The Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) convened a conference in Addis Ababa attended by 28 other Ethiopian parties and organizations. The participants voted to endorse Ethiopia's National Charter which, among other provisions, accepted the right of the Eritrean people to self-determination. They outlined the support of the new Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE) for the internationally-supervised referendum de-cided upon by the PGE. http://www.dehai.org/conflict/history/birth_of_a_nation.htm#Eritrean_Referendum As North Sudan agreed to allow the South to hold a referendum, so did Ethiopia in regards to Eritrea! This is why the AU and anyone else refuses to accept the legality of NW Somalia! NW Somalia, needs to deal with the TFG or continue to have absolutely no countries in the world recognizing them!

The secessionists seem to be less then enthusiastic when it comes responding to this thread after the strongly worded comments from Ethiopian FM. The most shocking part of his statement is not only the fact that he believes Somalia as a whole must decided if the NW of the country wants to breakaway. The most shocking part is how the Secessionists consider Ethiopia and ally, yet in the Ethiopians eyes they view the relationships as totally different. The Ethiopian FM made it clear that his government is so against their cause that he purposely went after and completely discredited the claim that the secessionists are making, that South Sudan independence may help NW Somalia. He knows from media reports that NW Somalia's regional government is optimistic about what is going on in South Sudan that he specifically sought to burst their bubble. The comments that the Ethiopia FM made shows that Siilaanyo and his group accept invitations and are allied with a country that strongly and actively denies their existence. The red carpet and band, Deputy Pm coming to the airport and Meles meeting them at the door was presented by the secessionist as progress, but in actuality the Ethiopians were just welcoming a regional government from Somalia! Bottom line, if you had any misconceptions about it - the Ethiopian FM has shown that his nation is definitely not a friend or ally to you guys as a government outside of Somalia!

Come on now JB! The reason why these words are significant is because when Siilaanyo travelled to Addis a few months ago secessionists were talking about the treatment he received remember this? Remember on this thread http://www.somaliaonline.com/community/showthread.php/28156-PRESIDENT-SILANYO-SCORES-BIG-IN-ADDIS-ABABA?highlight=siilaanyo+addis you posted this: Jacaylbaro;448721 wrote: The Deputy Prime Minister welcomed him ............... As well, we hear about how there are diplomatic relations and embassies, basically the point is that after Siilaanyo's visit you guys were singing a different tune about the changes that were happened between you and Ethiopia, but the Ethiopian FM has made his countries position clear today! Nothing has changed! The FM is obviously doing this because he hears the reports that NW Somalia is paying attention to South Sudan. He wants to make it clear the two issues are different.

Jacaylbaro;688580 wrote: And this is what u ignoring mate ........ Well, what is new here now ?? ,,, that has been said for the last 20 years. Ok, well I don't know what the difference is, but if the two terms are different in your world....South Sudan is voting for secession so I am not sure why you are following their case so strongly! Anyways, the Ethiopian Foreign Minister has stated some powerful words!

It quite interesting how all the secessionists completely ignore threads like this. I guess when you provide indisputable evidence about Ethiopia (their supposed brotherly ally) true position on NW Somalia's independence goal they are forced to remian silent! I think the Ethiopian Foreign Minister made it crystal clear that that NW Somalia's quest is not the same as Southern Sudan! More so, his statement makes it clear that the Ethiopian government does not accept Hargeysa's adminstrations case!

Neighboring Ethiopia said events in South Sudan wouldn’t lead it to recognize Somaliland. The situation is different to Sudan, as the north agreed to the south’s referendum, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said in an interview in the capital, Addis Ababa, on Jan. 15. Independence is “up to the people of Somalia to decide,” Hailemariam said. “The decision cannot come from outside, it can only come from within.” I thought the secessionists were all excited because Siilaanyo received a red carpet at Addis airport? Or that Meles actually came to the front entrance of the presidential palace to welcome him in??? What the secessionists need to know is that all the smoke and mirror shows that they get excited about when their leader visits Djibouti and Ethiopia means nothing when those governments openly state comments against your independence delusions.

Saalax;688382 wrote: ^^^ "unable to include Sanaag" Isn't Maydh, Erigavo, Garadag part of Sanaag? what a lame troll. First of try and show some civility! Second, I am pretty certain that the map is self-explanatory! If you look at it, the towns and cities marked with green and yellow squares and have a black line running through them indicate where the cables will run! If you notice the cities and towns in Sanaag you mentioned have no black line or those coloured squares on them. Finally, I searched for this article posted last month from the same site that the map came from. It cleary proves what the map is clearly showing. This week somcable has completed most of their surveys covering total distance of 1200 Km in land. Covering Berbera to Las-anod border of punt land, Berbera to Tog-wajale border in Ethiopia, then Berbera to Lowya-Ado boder in Djibouti. The construction of Berbera landing Station is also expected to be completed in mid January, as well as main Hargeisa Branch. http://somalilandpress.com/somcable-has-completed-preparation-of-the-optic-fiber-project-19568 So why is Sanaag being excluded?

