Somalia's potential source of income is tied to the prospects of peace and unification. We have so much unexploited natural resources but lack the will and ambition to prosper from it. Please read the following article I got from Hiiraan Online. IS THERE OIL IN SOMALIA? Eng. Abdulkadir Abiikar Hussein, MSc.; FGS (Engineering Geologist) Many oil experts believe that Somalia has got a high potential, and that the country needs peace, democracy and political stability in order to attract international investment necessary for exploration and development. In a discussion of the oil prospects of Somalia, several fundamental questions assume major importance. Has oil been generated in the subsoil of Somalia? Are there suitable reservoir rocks (porous) that can hold and act as container of oil and gas after it was formed millions of years ago? Are there suitable structures inside the ground that can retain the oil: anticlines, stratigraphic traps and facies pinchouts? The answer to all these questions, with some reservations to the last one, is 'yes'. But then comes another question: why Somalia is not roducing oil if that is the case? The answer lies partially in the methods sed for oil prospecting in the sixties and early seventies and partially on the political history of Somalia. The earliest indicators of the generation of oil in Somalia are shown by a large oil seep southeast of Berbera and other seeps in various locations of Somalia. Stan-Vac drilled three dry holes in the area of the seep in Bihindulle, Laalays and Just south of Berbera in 1959 before Somalia became independent. Azzaroli, a geologist with the National Research Council of Italy and later with Agip mineralia in Somalia, mapped bituminous strata in limestone of north Somalia. With the coming of the drilling rigs to Somalia, many more indicators of oil and gas became evident. Oil companies invested enormously in the fifties and early sixties and carried out oil prospecting. Sinclair and Agip were the lead in these activities. In the Agip 1 Sagaleh well (, oil staining was found in a porous limestone-dolomitic series of the Jurassic. The Sinclair 1 Gira found a small oil show in the Jurassic. In the Agip 1 Cotton, near Bandar Beila, a good gas show was found in the Cretaceous limestone, and the 1Sagaleh, in the same zone, found oil staining. At 792m. depth in the 1Marka, the well showed not only hydrocarbon stains, but contained gas under good pressure. The Sinclair 1 at Afgoye, west of Mogadishu, also had good gas shows. Farther south in Somalia, the Sinclair 1 at Addo Alimo, southeast of Afmadow, and the Hobyo 1 north of Hobyo town, all contained stains and had very thick sedimentary layers. Firstly, the anticlinal structural approach costed time and delay for the actual production of oil from Somalia. It took many years before oil companies had to abandon this methodology of oil prospecting. The existence of old anticlinal structures to hold petroleum seems to be lacking in Somalia. There is no evidence of large sclae compressive folding in Somalia, like that in the Arabian peninsula and Egypt. There are anticlines in the north but they are young in terms of geologic time. The anticlines of the north are believed to have been caused by either rejuvenation of old fault blocks or drag along major faults that parallel along the Somali coast of the north. In either case, the movements were probably associated with the Miocene separation of Africa and Arabia, and therefore with post-Mesozoic and post early Tertiary oil and gas accumulations. Consequently, commercial accumulations of hydrocarbons must be sought in older structures and stratigraphic traps, because those of the late Tertiary age appear to be barren of petroleum. There are similar anticlines in southern Somalia, although it is apparent that these structures were developed by large igneous intrusions, like the one in the Dooy area (Buur Hakaba, Buur Haybe and Buur Qalin and Aliyow Geelle of Diinsoor). Some fault-block anticlines are identified in Central Somalia, and similar structures have been oil productive in Arabia, while on the other hand, some were not. In Somalia, all or nearly all, anticlinal features that have been drilled up to 1977 resulted in dry holes. It was these failures that compelled geologists to seek other methodologies of prospecting oil in Somalia. Then came the idea of using the stratigraphic approach to oil finding in Somalia. Some geologists believe that this method will lead to success. The lithology and structure of the Somali embayment ( Lower Mudug, Galgaduud and the fringe lands of Hiiraan adjacent to Galgaduud ) are similar to those of the Midland basin of West Texas. The Somali embayment is Mesozoic basin, while West Texas basin is Paleozoic basin, but they have many similarities. The offshore marine environment, adjacent to Hobyo coast includes probably among the numerous promising zones that contains petroleum. Nearly, all the oil shows in Somalia have been in carbonate rocks, although in the coastal areas of the Banaadir, there have been petroleum shows, especially gas, trapped in Tertiary sandstones. These reservoirs have good potentials and may yield oil/gas if prospected properly. The known shows for the Tertiary sandstones are located in Marka and Afgoye. This area offers good possibilities for commercial oil and gas production because there is a thick Tertiary section of 4267 m. In the Banaadir area, gas shows have been reported, and the sedimentary column thickens seaward. Offshore exploration would appear to offer the good