Blackflash;837621 wrote: That map of Somaliland appears to be out of date:D I think you must be refering to Somalia proper, Iast time I checked it was fractured into 6 or 7 clan states/admins... Anyway it's great to see that SL is rapidly becoming the target of lucrative foreign investment and news pieces like this will only encourage more.

I guess the infamous Puntland Marines were taking a nap that day...

galia;837505 wrote: Oh please don't make me laugh, your killing me here Still not citing your sources?

Better to break up this artificial nation. To save Somalia from piracy, terrorism, hunger, corruption, warlordism and a third decade of anarchy, representatives from 54 countries, along with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, met in Turkey on Friday. The root causes of Somalia’s many problems, and the remedies, should by now be obvious to all involved. Instead, the dignitaries assembled in Turkey — representing one-quarter of the nations on Earth — are proposing policies that would continue to doom the Somali people. Somalia, the failed state in the Horn of Africa, was born in 1960 with the seed of its own destruction — a grandiose commitment to achieve the dream of a Greater Somalia at the expense of its neighbours. Somalia’s five-pointed flag demonstrated this commitment. Two of the points represented British Somalia and Italian Somalia, the only two foreign protectorates that merged to form the newly independent nation. A third point represented French Somaliland to the north, a French territory whose population in a referendum had just voted against joining the new state; a fourth point represented the Northern Frontier District of a soon-to-be-independent Kenya; and the fifth point represented territories of Ethiopia, a sovereign state, to the west. Six months after Somalia’s day of independence, Somali hostilities against its neighbours began and, with few respites, have persisted almost continuously since. Somalia first precipitated attacks on Ethiopia and Kenya, then civil war broke out among the clans within Somalia. The upshot was untold suffering among the peoples of the region, secession by the former British Somaliland; and continuing chaos in what remains of Somalia. The British and the Italians, who had bought into the Somali activists’ demands for a Greater Somalia, unwisely facilitated the merger of their two culturally different protectorates, then saw the region drown in blood as the Somalis attempted to capture territory from their neighbours. Yet the demands for a Greater Somalia had neither historical nor cultural legitimacy — Greater Somalia was merely a post-colonial conceit. The Somalis — a dark-skinned people with Caucasian features — didn’t even exist until circa 1200 AD when the male Arab colonizers of the Horn of Africa formed new clans by marrying blacks, multiplying in number rapidly, and then squeezing most non-Somalis — those without male Arab lineage — out of the lands. The Horn of Africa did see some scattered clan-based Somali sultanates and empires, but mostly it saw colonization at the hands of Ottomans, Ethiopians, and Europeans. At no time were Somalis united in a Greater Somalia — the chief allegiances of these clan-based societies were to their own clans. Advertisement The culturally different Somali clans of the north — what was once British Somaliland — were the first to see that a Grand Somalia led to a deadly dead end. In 1991, it seceded to become the independent state of Somaliland, over the objection of Somalia’s central government, of Arab and African states that didn’t want to legitimize secessionist movements of their own, of the former colonial powers who didn’t want to admit their mistakes, and of the United Nations, which wins the support of corrupt regimes by guaranteeing their sovereignty. Yet Somaliland has thrived, despite a brutal civil war that saw its capital city destroyed. Somaliland’s secret? Because the government of this breakaway state was ineligible for foreign aid, it became a self-reliant, peaceable and free-market state relatively free of corruption, unlike the official government of Somalia, which lavish foreign aid has made one of the most corrupt states on Earth. This week, World Bank auditors revealed they could account for only US$11-million of the US$94-million that the central government had received in 2009, and just US$22-million of its 2010 revenues of US$70-million. But for dependency on foreign aid, the northern part of what remains of Somalia — an historically independent-minded region called Puntland — might also have seceded. Puntland, in fact, has already gone partway to independence, by declaring itself an autonomous region. Now Puntland may break off entirely, mostly because Puntland appears to have so much oil that it would become one of the richest countries in the Middle East. To prevent a further breakup of Somalia, which would encourage breakaways by independent-minded peoples in other countries, the nations meeting in Turkey are promising to reward the leaders in Puntland if they’ll stay, and those in Somaliland if they return. If the Turkey meeting succeeds, it would create Somalia’s 15th failed government and set the stage for more like it. If it fails, the Somali people will have succeeded, by freeing themselves of the binds of foreign aid and false nationalism. Financial Post

