The truth is, only since 2018 has the Somali Region seen any sustained development or relative stability. And that’s not thanks to the Ethiopian federal government , which, as shown in the study I linked earlier, has been been going down hill and in turmoil whilst Somali region is the most stabile and peaceful.
Five years ago, on 21 October 2018, the Government of Ethiopia and the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) signed the Asmara Peace Deal - an historic occasion marking the end of over 30 years of armed conflict in the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia (SRS). But a peace deal isn’t an...
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The real turning point was the peace agreement with ONLF, which allowed the Somali Region more freedom to govern itself, do business, reinvest tax revenue, and move without harassment. It also allowed us to more economic freedom in general.
That autonomy , not occupation , is what finally made progress possible.
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Post-2018, the Somali Region has:
- Inaugurated its first car assembly plant in Jigjiga
- Grown to over 300 industries (small, medium, and large) created in just 6 years
- Collected 95% of its planned annual revenue (17.6 billion birr) by mid-year , indicating strong local revenue generation
- Built 576 primary schools, 79 secondary schools, and 11 boarding schools
- Increased the education budget by 40% this year alone
- Expanded 24-hour power supply to 58 urban centers, including 18 district capitals
- Increased Jigjiga’s electricity capacity from 12 MVA to 31.5 MVA
- Planted thousands of trees across public institutions as part of the Green Legacy initiative
- Committed to produce 28 million quintals of cereals this year , a 100% increase from last year
- Purchased 168 new tractors to support agricultural mechanization
- Launched major poultry and marble/granite industries in Sitti Zone, including Ethiopia’s largest marble factory
- Saw marked reduction in food prices (e.g., wheat dropped from 6,000 birr to 4,500 birr per quintal)
- Constructed 2,020 km of gravel roads and maintained 1,128 km over the last six years
- Inaugurated new asphalt roads in towns like Kebridahar
- Drastically improved infrastructure in conflict-prone areas like Nogob Zone: schools, roads, water systems, hospitals, micro-dams, etc.
- Increased clean water access from 19% to 51% for the region's 25 million residents
- Completed 42 major water supply projects, including 13 in Jigjiga and 29 in other areas
This actually shows what’s possible when Somalis are simply left to govern themselves: peace, development, and real progress. The post-2018 transformation of the Somali Region is living proof.
When the interference stops and autonomy is respected, Somalis build.