[Maymayfor]

If Somaliland has the support of the united states and other major powers in the world as minister is claiming, why are they not recognizing it as an independent and sovereign country? who is holding them back?

2) why are 75 000 ethnic Somalis probably from other Clan are prohibited not to participate in the election.

3) Is Dr Samatar from isaaq or he is just one of those unfortunate darood whose land is part of the Somaliland jurisdiction


Btw..The somaliland minister resembles more of an amhara/Oromo rather than a somali.

[animilius]

Okey heres the scoop he's a ethio spy infltrating Somaliland. They are going to take over the region but ntot like with Ogaden but with espionage and manipulation!

[Beriilosal]

Somaliland versus Somalia is like saying Skåne versus Sweden, you realize how dumb it sounds?

---------- Post added 2010-06-26 at 10:07 ----------

Btw..The somaliland minister resembles more of an amhara/Oromo rather than a somali.

Somaliland province governer (president as he titles himself) once said "My people are closer to Addis abbebans than Moqdishans"
He never clarrified if he meant ethnicly or geographically, but i suspect he meant the latter. So there you go, the minister is indeed a pseudo-Amhara/Oromo, by own acknowledgement.

[OWDavid]

Recognizing Somaliland's split from Somalia would spur further splitting and turmoil unfortunately, which is why despite Somaliland's accomplishments, recognizing its independence remains unsavory for many world powers.

[moohassinny]

Recognizing Somaliland's split from Somalia would spur further splitting and turmoil unfortunately, which is why despite Somaliland's accomplishments, recognizing its independence remains unsavory for many world powers.

But recognising Kosovo unites Europe?

[aspinswramymn]

But recognising Kosovo unites Europe?

Did I say anything about Kosovo, genius? This is not a thread about Kosovo, or Europe for that matter.

[Orefsmisits]

Hargeisa, Somaliland

[xjNo4zvD]

This is a really sad and frustrating subject...

[MIBgirlsXXL]

.........

[OccumCymn]

Interesting interview Ferenj
About the proposal from that qatari based analyst Afyari Elmi for Hargeisa to be the capital instead of Mogadishu, what do you say about that Sanjub? Do you think there are a lot of other somalis who would be willing to entertain this idea?

[fotochicaes]

Interesting interview Ferenj
About the proposal from that qatari based analyst Afyari Elmi for Hargeisa to be the capital instead of Mogadishu, what do you say about that Sanjub? Do you think there are a lot of other somalis who would be willing to entertain this idea?

Anything is better than Moqdishu. I think most somalis who are not islamists gag whenever they think of Mog.

[BrianGoldsmith]

If Somaliland has the support of the united states and other major powers in the world as minister is claiming, why are they not recognizing it as an independent and sovereign country? who is holding them back?

2) why are 75 000 ethnic Somalis probably from other Clan are prohibited not to participate in the election.

3) Is Dr Samatar from isaaq or he is just one of those unfortunate darood whose land is part of the Somaliland jurisdiction


Btw..The somaliland minister resembles more of an amhara/Oromo rather than a somali.

1) Somaliland's international recognition is not as important as much as the people of Somaliland are self governing, and their economy and security functioning. The referendum held in 2001 verified that the folks of the north want independence.

The video expands very well as to why Somaliland is successful while Somalia is not, so I wont dwell on it.

2) Why are Ethiopian refugees not allowed to vote in Eritrean elections? Oh wait, there are no elections in eritrea, it's a dictatorship. But you still get where I'm going with that analogy, right? Just because there are displaced Somalis from Somalia and Ethiopia does not make them eligible to vote in Somaliland's elections, only the citizens of Somaliland are eligible. That the biggest issue/crisis Somaliland is being challenged on is the eligibility of these displaced Somalis in the elctions, while in Mogadishu people are banned from watching soccer games show how far the two places have become, almost different realities/atlernate universes.

3) Dr Samatar is Isaaq, his anti-Somaliland stance is because he's an advocate of the old school Somaliweyn (Pan-Somalism). It's because of people like Dr Samatar that prove to me that tribalism/clannish politics is the least of Isaaq's problems. There are pro-Somaliland Isaaqs, anti-Somaliland Isaaqs, Islamist Isaaqs, and even Zionist Isaaqs, we arent a monolithic borg who all think the same.

---------- Post added 2010-06-26 at 15:20 ----------

Interesting interview Ferenj
About the proposal from that qatari based analyst Afyari Elmi for Hargeisa to be the capital instead of Mogadishu, what do you say about that Sanjub? Do you think there are a lot of other somalis who would be willing to entertain this idea?

Hargeisa is the 2nd largest city, and the largest by economic activity, but unlike Mogadishu it lacks the 'cosmopolitan' quality a capital city in Africa needs to be truly representative and have power centralized. People in Somalia will start claiming the whole country is run from Hargeisa, and that will cause other clans to ally and band together against this perceived domination from Hargeisa. This is the whole reason why the people of Somaliland chose to leave the union they joined in 1960.

[EvonsRorgon]

Somaliland province governer (president as he titles himself) once said "My people are closer to Addis abbebans than Moqdishans"
He never clarrified if he meant ethnicly or geographically, but i suspect he meant the latter. So there you go, the minister is indeed a pseudo-Amhara/Oromo, by own acknowledgement.