Downfall? If this led to his downfall and failure than why would President Faroole be continuing Cade's legacy with the exact same companies? We know that he was once the single greatest critic against exploration. I think he realized when he took over the presidency - what Cade did as well - was that he needs to create jobs and address the enormous poverty situation in the state. The examples you gave are made up, if villagers were murdered than why weren't their any protests during the conflict? Why didn't Galgala's kinsmen come running to their aid, especically after Atam started pleading with them to do so. Even more importantly, the area's - according to the website that was posted on SOL - says that exploration will take place in Dharoor and Nugaal and there is no mention of Galgala. So if exploration is ever announced there, feel free to bring up your point. Don't compare piracy (which is a criminal act) with exploration. Also, Gaalkacyo is a Somali success story, where two waring sides were able to sign a peace treaty and share the city.

Burn Notice;688158 wrote: Thankful, the agenda of these individuals is as predictable as a child's fairytale they must be so dis-satisfied with the lives that they need to spend copious amounts of time spreading misery and suffering no point arguing with oxygen thieves hold tight if you are in fact a shareholder...things are about to get interesting I agree, many of these individuals claim to be from a totally different country, yet despite their claim what perplexes me is the fact that they seem to be so concerned with Puntlands development. Hence the main underlying commonality among those that oppose Puntlands legally valid exploration deal is that they are almost always people who aren't even from the state. Unfortunately I am not a shareholder, however I truly hope many more companies choose to invest in Somalia. People have waited too long.

If this map is indeed accurate, I think there is a good reason why NW Somalia is unable to include Sanaag in the placement of these cables! Same reason why ballot boxes were never sent there.

This is from NW***********.com and it Finally seems like the secessionists are coming back to reality. Now even their maps are slowly becoming more accurate and the fact that they accepted the 2- track policy with Puntland is further evidence that their past delusions are fading way. Seems the new leader is steering the country in a more sane direction.

You can assume anything you want!, Just don't bash Abdullahi Yusuf for inviting foreigners!

Assume American's? I am quoting an article that you posted! How am I suppose to know how many died, we need to wait and see. I know for certain many died in Buhoodle when Ethiopians entered! The fact remains that you post articles that say foreigners were brought in to fight your battles. Laascaanood is a city that has seems numerous conflicts in the past 10 years, where different regional governments have taken over control, Riyaale was chased out, and also the SSC have threatened to liberate it! It has nothing to do with "terrorists", but everything to do with politics and land. The bottom line is that it is a city on the border of two regional governments within Somalia, conflict is inevitable.....Burco on the other hand has no such tension! How many other cities to the east of Burco are there?? So I ask again, why Burco?

Jacaylbaro;688037 wrote: Coz it is closer to bugland dee ,,, JB you need to try and think logically once in a while! Some of your comments might make sense to you, but not in reality. If what you say is true than why isnt Erigavo and Laascaanood having these issues? Where foreigners are needed to get involved? Why only Burco?? Your whole argument makes no sense!! Anyways, Ten suspected Al-shabab members were arrested in a joint security operation that was carried out by Somaliland and American security officials in Burao, the capital of Togder region. This is further evidence of the how much hypocrites some people from NW Somalia's triangle admin can be when they try and say Abdullahi Yusuf brought Ethiopians to Somalia! When NW Somalia's admin has advocated that foreigners be brought to Buhoodle back in the summer and now they are bringing foreigners to Burco to fight their battles! Your have twice this year your regional government has advocated that foreigners be brought to fight against suspected terrorists! You of all people can never criticize Abdullahi Yusuf for doing it.

I completely agree with you, I think Faroole has done a remarkable job bringing international attention to Puntland and Somalia as a whole. Especially with the whole two track policy with NW Somalia and Puntland. I am certain Sharif was worried that Faroole would take the spot light away from him if they attended Djibouti together! However, I am certain also that he knew that Puntland would respond in this way. I dont think Sharif cares about Puntland since he has never bothered to visit the region even once! Because of this, I truly have no idea what he is trying to achieve.

I wonder why Sharif would want to isolate Puntland like this, especially considering that we are one of his most important allies! Last month, Puntland organized and hosted the national football tournament to be held inside Somalia for the first time in 23 years. Some 15 teams representing 18 administrative regions of pre-1991 Somalia competed, with the team from Mogadishu winning the championship. Who cares? They should be mentioning how Puntland welcomes countless numbers of internally displaced peoples, despite its meager resources! How it and NW Somalia are two of the most stable regions in the country. I am certain that Sharif knows what he was doing and anticipated Puntland would respond in this way!

I wonder why it seems to always be Burco that is giving NW Somalia's admin the hardest time when it comes to "anti-terrorism" operations!

