sa’ad A. Shire, and former Foreign Minister, Dr. Edna Adan, to Brussels for the first Somaliland Recognition Conference at the European Parliament in January 2015. Minister Yonis and the delegation met senior Members of the European Parliament, officials from the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and European media outlets to present Somaliland’s achievements and case for international recognition.

The Minister attended the African Development Bank’s Annual Meeting in May 2015, which was celebrating the Bank’s 50th anniversary and hosting the election for the new President of the Bank. This was the first time Somaliland was represented at the African Development Bank. He met a number of high-level officials including Heads of State during his trip to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He also secured several million dollars worth of funding from the Bank for water projects for Somaliland, with potential support for energy and infrastructure. In an attempt to address the impact of the large number of refugees traveling to Somaliland to escape the civil war in Yemen, he met senior officials at UNHCR in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss the Yemen refugee crisis and its impact on Somaliland. The first Minister to engage the leadership of UNHCR in Geneva to highlight the difficulties caused by the large influx of refugees, Minister Yonis was able to obtain greater support for Somaliland.

He has been instrumental in strengthening relations between Somaliland and Ethiopia. He orchestrated the first visit by a large Ministerial delegation from Ethiopia, including the Minister of Finance and Economic Development and the Minister of Transport, to Somaliland in November 2014 and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under his leadership facilitated Somaliland’s participation in the first International Trade Fair held in Addis Ababa. Minister Yonis has been at the forefront of trade negotiations with Ethiopia, including development and use of Berbera Port; reduce trade barriers for Somaliland’s private sector to enter the Ethiopia market; and securing cheaper electricity into Somaliland. On the social sector, the Ministry secured a large number of scholarships to Somaliland students provided by Ethiopia in significantly larger numbers than under previous administrations.

He has strengthened relations with many countries through formal and informal meetings with senior Government officials including Kenya, Ethiopia, Turkey, Egypt, U.A.E, Norway, Belgium, Ireland, U.K. and many more. He has continued to raise Somaliland’s profile and achievements through interviews with leading media outlets including CNBC Africa, NRK Norway, Sky News, CNN, KTN Kenya, and the Guardian. One cannot buy this type of exposure; it’s through hard work and determination and above all belief in his great nation’s potential that drives Minister Yonis to work tirelessly for his people and aim high in presenting Somaliland’s case to the international community. His efforts for international recognition should not be overlooked. He is often criticized of travelling frequently but as Foreign Minister his obligations consist of forming strong, noteworthy and sustainable alliances with foreign countries, and this cannot be obtained sitting behind a desk in Hargeisa. However, Minister Yonis’ overall reputation within Somaliland is a respectable one, he is seen as a humble, educated and dedicated man, who’s years of hard work have now been invested in his country. He is worthy of our gratitude and our continuous support in his future endeavors. The number of firsts achieved during his short period as Minister indicate the great potential that Minister Yonis still yields and with his continued efforts, Somaliland’s aspirations for international recognition is much closer to becoming a reality.

Yonis is married to Halima Mumin, who is half Ethiopian. They have four children: Ahmed, Fatima, Zacharia and Safia. They have lived in Abidjan, Ottawa, and currently in Addis Ababa.

Yonis’s prior experience includes work in a peacekeeping capacity. such as senior-level field-assignments. These include serving as the Chief Administrative Officer with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) from 2002 to 2006, and as the Chief Administrative Officer in the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) from 2001 to 2002. Prior to service in peacekeeping, he worked for the African Development Bank in Côte d’Ivoire in various senior positions, including the Director and Management Adviser to the President of the Bank, and the Deputy Director of Human Resources Management.

In a professional capacity, he worked as the Deputy Joint Special Representative for Operations and Management in the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). He has also previously served as the Director of Mission Support in UNAMID, where he has contributing effectively in addressing the mission’s operational, administrative and logistical support challenges. Mr. Yonis’s work with these operations began at the initial planning stages in 2006, when he served as the Head of the Darfur Planning Team in New York and later as the Mission Support Adviser to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS).

On 25 June 2013, Yonis was appointed Foreign Minister of the northwestern Somaliland region of Somalia. He replaced Mohamed Abdullahi Omar, following a cabinet reshuffle.

Since becoming Foreign Minister of Somaliland, Yonis has revitalised the region's foreign policy and the Foreign Ministry with interviews on CNN, invitations to the World Economic Forum and other governmental trips to Australia, the UK, the UAE, Taiwan, and the UN Security Council in New York.