This is so dangerous. Many people do not expect French, American and British companies wrecking countries in their competition. People always think that its West and East. Ethiopia will not risk anything not even appear to be against Madoobe. The reason is simple. Kililka. Abtigis situation is very shaky. If not Abtigis the Oromo will be out of Kililka in a heart bit since Gkelleh seems to have uper hand in the North east of Kililka.

lol That is a bone crunching joke Africans and Arabs Brother brother today and enemies next day and then brotherly hugs the day after, in the mean time so much money and time wasted on nothing.

Agreed and accepted. My point was meant to show only that Puntland gets bum wrap from all corners including Somalilanders. This terrorist thing BTW is sometimes still useful to keep oneself in the game. America is still around UAE is around and wants everything blamed on Qatar It may still be profitable in addition to being true.

What is the point of this article other than childish schoolyard talk. Roads are built by real people and real machines and never by Twitter or face book. Ghelleh will never sign or talk anything without having a good talk with anyone remotely involved. He never liked Illey, but will talk to him even if Ghelleh is building a one room house in Dirdaba or Shinnille. He never will say I have talked with Meles or Abiy and go ahead. On that account only this is a manufactured theatrics. Even big China talked with Somaliland about the security of pipeline even though the pipeline has nothing to do with Somaliland territory or people.

Poor Somalia suffered 100 years for oil Next will be Uranium which is really heating up. Uranium has brought Mali a forgotten place in the thick now. The name Timbaktu meant 'in the middle of no where' now it means in the middle of everywhere. Arabs have worked all their lives so places like Somalia cannot extract their oil. Sudan split because of oil. Ethiopia remained backward and poor because of water and oil. As things stand right now oil will kill what is left of Somalia.

Every country has some politician who is conscientious. This senator seems to understand long term. As for the case: On the one hand from the behavior of Kenya seems they know they will loose. On the other hand it may also be to cover other sinister motives with land or population rather than sea. What did late MSB agreed with Kenya under duress during war with Ethiopia?

Yes, but even the attempts they make are enough to create chaos. Look no further than Ethiopia. America wanted China and Turkey out, but the Arabs UAE and Saudis who promised so much and assured America they will take care of it, could not replace Turkey let alone China. The Turkish had Schools, Construction, industrial area, Sugar projects, Textiles and all Turkish technical capacity. Arabs have to hire Pakistanis or Indians for Textile, Europeans or Americans for Sugar, Others for construction..Arabs do not make guns or other equipment the Turkish do... Ethiopia is now back in China hands after wasting a year. Turkish will not be far behind. The Turkish have not stopped their works in Afar and Tigray anyway.

Its some fake propaganda against Illey. Why don't they post the basic formulae? Why they don't say how much the Chinese company is taking..will never tell this by Abiy or Abtigis.

This Puntland must be doing something right for itself. If Somalilanders here talking abut Puntland 24/7, if Mogadishu talking about Puntland 24/7 and now some SOLers from Kenya or Jubaland talking about Puntland 24/7. Yet all these desparate groups cannot travel on the same bus if that was the only choice from A to B. Some of them would walk for days. I don't like who said it, but the saying goes: If you only loved yourself and your children half of what you hate us and our children, it would do you a lot of good. An Israeli to Arabs.

The issue of federalism is the same everywhere in the world. Only difference in some places the constituent parts are Ethnic (Canada), tribes and clans (America..the 13 were dominated and founded either by Englishmen, Germans, Scotish, Dutch..even their churches were different Anglican, Presbyterian..etc), Ethnic and regional mixed India, Ethnic and tribal Russia, Ethnic pure Switzerland...etc. Unitary system is preferred only by two groups either those who were once in power and lost or those who think they are very close to power and can dominate others. Everybody else wants federalism. UK regions are Ethnic which very fast going to federalism or break up. Only full federal system can save UK. In Somalia it should not matter for Ethnicity or past provinces/regions. What ever gives stable region should be acceptable. Iy may have clan or sub clan or sub sub clan connection. The purpose should be can the populayion be governed together easily. The Amxara in Ethiopia were and still some are against federalism, but the train has left the station. The Somali will never give up self government, and almost all others. 30 years is a long time.

