Background
Nicknamed "Ilkajir", Jama was born on March 13, 1951 in Erigavo, a town in northeastern Somalia.
Nicknamed "Ilkajir", Jama was born on March 13, 1951 in Erigavo, a town in northeastern Somalia.
He completed his primary education at Dayaha, a boarding school near Erigavo. Jama joined the Somali National Army and attended the Military Academy in Odessa (Ukraine), earning his first degree in military science in 1973. From 1980 to 1983, he attended the Staff College in Cairo, Egypt earning a master"s degree in military science.
In 1988-1989, he also attended the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and earned a diploma in strategy and decision-making.
In 2000, Jama attended Bryan & Stratton College at Rochester, New York and earned a degree in Accounting.
Upon graduating, he was accepted into the newly established the National Teachers’ Education Center (NTEC) at the outskirts of Mogadishu, known as Lafole. As a career military officer and leader, Jama held many positions in the Somali National Army: from Battalion Commander to Army Commander. He was by far the youngest Officer to head the Directorate of Operations of the Somali National Army.
In August 2008, Ilkajir returned to his native —a now defunct autonomous region in northern Somalia that territorially overlaps with the Sanaag region—with the promise of running in and winning the upcoming macro-region"s presidential election, and to improve the role of "s inhabitants within "s administration.
Foreign this, Ilkajir received a huge welcome throughout Following the subsequent dissolution of "s administration, Ilkajir assumed the role of de facto leader of the region, and was instrumental in bringing back into the fold. After having lost the macro-region"s 2009 presidential race to Abdirahman Mohamud Farole, Ilkajir was appointed by Farole to the position of Interior Minister in "s cabinet in what was widely seen as a welcome attempt to settle political differences.
Ilkajir"s new role as "s Interior Minister includes duties such as forming local district/regional governors across, areas which now also include the former.
Some of Ilkajir"s other campaign promises included building up the security structure of /Sanaag, and to extend the region"s capacity to defend, serve and protect its inhabitants from external disruptions such as piracy, charcoal profiteering and separatist adventures.
