Captain Zuhur Challenging Gender Norms in Somaliland’s Coastguard

DW’s East Africa correspondent meets a woman challenging gender norms at the helm of the region’s coastguard

When Zuhur Fathi Muktar joined Somaliland Coast Guard, she was among the first women to join this organization. Now, five years later, Captain Zuhur is the head of Trainings and member of the supervisory committee, and sees herself as a role model for the other women, including the five currently serving in the Coast Guard.

“When I first joined the Coast Guard, I was the liaison officer between the Coast Guard and the Ministry of Interior, and other agencies who were collaborating with for capacity building. After that, the Coast Guard Office was looking for someone to take over the training department, and they needed to have a person that was committed, that knew and understood the system, and that had relevant experience on different areas, and that is when I got my current job”.

“I know women can work in the Coast Guard, and I’m inspiring them to aim for higher level positions,” Zuhur says.