possibilities. Secondly, the political history of Somalia played a negative role. In 1969, the military came to power and Somalia shifted to the Russian Block. Command economy and socialism was at the centre of the political economy. In the next two decades, the regime was authoritarian and repressive and oil companies could not take the risk in investing into Somalia, and instead had to wait and move very cautious with regard to Somalia. Somalia was at odds with Ethiopia, and went into war twice in two decades. However, Somalia's policies changed at a later stage and cooperated with the World Bank and the IMF, but this action was too late to contribute positively and the factional movements were already becoming stronger and threatening the existence of the state. Summarising the existing technical literature, corporate and scientific documents: there are four major areas that may bear oil and natural gas that could yield significant commercial amounts. These zones are: . the Guban area of the north, particulary the new Sahel and Awdal regions. . the Banaadir region between Mogadishu-Afgooye and Baraawa, including Marka. . the Somali embayment of Lower Mudug and Galgaduud regions, including offshore Hobyo. . the Nugaal Valley between Qardho and Bandar Beila. Many oil experts believe that Somalia has got a high potential, and that the country needs peace, democracy and political stability in order to attract international investment necessary for exploration and development. Once the country embarks on the mentioned course, interested oil companies will return immediately and resume exploration. In a 1991 World-Bank coordinated study, intended to encourage private investment in the petroleum potentials of eight African nations, geologists put Somalia and Sudan at the top of the list of prospective commercial oil producers. Today Sudan produces with the help of investments from Petronas of Malaysia and a Chinese (Taiwanese) oil company. This is because Sudan is relatively calmer than Somalia. Since 1986 Conoco, along with Amoco, Chevron, Phillips and briefly Shell, all sought and obtained exploration licences for Somalia. Soon Somalia was carved up into concessional blocks with Conoco, Amoco and Chevron winning the right to explore and exploit the most promising areas. According to documents obtained by the Times, two-thirds of Somalia was allocated to the American oil giants before President Barre was overthrown and the country plunged into a civil war. Even some political analysts attribute the American involvement in Somalia was due to oil because the then President of the US was bowing to the US oil corporate stakes in exploiting Somalia. However, the Administration of President Bush and the State Department insisted that the decision to send US troops to Somalia was only to safeguard aid shipments and restore peace, and was therefore, strictly humanitarian. In another development, two geologists in a London three-day conference, while presenting their results, reported that an analysis of nine exploratory wells drilled in Somalia indicated that Somalia is situated within the oil window and the country is highly prospective for gas and oil. A report by a third geologist, Z.R. Beydoun, said offshore sites possessed the geological parameters conductive to generation, expulsion and trapping of significant amounts of oil and gas. There was always a deep interest of oil companies in Somalia. However, these interests intensified when Texas-based Hunt Oil Exploration grounded in the finding of a highly successful exploration effort estimated at one billion barrels of reserves in Yemen. Geologists disclosed that the Yemeni reserve is a portion of a continuous deposit, crossing into Somalia. The deposit of north Somalia (Somaliland) and Yemen were one and the same deposit before 35 million years ago when Yemen and Somalia were joined together. Immediately Hunt Oil Exploration crossed Gulf of Aden to Bulhaar, in the coastal Guban area of Somaliland to start drilling. Hunt explorers expected the same geology as in Yemen. However, the 1998 SNM attack on the north scared off the American petroleum prospectors and compelled drilling to cease. In conclusion, Somalia possesses all the requirements for a petroliferous province. Hydrocarbons (oil and gas) have been generated in the Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks and has a sedimentary column thickening to 8830m. Many porous reservoirs are known, both in carbonate and clastic rocks, and various types of traps are probably present. It is now time that Somalia should concentrate on the political environment, improve stability and make the country a place where law and order prevail. Thomas O'Connor, the chief petroleum engineer for the World Bank, who headed an in-depth three-year study of oil prospects in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia's northern coast, said, "It's there. There is no doubt there is oil there. You don't know until you study a lot further just how much is there and it has commercial potential. It's got high potential ……once the Somalis get their act together." Thomas O'Connor, a professional geologist, based his conclusion on the findings of some of the world's top petroleum geologists. With regard to oil prospecting companies, we should not look only to the west for investment but the east has also technological capacity to explore and produce oil. China Taiwan and Malaysia are very keen in terms of investing in oil prospecting in Somalia. We have to lay in place the conditions for international investment.

