Somaliland Opens HEEGAN 2026 Exercise
Tanks, artillery and drones make powerful images—but can Somaliland connect them into a sustainable defence system? HEEGAN 2026 will test institutions as much as weapons.
Somaliland’s HEEGAN 2026 exercise is intended to demonstrate combat readiness, but its real significance will depend less on the weapons displayed than on whether the armed forces can coordinate them, sustain them and operate safely around civilian communities.
According to a statement attributed to the Somaliland Armed Forces General Command, military chief Brig. Gen. Nimcan Yusuf Gahnug opened the multi-unit exercise on October 28.
The drills are expected to continue for several weeks around Benderwanaag and include artillery, tanks, armoured vehicles, unmanned aircraft and joint operations.
From Separate Units to Combined Operations
Bringing different capabilities into one exercise is an important institutional step. Modern operations require commanders to connect reconnaissance, communications, manoeuvre, fire support, logistics and medical response under one command structure.
Drones could significantly improve battlefield awareness by identifying targets, monitoring troop movements and assessing damage. However, the military statement does not identify the aircraft involved or establish whether they are surveillance platforms, armed systems or commercially adapted drones.
The exercise therefore confirms an effort to incorporate unmanned technology—but not yet a mature drone-warfare capability.
The same caution applies to tanks and artillery. Possessing heavy equipment does not automatically produce effective combat power. Readiness depends on trained crews, ammunition management, spare parts, secure communications, fuel reserves and maintenance personnel capable of returning damaged equipment to service.
A Deterrence Message
HEEGAN 2026 also carries a regional message. Somaliland faces an increasingly militarised environment shaped by instability in Yemen, Ethiopian–Eritrean tensions, Turkey’s expanding defence relationship with Somalia and the spread of drones and precision weapons across the Horn of Africa.
A visible exercise signals that Somaliland is preparing for threats beyond conventional border policing. It may also support Hargeisa’s effort to present Somaliland as a credible security partner capable of protecting territory, infrastructure and the Gulf of Aden coastline.
But exercises can deter only when observers believe the demonstrated capabilities are sustainable. Public displays should therefore be followed by measurable improvements in mobilisation time, command coordination, equipment availability and casualty evacuation.
Civilian Safety Is Part of Readiness
The warning issued to Benderwanaag residents and pastoralists is necessary, particularly where livestock routinely crosses open training grounds. Authorities should publish mapped exclusion zones, establish community contact points and compensate residents promptly if livestock or property is damaged.
After the exercise, military engineers should inspect live-fire areas for unexploded ammunition. An exercise intended to strengthen national security would lose public confidence if it left preventable civilian hazards behind.
WARYATV Assessment
HEEGAN 2026 could mark the beginning of a more professional annual training cycle. Yet its success cannot be judged by explosions, military footage or the number of vehicles assembled.
The decisive test is whether Somaliland conducts an honest after-action review, identifies failures and converts the findings into training, procurement and maintenance reforms.
If HEEGAN becomes an annual readiness audit rather than a ceremonial display, it could materially strengthen Somaliland’s defence institutions.
If its results remain undisclosed and its lessons are not implemented, the exercise will demonstrate equipment without proving operational power.