Australia-based Jacka Resources plans to start oil exploration in Somaliland, a region of Somalia that declared itself independent in 1991. Nice work if you can get it. Imagine a particularly challenging country in which to do business. Let's say it’s a country that is not recognized by any other country, so all business has to be conducted either in off-shore accounts or in cash. On land, militant groups fight against the government and take the occasional foreign aid worker hostage. At sea, pirates attack and capture freighters, tankers, and even pleasure boats. Most food in the local economy comes from foreign donations, because the region is prone to conflict and famine. Would you invest in such a country? Australia’s Jacka Resources gas and oil exploration company would. And if you guessed that the country is Somalia, you’re very close. The country is Somaliland, which declared itself independent from Somalia in 1991, and has remained a functioning, but unrecognized, independent republic ever since. Much safer and more stable than its eastern and southern neighbor, Somaliland also sits in a geological zone where oil is likely to occur, and it recently awarded its first oil concessions to foreign oil prospecting companies. RELATED: Think you know Africa? Take our geography quiz. Jacka Resources – which has also successfully explored oil in Uganda’s Lake Albert – will begin seismic tests, gravity tests, and exploratory drilling soon in the 22,000 square kilometer Habra Garhajis block in southwestern Somaliland, where oil has been found to seep to the surface in at least nine separate locations. Jacka chairman Scott Spencer said that his company looked forward to working together with Petrosoma, a Somali affiliate of Prime Resources Limited, on exploring the Habra Garhajis block, which he says has “enormous potential.” Jacka is not alone. The Somaliland government has also signed exploration agreements with London-listed company Ophir Energy, Asante Oil, and Prime Resources, which owns Petrosoma. Whether this newfound economic activity is a good thing or not probably depends on one’s outlook. For many Somalilanders, any form of investment is a good thing, creating the possibility of new local jobs both with the oil prospectors and with the transportation, housing, restaurants, and other service-industry business that would potentially do business with Jacka Resources. Mohammed Yusuf Ali, chairman and chief executive officer of both Prime Resources and Petrosoma, said, “this is a great day for all Somalilanders,” adding, “all Somalilanders will benefit if we discover oil in this block.” But oil is not always a blessing for a poor country emerging from conflict. In Nigeria, oil revenues are one of the biggest sources of corruption for government officials. It's one of the major sources of tension between citizens and their government, and between regions that have oil and those that don’t. Oil discovered along poorly demarcated international borders is especially problematic, as the current fighting between Sudan and South Sudan shows. The shaky transitional government of Somalia has already complained about Kenya’s discovery of offshore oil in waters claimed by Somalia, a matter that Somalian Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullahi Haji called “a territorial argument that came after oil and gas companies became interested in the region,” in an interview with Reuters. The notion that oil is a curse is a bit overdone, of course. Some countries with strong legal systems, such as Britain, Norway, and Ghana, manage to squeeze a bit of benefit out of the oil trade with little negative effect. Other countries, such as Angola, Nigeria, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan, and South Sudan are not so fortunate. But for Somaliland, simply having a conversation about the possible downsides of an oil-based economy is a discussion – and even a curse – worth having. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Keep-Calm/2012/0430/Drill-for-oil-in-Somalia-Why-not-says-Australian-firm

KoK already lost all credibility when he started using words like genocide and crimes against humanity. This yellow journalism only strengthens the point that people envious of Somaliland's accomplishments will seek to disparage and dismiss it's progress whenever given the chance. How can one even share a supposed unified country with people like that?

If televised debates actually solved things then Somalia would have been at peace years ago

Khatumo is an event/party planning company right? By the looks of it business is booming

I see Dr. Cowke has nothing to say after seeing the facts laid out

^^ You're flip flopping all over the place and continue to change the reason why PL should be included. So now you are saying the TFG holds no legitimacy to negotiate as the central government of Somalia? Give me a break.

Won't be long before there's a representation office in Windhoek

Mashallah. When you see it all in front of you, it's amazing to see what can be accomplished with vision and perseverance. ..and Osman (Cowke) if you're not going to stay on topic get out of the thread.

Relentless;822151 wrote: Somalilanders are Somalilanders man...we all have a country to share enough of this bull....the people of las canod and buhoodle need peace and development therefore good move. The pirates dont give a dam about you, somalia is protected by burundians. therefore dont play with the lives of future generations education, security and prosperity for all the people of Somaliland. :cool: Indeed. Too bad the likes of many here will put their fingers in the ears when reason is spoken to them.

Mashallah. Great development. Hope this type of innovation spreads to other sectors.

Naxar Nugaaleed;821466 wrote: Do you people never tire of hyperbole? Doesn't look like it. They use so much sensationalism, yellow journalism and straw-man arguments it puts British tabloids to shame.

Looks like xinny is so desperate for a good old fashioned debate with with his friends NG and Oodweyne that he's trying to bait them out by with his instigating tactics

At least Galmudug understands the ridiculous of having puntland weasel their way into the talks. The purpose of a central government is to represent the interests of all people in their state so having governors join in would simply be redundant...that is unless they think the government of Somalia doesn't represent them.

Somalia;820810 wrote: Washington would call Alaska wouldn't it? Yes it would tell Alaska not to worry and that the federal government would be spearheading any action having to do with national security and international relations. During diplomatic negotiations, the two sides negotiating are always represented by the highest levels of government. Period. In this case the two sovereign entities are the independent states that were party to the union of 1960.

It was only a few weeks ago that your beloved Farole was begging to be included in the talks...essentially trying to weasel his way in like a third wheel.

Watch wadani sweep the upcoming elections. It looks like they have support from across the country

Center? More like the awkward third wheel that tries to tag along to things he has no business in dealing with

It makes complete sense to exclude Puntland from the talks. When two sovereign nations engage in diplomatic actions you expect the highest levels of government to lead the process not sub-administrations or governors to be involved. And correct me if I'm wrong but I don't remember Texas being at the table when the US was negotiating with Russia to reduce their arms.

When you use ridiculous terms like "crimes against humanity" your credibility instantly goes out the window

Looks nice but its not really politics related

Somalia;815647 wrote: See your way out it then. I would but if I left you to your own devices you and your gifs would turn this forum into another 4chan.