asalamu alaykum everyone, Instinct Poet your very welcome brother. Good to know there are many of us who share such thought concerning our country. What you said is really inspiring to many: I will continue to give my country what it deserves a young open minded person who’s well civilized and also can see past the clan divide. Insha'Allah, we will one day be working together to make Somalia prosperous again. I also want to thank Bari_noman and Baashi for sharing their thoughts with us. Shukran Jazilan. Ma'Salama!

Marhaba brother, I commend you on your initiative to better the lives of others in the name of Islam. Let me be fair and tell you that the idea of an Islamic government was introduced in the early 1990's by "Al Ittihad Al Islamiya". They took the wrong approach and in their misguided attempt, were rejected. Another Factor for their failure was in part due to the overwhelming interference of Ethiopia in Somali Internal Affairs. The fact of the matter is Somalia needs something different other than the warlords. I believe Islam is the only way. Somalia is the only Muslim country that Muslims are killing other Muslims. Think about it. If you ask me, the people masquerading as the "leaders" of Somalia have become too individualistic and have lost touch with the population as a whole. Ma’Salama

OG_Moti, You say I like to tell people that I am from Somalia, correct me if I'm wrong, but about 99% of all the members are from Somalia, with the exception of Djibouti. Ponder on that for a sec. And the part of not being able to live without my people kind of puzzled me because I believe my people need me just as much as I need my people. The fact that you see that as being negative is very disappointing OG_Moti. I have no Avatar because I just didn't feel like having one. And when it gets on my priority list of things to do, I'll let you know....because I'm just that eager to hear what you think...lol. P.s. it's just a two word name, Origin and Gender. No need to make it complex my brother. Ma'salama

Asalamu Alaykum It's not really my nick name; it just came to my mind I guess. And if you want to know what it means....pretty self-explanatory if you ask me. Tisbah Ala Kayr

