Key Historical Milestones

The Somali Institute for Continuing Legal Education has roots that go back nearly fifty years. The lamp that was lit in 1976 has never gone out. Through dictatorship and war, through exile and return, through seven failed registration attempts and nearly fifty years of persistence, the flame has been passed from hand to hand.

Early Foundations (1954-1975)

  • 1954 — Italian administration establishes Università Nazionale Somala and the Higher Institute of Economics and Law within the UN Trust Territory of Somalia
  • 1956 — University Institute of Mogadiscio opens to teach law and economics
  • 1960 — Somalia achieves independence on July 1
  • 1967 — Study shows over 100 Somali students studying law abroad in eleven different countries
  • 1969 — Somali National University obtains official university status under Decree Law No. 10 of July 14, 1969
  • 1975 — University education becomes free for all faculties

The Pioneer Generation (1976-1980)

  • 1976 — Faculty of Law opens to full-time students for first time with forty-five pioneers including Student Number Five Abdiwahid Osman Haji
  • 1977 — With backing of Professor Mahmud Guure, Professor Mohamed Hassan Muddey, and Professor Marian Yusuf, Abdiwahid begins court observation programs for full-time students. First establishment under the name “Full Time Law Student Mentoring and Practice Skills Studio”
  • 1978 — Abdiwahid begins organizing afternoon and evening tutoring sessions. Aweis graduates from Lafoole University of Education and starts working with Somali corporate companies while teaching high school
  • 1979 — Founding partnership between Abdiwahid and Aweis. The Spark of Change initiative launches. Aweis begins funding from Warsheikh Rental Cars income. Luciana provides Italian law books
  • 1980 — SOCLEN (Somali CLE Network) established by Avv. Ismail Jumcaale, Avv. Ibrahim Hassey, Avv. Bashane, and Avv. Dr. Mohamed Rajis. Abdiwahid graduates first in his class with 108 out of 110 and becomes Assistant Lecturer in Penal Law

Perseverance Through Adversity (1982-1991)

  • 1982 — Abdiwahid arrested and expelled from university for speaking honestly about legal history. Activities continue underground with Aweis’s financial support
  • 1984 — Abdiwahid establishes independent law firm becoming the first young Somali lawyer to operate a practice without a senior partner
  • 1985 — Aweis funds Abdiwahid’s scholarship study trip to Edinburgh, Scotland to study business law in English, accompanied by his wife Magda Sekaly and daughter Fatma Abdiwahid. Somali Lawyers Office established in Mogadishu
  • 1985-1987 — With new law office established, weekly workshops on civil procedure begin. Community outreach through Coppa Ramadan sports tournaments
  • 1987 — SOCLEN again formally reorganized by Dr. Mohamed Rajis with afternoon classes continuing
  • 1988 — First registration of SOCLEN attempt rejected by Ministry of Interior
  • 1991 — State collapse. SOCLEN idea travels with diaspora. Lawyer Tahlil and Lawyer Issa keep teaching informally

Diaspora Years (1991-2013)

  • 1991-2010 — SOCLEN coordinates scattered legal professionals with focus on human rights and post-conflict justice
  • 1996-1998 — Abdiwahid pursues Master of Laws at University of Ottawa under mentorship of Professor Ruth Sullivan
  • March 2013 — Revival conversation at justice conference in Mogadishu
  • 2013 — SOCLEN transitions to SICLE name. Mogadishu office established

Rebuilding and Renewal (2014-Present)

  • 2014-2020 — Rebuilding programs offered with free legal education for university students
  • 2015 — SICLE re-established at Capital University with formal training beginning. Led by Avv. Isse Ahmed Warsame and Abdiwahid Osman Haji working with Professor Ali Haji
  • 2015-2023 — Strategic diaspora meetings held in London at residence of Avv. Asha-Kin Duale
  • 2016 — Collaboration with Chief Justice Aidid Abdullahi Ilka-Hanaf to institutionalize lawyer training. SICLE receives protection from Chief Justice who introduced SICLE to UK High Commission Embassy in Mogadishu
  • 2023 — SICLE formally establishes Board of Directors and appoints President and Vice President
  • 2024 — SICLE established as Somalia’s first dedicated Continuing Legal Education institution. Justice for All initiative launched with goal of training 500 lawyers annually
  • 2025 — Official registration as national institution under Article 54 of Somali Civil Code of 1973. Mandate covers all federal member states

“The forty-five pioneers of 1976 planted the seeds of what would become SICLE. When we teach young lawyers to master Somalia’s plural legal system, we are continuing the work that Student Number Five and his classmates began nearly half a century ago.”

Carry the Law Forward.