5 Shillings

Somalia's 1978 series was printed by Thomas De La Rue during a period of significant political pressure: the Ogaden War with Ethiopia had ended badly that same year, with Cuban and Soviet intervention forcing a Somali withdrawal and leaving the government of Siad Barre economically exposed. The shilling had been introduced only a decade earlier, in 1967, when Somalia was still navigating non-alignment between Cold War sponsors.

De La Rue's watermark security on this denomination is minimal by the firm's own standards — understandable given the low face value and the cost calculus of producing small-denomination notes for a struggling economy.