That is the key and the single most important issue. Everything else is just an add on jargons. I already see utter deceptive and totally fake: 25% to all regions including producing region. lol So childish. There is no mechanism to do this and never done anywhere in the world. Nver heard such childish meaningless propaganda. What is normally done is % for federal % for state/province % for local or district Or simply the whole thing to central government or %federal/central and % to province or State. What was proposed during Illey by Kililka was: Federal government is totally responsible for pipeline, highways, houses, roads.. Federal government pays 100% for security, but total contracted to Kililka responsible for security Oil companies and Federal government pay for environmental measures Kililka has to agree and Kililka to be given work to its capacity. Cash to Kililka was 40% which brought the whole ratio to 60-65% to Kililka including what is specifically spent on Kililka. That is why the Oromo bulked at it. The Tigray were OK since they had wanted Kililka to be main gateway for all trade so the infrastructure investment was no problem. That is why so many Tigray businesses had taken land in Kililka and knew where the main highways would be including 3 more airports.

When was the last time you heard Farmaajo and Co. talking about Berbera? lol That issue and banning UAE from doing any contact or business in Somalia have disappeared even from face book. There are really some strong persons or groups in Mugadishu who do not want a government (effective). The tactics may change, but the objective is the same. Nobody can call themselves Somalia government who cannot control the capital, its that simple. If Ethiopia is the eternal enemy some make it to be, then has succeeded with no effort at all in having Farmaajo with most pro Ethiopia politician.

Abtigis has lowered the prestige and power of the Somali in Ethiopia one level down. He attempted to ally closely with Amxara to get some breathing room from the Oromo suffocation, but looks like did not succeed in doing either. In the mean time, as he has to do some 'dirty' work as all governments do, on the ground, some unhappiness is showing up already and his chances of becoming prime minister of Ethiopia as the Amxara had started propagating to distance the Somali from Oromo is fading. He will soon rue the day he accused Illey of being separatist and preparing Kililka for separation.

Always wondering why Somaliland is very weak in Britain unlike in the other Common Wealth countries. One would have expected British parties to trip each other (not recognizing) but in economic, humanitarian, educational, health projects with their International development Department.

Colonialism project was completed by the 1920s. The unti-colonial forces everywhere were defeated by then. 1936 is war between colonizers, mostly between Italian and British empires, not between colonized or to be colonized Africans and colonizers. Ethiopia by then has been invaded and partly defeated by Italy and occupied just what happened few years later to France by Germans. Pre-1920s and After 1935 has no relation.

UAE has already succeeded not trying, it has accomplished what it wanted. When was the last time you heard Farmaajo praising Turkish or Erdogan where they took all the risks of coming to Mogadishu to show the world that Somalia is on its way back? The army they started to train, the elite army they were going to train in turky...etc? When was the last time you saw or heard Formaajo consulting with the only other Somali head of state Ghelleh? When was the last time Farmaajo was hafing and puffing of taking UAE to UN about Berbera? When is the last time you heard a Somali politician talking about banning UAE from doing any business in Somalia? When was the last time you heard any politician about keeping sanctions on Eritrea as long as Al Shabab and some powerful persons in Mugadishu are preventing SFG? Contrary to this Somali politicians of Farmmajo are tripping over each other to replace all forigners with Eritrea/Ethiopia. By any measure UAE is actually most successful foreign country in Somalia.

America is now naked empire. Tells everybody what to do and what not to do, but does not want to pay penny. Before America used to order you to do something, but pay for it, at least your expenses lol NATO have been told they pay everything including pay Americans in Europe. Polish president few months ago in Washington was the best example. Poland will build a base for America in Poland with 2 Billion dollars. The base will be called Trump. Americans will not be subject to any local laws in that Poland...etc. Still with all this the Polish are still beginging America to OK the base. If UAE says will pay all in Somalia, America will simly give them the list of what to do and UAE adds their own and are free to go ahead. Before it was who ever pays calls the pipper..now its who ever makes pay available calls the payer, the pipper and the audience. Farmaajo thought if he says few things on face book about Somaliland and others he will get all Somalis to die for him. No old slogan works anymore.

