NordicSomali
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Inside Somaliland, the state eager to become the world’s next country
As it chases recognition, an uprising in the east has challenged its authority
The Economist talks about Somali land
- Thread starter NordicSomali
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I hate the Economist for its stupid paywalls. Here's a paywall bypassInside Somaliland, the state eager to become the world’s next country
As it chases recognition, an uprising in the east has challenged its authoritywww.economist.com
Itsnotthateasy
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Inside Somaliland, the state eager to become the world’s next country
As it chases recognition, an uprising in the east has challenged its authority
The next part says:
That is until now. In January the president of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, and the prime minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, signed a memorandum of understanding, the first step towards what would be a historic deal. “Ethiopia needs sea access; Somaliland, recognition,” Bihi told me when I met him at his presidential palace. “And we bargained.”
The president sat in a white chair beside a Somaliland flag, his slightly stiff demeanour betraying his training as an air-force pilot. Under the proposal, he said, Ethiopia would lease a 20km by 20km swathe of coastal land on which to build a naval base, and recognise Somaliland in return. “We want to be masters of our country,” he told me.
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This article gives a lot of air time to SSc militias lol. Many here would like it:
Recognition would boost his reputation, which was damaged last year when a rebel force in the eastern borderlands ousted Somaliland’s army from Las Anod, the largest town in the Sool region, and declared allegiance to Somalia instead.
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This is how the issue is seen but many here would say it's two federal member states fighting lol. Nah this is all happening inside Somaliland.
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Damn I was about to call out
Itsnotthateasy
VIP
Somaliland is the story people want to hear. No one cares about another region in Somalia with nothing but militias.Damn I was about to call out
Riftvalley
VIP
If English gingers are writing about ictiraaf surely the great day beckons.
I respect the Somaliland PR machine ngl. They’re running on all cylinders to get a better deal out of Somalia when the time comes.
Itsnotthateasy
VIP
Sincerely what deal are you talking about? It's been 12 years already. Every agreement so far, the next adminstration tore up.
Somaliland is going independent no more talking. Mogadishu ran out of time to stall us. Now they are trying to barter for a foreign army to invade us or something.
They thought no one would dare recognize Somaliland so they had time to give us the run around and stall and offer a federal deal. Then Ethiopia signed the MoU and they lost their minds and now they are in panic mode. They knocked on every door, they went to every country they have a relationship with, they said it was a security risk, they went to new countries, they went to every international forum and complained, they did every single thing but talk to Somaliland lol. It's over man.
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International recognition isn’t coming unless Somalia falls into another civil war. You couldn’t get recognition when Somalia was little more than tribal fiefdoms controlled by warlords or when Al shabaab controlled the capital. You still can’t get it now despite throwing down your last card and begging Ethiopia. You’ve lost Dhulbahante already and will probably lose Warsangeli support relatively soon. Ethiopia is currently negotiating with your sworn enemy about YOUR “sovereignty” when you’re not even in the room. Give up the charade man. You can remain de facto independent and in legal limbo for the next 100 years if that’s what you really want but you don’t believe your people will tire of it? If Somalia gets its shit together (and to your credit that really is a big if) your secessionist dreams will die and you’ll go back to Djibouti City to negotiate with the FGS. Do I think that an agreement will happen tomorrow or next year? No. But I would be surprised if we saw no change in the status quo within the next ten to fifteen years walaal.
Itsnotthateasy
VIP
Why do you think international recognition has anything to do with Somalia? International recognition has to do with other countries interests because they are the ones doing the recongition and now Ethiopia has an interest. No country is going to recognize you because you beg. This is a crazy distortion or misunderstanding of motivations so no wonder you draw the wrong conclusions.
You will never get an interest greater than what Ethiopia has right now. If you can’t parlay that into recognition then you should just hang it up.
Itsnotthateasy
VIP
Somaliland is never going back. I don't know why you don't just accept that. Only if the FGS falls and some other governement non-Hawidar emerges then maybe but with the FGS we pursue recongition or fight. We fought Kacaan with great loss of life only to wind up back under neo-kacaan/faqash? Do you think we are mentally challenged or something or maybe don't respect ourselves.
If Ethiopia backs out we wait for another opportunity, simple as really.
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The most important part of this piece is the confirmation of the size of the "naval base".
20kmx20km means 20 km of coast extending 20 km deep. That is 400 sq km.
This will make this naval base one of the ten largest military bases in the world.
Ethiopia is a bankrupt African state, why does it need an area that large for a base?
Even if it were a normal state, why do they need anything more than 5 sq km for a base?
Ethiopia wants to create an Ethiopian inhabited port city, that is the only conclusion I can come to. They want to build a naval base and a commercial seaport, and create under the cover of military affairs a coastal city. Combine this with the fact that Ethiopia wants this as a permanent concession and you realize how big of a deal this would be. Sevastopol and Guantanamo should come to mind.
I don't think Somaliland's parliament will agree to this deal even if it means gaining recognition (which I don't think is actually on the table).
20kmx20km means 20 km of coast extending 20 km deep. That is 400 sq km.
This will make this naval base one of the ten largest military bases in the world.
Ethiopia is a bankrupt African state, why does it need an area that large for a base?
Even if it were a normal state, why do they need anything more than 5 sq km for a base?
Ethiopia wants to create an Ethiopian inhabited port city, that is the only conclusion I can come to. They want to build a naval base and a commercial seaport, and create under the cover of military affairs a coastal city. Combine this with the fact that Ethiopia wants this as a permanent concession and you realize how big of a deal this would be. Sevastopol and Guantanamo should come to mind.
I don't think Somaliland's parliament will agree to this deal even if it means gaining recognition (which I don't think is actually on the table).
I heard Somaliland saying multiple times that if there is no recognition there will be no Military base. I think they would stick to this point very heavily. Also Somaliland said before back in January 2024 that there would be no brand new commercial port and that Ethiopia would have to use Berbera port.
So you want more starvation and instability in Somalia? They are already sanctioning Al-Shabab and any individuals and companies tied to them, no need to punish the whole country for it.
Canada isn't going to do shit. The only person in the world who could cut off aid for Somalia is Donald Trump. Better pray for his reelection.
The downsides of being in the USA is health care being expensive.
Ethiopians aren’t looking for a base only, they want a port city, and they’ll bus in Ethiopians from all around to settle there, and say if this deal goes through, what happens with the recognition, ethiopia recognising SL won’t compel the plethora of African dictatorships to follow suit, and Ethiopia won’t even want to have to argue for SL being recognised since it’ll probably be in hot water with every surrounding country.
And that’s not even mentioning what happens now that zeila takes the lead as the main port in waqooyi in an Ethiopian scenario, what does that beckon for Berbera?
what’s the game plan here because it seems like you’re on the highway to collapsing.
And that’s not even mentioning what happens now that zeila takes the lead as the main port in waqooyi in an Ethiopian scenario, what does that beckon for Berbera?
what’s the game plan here because it seems like you’re on the highway to collapsing.
This is what I’m saying, SL is just a rogue province with no pull or use other than strategic land….
explains why they still take federal government aid earmarked for waqooyi on the down low all shiib shiib
explains why they still take federal government aid earmarked for waqooyi on the down low all shiib shiib
