Hiiraan Online

Hiiraan Online (HOL) is a website dedicated to news and information about Somalia and the Horn of Africa. It was founded in 1999 to deliver news to the growing Somali diaspora and is also based in Somalia.

It is published in English and Somali as a primary source for Somali news and affairs.

History
Hiiraan Online was originally founded in Ottawa, Canada, on July 1, 1999. Its founder, Ahmed Gure, a former airline Captain with Somali Airlines, started the website to serve the growing Somali diaspora.

Content
The website publishes news articles, opinions, and political commentary and remains one of the most critical and reliable news websites in the Somali media landscape. Hiiraan Online is regularly cited frequently in academia, books and international media. The website hosts external links to the popular daily radio services for BBC Somali and VOA Somali. The website also hosts job advertisements for international bodies, government agencies and NGOs.

Notable contributors

 * Abukar Arman - Political analyst and writer
 * Yusuf Garad - Journalist, former diplomat and politician
 * Ilwad Elman - Somali Activist
 * Hassan Sheikh Mohamud - Somali President
 * Neil Wigan - British Diplomat
 * Adam Matan - Social Activist
 * Abdi Ismail Samatar - Somali scholar, writer and professor

Cited by

 * Anadolu Agency - Turkish news agency
 * Al Jazeera - Qatari news channel
 * Face2Face Africa - Media company
 * BBC - British international broadcaster
 * The Guardian - British newspaper
 * Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada - Government agency
 * Chatham House - Think Tank