Hmm, I just don't see it being that easy to get the gemstones and fly out of the country to sell it.
You would have to extract it from the rocks and without the technology for it, you would have to risk selling it at a lower price.
Then there would come the whole government customs you would have to deal with at the airport and you could risk being arrested for trying to export raw materials without notifying the government and getting permission.
Or maybe I am overthinking this and it is easy to get the damn gemstones.. LOL
Actually, there's quite a lot of interesting gems and semi-precious stones lying around Somaliland. My uncle's an amateur rock collector has some interesting samples. Somalis don't have the equipment nor the expertise to mine gems industrially. These are pieces found around mountains, caves, valleys etc.
He also should me some cadaan guy that illegally steals these gems and obviously nothing is done about it because 1) he's an cadaan and 2) he most likely bribes guards and officials.
It's things like this, that makes you think that the situation of Somalis is self inflicted and justified.