Friday June 4, 2021
Mogadishu (HOL) - Ethiopian President Sahle Work Zewde has received credentials from the newly appointed Somali Ambassador to Ethiopia Abdullahi Ahmed Jama Ilka-Jiir.
The ceremony took place at the Ethiopian presidential palace in Addis Ababa. It was attended by officials from the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Somali Embassy in Addis Ababa.
Abdullahi was a former candidate in the Puntland presidential election in 2009. He would later serve as the Puntland interior minister.
Before entering politics, Ilka-jiir served in the Somali army, where he rose to the rank of general.
He started his military career in Odesa, Ukraine, where he attended an academy. He continued his education in Cairo and earned a Masters degree in military science. In 1988 Abdullahi travelled to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and he studied at the US Army War College, where he focused on strategy.
Ilka-jiir is a veteran of the 1977 Ogaden War.
After receiving the credentials, the new ambassador proceeded to his new embassy office, where a brief ceremony was held to welcome the Ilka-Jiir to Ethiopia.