This is an interesting article that we should all read. Monday October 20, 1997 Edition -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post-US, Somalia Finds Many Cash In on Chaos Ilene R. Prusher, Special to The Christian Science Monitor BOSSASO, SOMALIA -- It's just after noon at the port in Bossaso, and there has been another shooting by a militiaman of a rival sub-sub-clan member. Now a major point of entry for goods into Somalia, Bossaso has been targeted by the United Nations as a place worth cleaning up because it's the region's biggest potential source of income. The disorder that ensues is typical of a place where there is no law, and no police to enforce it. But one afternoon's tumult is just a blip compared with the lawlessness that is exploited by those who have managed to capitalize on what may be the world's most unregulated economy. Since the UN left in 1995, a year after American troops pulled out, the civil war has dwindled to battles among rival warlords in the capital, Mogadishu. LESSONS: Girls study in Hargeisa, Somaliland, the breakaway portion of Somalia. As the civil war staggers on in the capital Mogadishu, other regions have found a measure of stability. In Bossaso, business is booming, but the unprotected coast has led to looting of country's scarce resources. (JEAN-MARC BOUJU/AP) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The beneficiaries of Somalia's stateless state include local players as well as foreign looters. Some here argue that what most hampers efforts toward peace and the re-formation of a central government in Somalia - which collapsed in 1991 - are those who profit from the chaos. Domestically, there are a number of Somalis who have an interest in maintaining the status quo. These include militia members who get paid to provide security, khat importers who don't have to pay duties on the narcotic leaf, and various other businessmen who are happy to operate without regulations and without taxes. In fact, in the free-for-all atmosphere, the private sector has boomed. Independent businesses, nationalized during the 1970s by the former Socialist regime of President Mohamed Siad Barre, have sprouted up again. In Bossaso, many services that were public before the war again exist, but only for those who can afford them. During the civil war's height, for example, looters stripped phone lines for the copper and left the nation out of order. Now, entrepreneurs have opened a communications center. But this tax-free environment is not exactly a supply-sider's dream. Virtually nothing trickles down to the overwhelming majority living in slums, where goats feed on garbage heaps that no one is paid to clean up. Clinics, schools, and even a post office are in operation, but cost so much that the most basic services are available only to people of means. Yet, in a way almost unimaginable to Westerners, Somalia functions even in its statelessness. The marketplace here in Bossaso does a brisk business. Sectors such as fishing and livestock have grown throughout the relatively stable northeast. Before the war, there was one aviation firm with three aircraft; now there are 14 companies with 62 airplanes. Some might consider this to be an impressive example of the survivalism that has played itself out in other war-torn African states, where the traditional trade filled many of the functions of an official economy. In Somalia, there was almost no history of state institutions before Siad Barre seized power in 1969. "They have a society based on clan lineages, and the government was never really imposing itself on Somali society," says Hagai Erlich, an expert in East African politics at Israel's Tel Aviv University. Somalis are "much more individualistic and less tribalistic, and in paradoxical way, that may help fuel a free economy," he says. (TOM BROWN - STAFF) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But can a society be too free to be fair? Roland Marchal, a researcher from Paris's Center d'Études et de Récherches Internationales, says that Somalia's "free" economy often means that traders from weaker clans are prohibited from competing with traders from the strongest clans. The fact that many Somalis remember Siad Barre's regime as thoroughly corrupt may further hinder attempts to recreate a central government. "Many new traders have little knowledge about [corruption in] the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s; nevertheless, they may legitimately fear the development of a state apparatus that will bring new regulations, taxation, and patronage," Mr. Marchal wrote in a recent report for the UN. "So the antistate culture is very strong amongst the new business people...." Even if many Somalis are managing to feed their children and eke out a living, anarchy has other consequences. The world knows that there is still no one in charge in Somalia, and most importantly, no one guarding its coastline. Somalis and UN officials say ships from places such as China and Taiwan have been dumping toxic waste in the unprotected waters off the coast. Ships from around the world also have been illegally fishing the seafood-rich waters. "This is one of the five best fishing areas in the world according to World Bank studies, but it's being looted by pirates who are taking advantage of our national tragedy because we can't protect our coastline," says Gen. Mohammed Abshir, a top official in the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF), the leading political faction here. UN officials verify ships from China, the Philippines, Spain, and Russia have been heavily fishing the area. Somali leaders in the northeast region say that 300 to 500 vessels appear along their 800-mile section of coast during a season, and that the fleets also include trawlers from other European countries, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Yemen, and Pakistan. "That's a pretty barren coast, there's 2,000 miles of it, and someone can get away with it pretty easily," says a security official in charge of UN operations here. "You can see them fishing when you fly over the country." The UN, the International Maritime Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization are beginning a fisheries project to measure the extent of the problem and help Somalis protect and make use of the resource. Included in the environmental pillaging, large tracts of land in Somalia have been burned and made into charcoal. SSDF leaders say that during the last two years, at least a million bags of charcoal have been made and shipped off to the Arab Gulf states, though the faction has begun to crack down on such activities. Somalis say they know the lawlessness keeps the international community away. But without its assistance, says port manager Said Jibril Aris, there isn't enough money to do what's necessary: "We cannot build a watch tower. We need a hand from the donor community, otherwise things will remain as they are.

Asalamu Alaykum, SoSoDeaf, I, by all means, wasn't implying that, you out of all people, were criticizing anyone. Let me just apologize and say that I was speaking in a general way. I just wanted to let everyone know what we shouldn't do, for future reference that is. I just wanted to clear that up. P.S. I enjoy reading your analogies and stories.lol Tisbah Ala Kayr, Somali Brother

Marhaba everyone! Lil cutie girl, maybe I'm stating the obvious........but you started this topic and didn't even bother to put yourself in a category. P.S. itnin wa 'ishrin Tisbah Ala Khayr, Somali Brother

Asalamu Alaykum I hear what you are saying SoSoDeaf. So many Somali youth are lost due to our migration to places like Canada and the United States. But one thing we can not do to our confused brothers and sisters is criticize them for it. That will not help the problem, but what we can do is offer our ear. Some youth of today need someone that will listen to them before judging them. Like the late Mr. Shakur said.."Only god can judge me". So we mustn't judge anyone. I think what SoSoDeaf was saying is that in our new society, we as a community must take the positive aspects of the western society and merge into our own, while at the same time omitting the negative ones. I think the only way we are going to prosper as a community is the day we forget the minor "things" that separate us and look at all the common values and characteristics which we all share as Somalis. Please ponder on that for a moment. Ma'Salama everyone!

