Eyl
| Eyl | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
View of Dawad village from above.
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 Eyl
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| Coordinates: 7°58′00″N 49°51′00″E / 7.96667°N 49.85000°ECoordinates: 7°58′00″N 49°51′00″E / 7.96667°N 49.85000°E | |
| Country |
 Somalia
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| Regional State |
 Puntland
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| Region | Nugal |
| District | Eyl |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Muse Osman Yusef |
| Population | |
| • Total | 21,700 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Eyl is an ancient port town in the northeastern Nugal province of Somalia. in the autonomous Puntland macro-region, it is the center of the Eyl District.
Eyl is the site of many historical artifacts and structures. Along with a rock shelter in the southern town of Buur Heybe, it is the seat of the first professional archaeological excavation in the country.
At the turn of the twentieth century, the city served as a bastion for the Dervish forces of Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan ("Mad Mullah"). Several forts remain from this period, in addition to colonial edifices built by the Italians.
Following the outbreak of the civil war in the early 1990s, foreign trawlers began to illegally fish in the unpatrolled waters off of Eyl's coastline. Piracy subsequently emerged, as fishermen banded together to protect their livelihood. However, by 2010, intensive security operations by Puntland military forces coupled with community-led initiatives managed to force out the pirates from their operating centers in the hamlet as well as adjacent settlements.
In March 2012, the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) dispatched a unit of officers and support elements to Eyl at the request of the municipal authorities. The move was intended to ensure permanent security in the area and to support the local administration. To this end, PMPF soldiers were slated to establish a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the town earmarked for counter-piracy activities, to begin construction of a logistics airstrip, and to engage in water-drilling. In December 2014, Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali laid the foundation stone for the new PMPF base in Eyl, which occupies an area of 300 square meters on land donated by the municipality.
Town affairs are managed by the Eyl Municipality. As of March 2012, the city authority is led by Mayor Muse Osman Yusef.
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Wikipedia