So what if some Indians carried an Englishman, Zulus carry a Dutch, Xabeshi carry a frenchman... Do you know that in Paris today you can get on a pedaled bicycle and a sweating man can carry you around? You have no answer to: Where did the Somali fought to prevent Italians Colonialism from setting foot in their homeland? Answer that and you have your answer. FYI in 1936 the whole East Africa was carrying Italians or British...If you pay me enough and I don't have a bicycle, horse buggy, donkey buggy...U would do it now too. People do it in India everyday. Don't mix decades and centuries just trying to move the goal post. 1936 in East Africa was second world war. Colonialism was completed around 1920.

The way Madoobe dealt with the Ethiopians should be enough to qualify him as the man. The way he talked with the first Ethiopian colonel that met him was a big factor in his treatment, not because he allied with them, far from it. Any help given by Kililka authorities was minimal since he leaned more to ONLF. Why is that everybody accuses everyone else of working with foreigners, yet every single one of the organizations, clans, warlords, regions has worked with Arabs, Africans, Europeans, Americans at one point or another? General Aidiid was convinced, brought from India all by Mengistu/Ethiopians. That is a fact even his son speaks let alone others.

Life is not fair. Do you realize you are already benefiting from the Iran-US/Arab fracas? Next to Djibouti Berebra will be the only port capable to deal with todays normal shipping other than Port Sudan and Mombassa which are far away from the action. Since UAE will not use Djibouti, Berbera is the only port. I hate to wish any ill on anyone, but if the Persian Gulf closes for any length of time..Berbera will be the empire overnight. Poor Yemen taken out of the game.

Oh how far low are the Kenyans going with this one? Never kick even an enemy when down. Some brave regional or federal leader some day will pay them back.

What was the agreement between Italy and British? Is it everywhere in Africa applied with latitude straight or the land border line continues to the sea? Lets apply the latitude line on Djibouti. From Eritrea if the land border line is continued then Eritrea would get very close to Bab El mendeb, but it is not. Eritrea land may seem close to Bab El Mendeb, but the sea line is not. Djibouti has complete coverage. On Somaliland side as well if the land line was to continue, Somaliland would have very small and short sea. Here also its using latitude line. Unless there was an agreement like the one between Eritrea and Ethiopia that gave the village to Eritrea by a straight line from one hill to where two small seasonal rivers met. Everybody is getting worked up and it seems more of current politics and less to do with the real thing.

I cannot understand why some people feel bad about something that happened a century ago. Some peoples welcomed colonialism as it came. Some people like Somaliland, Egypt.. tried their best to modify colonialism, some peoples fought it and lost, some peoples tried to play one colonialist against another by siding with different one, like Tanzania tried with Germans and Britain..... Puntland, Italian Libya, Afrikaners of South Africa...are some of those that went to war against colonizers. Italian Libya lost and fell totally under colonial rule Afrikaners lost and totally fell under Colonial rule Puntland lost, but still managed to salvage some form of autonomous colonialism where Italians could not set camp, administer and commandere villages...everything was limited contact.

Simple logic: How many battles were done between Italy and Somalis until the defeat of the Boqor and also the defeat of the Darawish? Where were all these battles conducted? Since there was not TFG or Somalia republic then and the hieghest territorial organizations were Sulatnates with one exception higher than Sultanates the Boqor (Kingdom equivalent to England, Scotland system wise which had government, standing army and navy, tax collectors and government service providers, diplomats...): Which Sultanates and Boqor fought against Italy? Just those facts will tell you the lay of the land then. No need to fill ones head with 'information' that has no reality and also emotional feelings do not replace real information. You should separate how you feel about Puntland now at this time and what Puntland's place is in history of the Somali people in the 19th century. Remember that in all of Africa nobody has such level of governance development as puntland had except the Xabeshi and some North African Tribes or peoples. In all of today's Ethiopia there were only 5 kingdoms at the time and many sultanates. Not a single Yemen territory had a kingdom at that time.

Yes but the downside to it is that he knows too much and too many and may have already preferred group. You can see how Yamamoto messed up in Ethiopia and failed to make a dent in Djibouti which was the main reason for all the changes for both Amerca and UAE. The group he preferred in Ethiopia had no legal or formal way to come to power unless they make a coup, so now they are just advisors and are fed up with it already. So much so, The Amxara are getting off the bus.