JB, is that the best you can come back with? Burn Notice, if you can see JB is a die hard secessionist and see's everything through his triangle administration! I will say this much though, I feel the unity between my fellow countryman, JB, when he contribues to the development of our country by giving his opinion on Puntland/Somalia issues. (Qodax, it is clear you continuously get banned and than return, also, as JB knows you are obviously Cowke....give it a rest)

Zack, The way Faroole has led Puntland has shown strong evidence that he seeks to become President of the entire country! I think the outcome of his goal of being president will determine what direction he will lead Puntland! He's already introduced a flag, lobbied Washington! I don't think the question is whether or not he will run, but whether or not he can win!

Burn Notice, I think what us Somalis in the Diaspora think about exploration of resources back home is irrelevant. People who say we need to wait or that it has failed do not realize or have seen first hand the terrible situation people are enduring back home. Things are critical, even Somalia’s Prime Minister Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed (Farmaajo) was in New York pleading for help in saving millions of lives. People are in dire circumstances and cannot wait any longer! Do people want Oil drilling and has it been accepted? I think the photo’s I posted a while back is proof. As the old saying goes “a picture says a thousand words”. As these pictures clearly show, there are area's in Puntland that will invite companies with open arms! Just look at how many people are being employed in these pics. Also, it is important to note that the security was provided by locals! (I have more pictures of people who have benefitted from the employment that exploration has brought, however I don’t feel it would be right to put their faces on the internet without their permission!)

Come on, National Soccer Tournament...offering to host a reconciliation conference? It’s clear that being President of Somalia is his number one goal! He should go for it!

Wallahi, if the secessionists did NOT contribute to SOMALIAonline, and start threads title "The capital of Somaliland" on this site, I would truly feel that they didn't want nothing to do with us. No matter what they say about being independent, their actions say something else. Xaaji's postings on other threads of negative Somalia news, tells me enough.

Originally posted by Oodweyne: Furthermore; see to it to learn who "Chatham House" is in relation to the British foreign policy establishment and how they are a long-standing central pillar of the British foreign policy deliberation at the foreign office (regardless of which party is in power in Westminster); even if they are "nominally independent think-thank" , as you have alluded to in here. Believe me, I love when you focus your attention on the British. Because you have yet to get a single country to recognize you, which means something is obviously being done wrong. Silanyo was welcomed on his trip to London by a group that look like a family reunion. Not the head of a state as you allude he is, I see no government officials. More so, NW Somalia has a huge community in London, yet so few people came to great him. You would think they would show massive support for their president in order to get media attention. I believe that they are slowly realizing that they are supporting a hopeless cause. But keep knocking on the British door, because we know who they take orders from. The sole super-power in the world is the U.S and they have made it clear that recognition is will be done by the AU. They are the ones that are supporting south Sudan and other area's of Europe that have gain independence. They went to war in Iraq/Afghanistan and virtually every other conflict and the the rest followed. What you need to realize is that your former colonial masters will never lead the way and have the U.S follow them. And concerning Minister for Africa Henry Bellingham statement I agree with you that only 10% of agreed upon issues are made public, because everything that is made public can be used against someone on in the future and in some cases it cane become legally binding. We know many lies are made, I am certain the Djibouti and Ethiopia promised to help with independence to give you a pat on the head but they will never come out and say it in public. Like I said to, there is a huge NW Somalia diaspora population that this conservative minister seeks to lure votes from, because remember he is a politician. But If you notice Mr. Bellingham was very careful on the words that he used. No mention of independence, or the "republic of Somaliland." Even the person your leader met the UK was carefully chosen. Just think about it we see Somalia's leaders over the last decade meeting with the head of the British government...regardless of what party is in power in Westminister . Yet the key to it is that, they are leaders that control an extremely tiny amount of land, yet they get to meet your Prime Ministers, while your enclave leader lands at the airport and is greated by no one. Keep seeking the British!

During the transition to the Obama Administration, London think tanks have been active in discussing USG and HMG priorities in Africa. Poloff took the opportunity to poll opinions among Africa specialists at Chatham House, RUSI, the Royal Africa Society, Africa Confidential, the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit, and International Crisis Group (please protect). The following are issue-by-issue consensus summaries from those discussions: From what I undestand this has to do with London think tanks and not the UK government. Because it's interesting that Siilanyo was just in the UK and had received no special treatment at the airport! I am sure that many classified and unclassified suggestions are presented by think tanks as ways to try and secure Somalia and East Africa. Plus that is what think tanks do, they think up as many idea's as possible. At the end of the day NW Somalia is unable to even get a single country to recognize them and I think that is a clear indication of the British position. They have meddled in Africa far too much and have left the issue recognition in the hands of the AU.

The Obama Admin has also frozen the assets of Atam, and the UN has accused him in numerous reports over the years of also violating the arms embargo. Yet for some reason Nassir turns a blind eye to this and actually supports him. If you are so concerned with who is breaking international law you should not be so bias towards people just because they come from your community. Right now Faroole is in Kuwait and part of his delegation former Puntland presidential candidate and the man you called a few months ago Maakhir's heavyweight politician Ilka-Jiir.