It should be a priority for any future Somali government to regain Somali Galbeed from Ethiopia. Somalia with its current borders is simply too vulnerable and geopolitically disadvantaged to remain a secure long-term state without it. I'll list some reasons below for why I think this:
-First, Somalia's two major rivers and their tributaries which irrigate the vast majority of our southern agricultural land originate in Ethiopia. Ethiopia can dam and control the flow of this water, which would severely hamper Somalia’s food security.
-Second, Somalia’s current borders consist primarily of the Somaliweyn coastline. We have no strategic depth; in the event of an invasion by Ethiopia, there would be no buffer between our border and our major population and industrial centers. The narrow geography leaves us with no maneuvering room.
-Third, this is related to the second point, Somalia’s awkward number 7 shape makes internal logistics inefficient. The most direct route between our two largest cities, Muqdisho and Hargeisa, cuts through Somali Galbeed, which is under Ethiopian control. This forces us to either build suboptimal infrastructure or risk relying on Ethiopia for connectivity between our cities.
-Fourth, Somalia proper contains only about half of the total Somali population in the region, while Ethiopia is home to an estimated 12 to 15 million Somalis at minimum. Incorporating that population would mean a larger economy, stronger military, more human capital, increased industry, and generally more resources.
-Final reason, Somali Galbeed comprises a significant portion of Ethiopia’s agricultural land, we're talking millions of hectares of arable soil capable of feeding tens of millions at minimum. The region is rapidly becoming Ethiopia’s breadbasket.
Ideally Somaliweyn's border with Ethiopia should be west of the Ahmar mountains, this way we occupy the high ground which will allow us more security. Essentially this is the same reason Israel occupies the Golan Heights. To the north our natural border should be west of the Awash river. If we ever gain the capabilities to do this, we will not only build a more geopolitically secure nation for future generations but we'll also be taking back lands we lost to Oromos and Afars at the same time, two birds with one stone.
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