Abdullahi Ahmed Jama

Abdullahi Ahmed Jama (Cabdulaahii Axmed Jamac, عبد الله أحمد جامع) is a Somali politician, currently holding the post of Puntland's Interior Minister since January 2009.

Biography
Jama was born on March 13, 1951 in Erigavo, a town in northeastern Somalia. He completed his primary education at Dayaha, a storied boarding school near Erigavo.

Nicknamed 'Ilkajir', Jama later served in the Somali army, where he rose to the rank of general.

Maakhir
In August 2008, Ilkajir returned to his native Maakhir—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 Puntland macro-region's presidential election, and to improve the role of Maakhir's inhabitants within Puntland's administration. Some of Ilkajir's other campaign promises included building up the security structure of Maakhir/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. For this, Ilkajir received a huge welcome throughout Maakhir.

Following the subsequent dissolution of Maakhir's administration, Ilkajir assumed the role of de facto leader of the region, and was instrumental in bringing Maakhir back into the Puntland fold.

Puntland
After having lost the Puntland macro-region's 2009 presidential race to Abdirahman Mohamud Farole, Ilkajir was appointed by Farole to the position of Interior Minister in Puntland's cabinet in what was widely seen as a welcome attempt to settle political differences.

Ilkajir's new role as Puntland's Interior Minister includes duties such as forming local district/regional governors across Puntland, areas which now also include the former Maakhir.