Asalamu Alaykum I share the same concern for oppressed Muslims everywhere. But it’s sad to see situations such as Palestine and to a different extent, Somalia. What's also sad to see is the hypocrisy of Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain...just to name the main ones. The governments of countries like these could care less about the current situation in Somalia or Palestine. Don't let the Fund raising in Saudi fool you, that's all propaganda. In Somalia's case, the least some of these countries could have done was let the displaced civilians of war have safe refuge in one of their countries. I said it before and I'll say it again. SOMALIA DOESN'T NEED SYMPATHY FROM ANYONE! But when people are running away from war, it is every Muslim’s obligation to provide safe haven for them. When Muslims were running away from persecution in Mecca in the 8th century, where did they receive safe haven? East Africa. I understand that the government doesn't necessarily share the same views as the populace, but it is upon them to change that government. So answer your question about Iraq, my heart goes out to all the displaced people of Iraq due to this illegal war. And Insha'Allah the Palestinians will get through their half-century long pain and finally get their own state. Ma'Salama

I thank you all for sharing your heart felt concerns regarding our great land. I know there are many of us who feel this way and want to contribute what we can. And for Matkey, you asked how we as individuals can reverse the current situation? I believe Sumaya said it best Matkey: We should use the education we received abroad to help our country become what it once was..(and still is in my heart) United and strong Somalia. ExDane also brought up an interesting subject for us to speculate upon. Foreigners are making money from the raw materials they purchase from Somalis (for practically nothing) and reselling it in other markets for 20-30 times that price. The lack of government in Somalia has also been an attracting factor for foreign fishing vessels to fish in Somali waters and at the same time, dump their waste. I don't knows if some of you know or not, but the Somali coast line has been rated in the top 5 best fishing waters in the world by the World Bank. That's just one more reason to protect our natural resources from misuse. Shujui and Rampage, I share your sentiments completely. Ma'salama

Zynab, I commend you for starting this topic and sharing your concern with the rest of us. If we are not optimistic, then we are pessimistic, and if we are pessimistic...we are negative. And we all know negativity will get us nowhere. I also want to acclaim Ruba, HornAfrique, SoSoDeaf, Lateafha,and Lander for showing a positive voice during such animosity. SoSoDeaf, I agree with you about helping our community here first. It is on us to lead each other and our country to prosperity. We should be more involved in community programs with underprivileged Somali children. Something as minor as a bit of your time during summer break to help organize a program can mean the difference between a neglected child and a child who feels his community cares for his/her well being. Asalamu Alaykum everyone

Somalia's problems are deep-rooted and don't end at the warlords. I don't understand people who say..."why doesn't the world help Somalia?" Somalia doesn't need sympathy or western solutions (meaning large sums of misplaced cash for politicians), what we need is constructive ideas and "Somali Solutions". Time tells the truth and what the last 12 years has told me is that it is on the youth of today to save Somalia, not the warlords profiting from the disparity of their fellow countrymen. If you want to make good use of your education, make use of it where it is needed. I believe Canada can do without my input and taxes in this well advanced economy if I go back to my country. That's what the Arabs, Indians, and many other races do. Africans on the other hand are the only people who say.."Go back?...for what?" If only we could see past ourselves. If you look into the eyes of a displaced mother with her dying child in her arms....I don't know how you could not want to change that. That is a truly heartbreaking sight. So Insha'Allah we will see past this western ideology that the "dollar" makes you happy. Asalamu Alaykum my Somali Brothers and Sisters.

You can't express such feelings, you just have to feel it.

Asalamu Alaykum my brothers and sisters, This topic is on behalf of our beautiful, courageous, intelligent, historical, and most of all, unified people of Somalia. (Please feel free to respond at will.) I believe that we are our own future. Somalia, as most third-world nations, suffers greatly from, the simply-defined and universal, "brain drain". In order to reverse this, ex-patriots like you and I are expected to give back to our nation.....its worth, its dignity, its respect, and last and most importantly.....ITSELF. It is the least we can do for the country that gave us, our parents and our ancestors’ shelter, food, a land to call their own, and hope for their children. I, myself, was born in Somalia and was there for the first 8 years of my life. I have seen first-hand the land I call "my home", and wish to give it more than it has given me. So, Insha'Allah, when I finish school and receive my degree, Somalia will be at the receive-end of my education and gratitude. I encourage all my Somali brothers and sisters around the world in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas to remember "our land" in its time of need, and our individual time of prosperity. ma'salama Somali Brother from Ottawa, Canada