I think you mean "the former." "The latter" means the second one (geographically), "the former" means the first one (ethnically).

He's trying to foster closer ties, but the statement is a bit surprising.

Historically, Somaliland has always been within the Ethiopian realm of influence. The ancient trade route that runs through there has been competing with Mitsiwwa and Adulis at least since the beginning of the Common Era (Periplus of the Erythraean Sea). It was one of the main places of export and import certainly in medieval times until Imam Gragn, and again after the Zemene Mesafint with the rise of Shewa.


Trade and relations with what's now Southern Somalia were scant, even in the medieval period.

[StitlyDute]

Somaliland, it's like an itch you can't get rid of.
And if Somaliland wants to get independence so bad you think they'd at least be a bit more imaginative with the name they plan on using. How the hell do you expect someone to consider you cut off from Somalia when you they call yourself "Somaliland"?

Those damn Isaaqs.

[BoBoMasterDesign]

So is Somaliland actually Independent or is it attempting to secede ?

Because i haven't seen anything by that name on any map

[bredkumanfirst]

He's trying to foster closer ties, but the statement is a bit surprising.

It's not surprising at all. They all view themselves as ethnic Somali. Despite their strong clan and sub-clan loyalty, they still adhere to their Somali identity.

Historically, Somaliland has always been within the Ethiopian realm of influence.

When you say 'ethiopian realm of influence', I think you need to mention that you are doing so for convenience only, as no state prior to the 1890s resembled the polity called by that name today. Influence is a two way street, they influenced you too ---that's what neighbors do.

The ancient trade route that runs through there has been competing with Mitsiwwa and Adulis at least since the beginning of the Common Era (Periplus of the Erythraean Sea). It was one of the main places of export and import certainly in medieval times until Imam Gragn, and again after the Zemene Mesafint with the rise of Shewa.

Shewa had a few 'rises' prior to Sahle Maryam, who latter became Menelik, began creating the Ethiopian state.

Trade and relations with what's now Southern Somalia were scant, even in the medieval period.

Ethnic Somalis originate from northern Somalia. The Somali expansion to the south and southwest was massive. It was only second in the horn region to the great Oromo expansion. Medieval era is obscure in terms of sources. Medieval era is also when the term "habesha" started gaining momentum with Christians. Prior to the Medieval period, the term Habesha was mentioned once (from our side of the Red Sea) and that was a reference to a Yemeni kingdom. All sources of our region indicate the average Christian citizen did not regard themselves as Habesha prior to the medieval period. The same thing about the Queen of Sheba and Solomonic bloodline myth. Prior to the late 13th century AD, these terms were never adopted on our side of the Red Sea.

[AALee]

So is Somaliland actually Independent or is it attempting to secede ?

Because i haven't seen anything by that name on any map

It's seeking to secede, but will most likely never happen, if you failed to get recognition during the last 20 years , then it is unlikely to happen when relative stability takes place in the rest of the country.

[horaAppagob]

Somaliland, it's like an itch you can't get rid of.
And if Somaliland wants to get independence so bad you think they'd at least be a bit more imaginative with the name they plan on using. How the hell do you expect someone to consider you cut off from Somalia when you they call yourself "Somaliland"?

Those damn Isaaqs.

lol @ this

Why do you care? Let them leave, who cares. Somalia doesn't even exist

[medifastwoman]

Somaliland, it's like an itch you can't get rid of.
And if Somaliland wants to get independence so bad you think they'd at least be a bit more imaginative with the name they plan on using. How the hell do you expect someone to consider you cut off from Somalia when you they call yourself "Somaliland"?

Those damn Isaaqs.

They already had the Somaliland name when they were an independent nation. But I agree, another name would help their cause.

Why are Ethiopian refugees not allowed to vote in Eritrean elections? Oh wait, there are no elections in eritrea, it's a dictatorship. But you still get where I'm going with that analogy, right?

This analogy of yours is weaker than a crack head's teeth. You're smarter than that.

[Ornamiviant]

So is Somaliland actually Independent or is it attempting to secede ?

Because i haven't seen anything by that name on any map

It's been de facto independent for almost 20 years (1991), but it hasn't been recognized by a state for a couple reasons. No one in Africa wants to recognize it b/c of the precedent it could set for other regions around the continent to secede, and the international community wants to see how things play out in Mogadishu before they recognize it.

It's not surprising at all. They all view themselves as ethnic Somali. Despite their strong clan and sub-clan loyalty, they still adhere to their Somali identity.

Which is why it would be surprising for them to identify with Addis Abeba before Mogadishu. You misread my comment.

When you say 'ethiopian realm of influence', I think you need to mention that you are doing so for convenience only, as no state prior to the 1890s resembled the polity called by that name today. Influence is a two way street, they influenced you too ---that's what neighbors do.

Ethiopia has had some sort of relations or presence in the region since Aksum is what I'm saying. Of course influence was two ways, no one said otherwise. But there was basically no contact with Southern Somalia until the modern period.

Shewa had a few 'rises' prior to Sahle Maryam, who latter became Menelik, began creating the Ethiopian state.

I wasn't referring to Sahle Maryam in particular, but the efforts that began with the reign of Sahle Selassie. Anyway, of course there were other rises, but I was referring to a specific one. The trade route I'm talking about was always coming back to the forefront when Shewa was powerful.