HARGEISA – (WARSOOR) – It’s not often you hear of a security guard rising through the ranks to become a government minister, but Suleiman Yusuf Koore did just that.
He started out in 1984 as a watchman at Radio Hargeisa, the state broadcaster of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, which is housed within the complex of the ministry of information.
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Now as the minister of information and communication, Mr Koore is the most senior person in the building.
“Back in the day I wasn’t allowed to enter the office that I occupy now, because of my status as a watchman,” he told the BBC Somali service.
At the time he lived with his family on the outskirts of Hargeisa and earned $12 (£9) a month.
By contrast, ministers in Somaliland today earn $2,000 each month plus up to $705 in allowances.
Mr Koore has been in politics for the last 25 years and has held several portfolios as a minister – but in December he started his first stint at the information ministry, which he regards as his true home.
“It makes great sense to me that I became a minister at the ministry I worked at during my youthful days as it has a special meaning to my life,” he told BBC.