On the days before and after US secretary of State Rex Tillerson embarked on his first official trip to Africa, one issue has risen as the main concern among American officials: China’s ascendant role in the African continent. Testifying in front of the US armed services committee on Mar. 6, the top US general for Africa Thomas Waldhauser said they were “carefully monitoring Chinese encroachment and emergent military presence” in Djibouti. The Horn of Africa nation is home to the only permanent US military installation in Africa. But last year, China opened its first overseas naval base there too, provided loans to the country, and built a railway connecting its seas to the Ethiopian hinterland to improve regional trade. But the recent US unease was linked to Djibouti terminating the contract of one the country’s biggest port operators, the Dubai-owned DP World. The company called the move an illegal seizure, prompting US officials to speculate if president Ismail Omar Guelleh could also kick them out at will in the future and if he could hand over the port to China. “If they did [give the port to China], down the way that restricts access, that restricts the [US] navy’s ability to get in there and offload supplies,” Waldhauser warned. The deal to manage the port eventually went to a Singapore-based company that works with China Merchants Port Holdings, which already has a stake in the Djibouti port. A few hours after Waldhauser’s comments, Tillerson gave a speech at the University of Virginia in which he lamented Beijing’s economic engagement model, saying it undermined democracy and mired African countries in debt. When he landed in Ethiopia a day later, he warned African nations from forfeiting their sovereignty and to “carefully consider” the terms of their agreements with China. “We are not in any way attempting to keep Chinese dollars from Africa,” he added. Despite giving millions of dollars in aid, China has eclipsed the US in Africa in many ways: providing loans, financing much-needed infrastructure, competing for resources like oil and minerals, increasing its trade share, and spreading its ideological influence. And despite Africa’s immense economic growth, “there has not been much traction on the economic and diplomatic aspects of US-Africa relations,” says Brahima Coulibaly, the director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution. This allowed partners like China to fill the void, hence strengthening its place in the continent. As the continent looks to the East for aid and trade, US officials are increasingly focused on security and counterterrorism efforts. This is evident in all the nations Tillerson has or is due to visit—Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Chad, and Nigeria—which continue to fight terrorist groups like al-Shabaab or Boko Haram. The Trump administration has also given its military a wider scope to launch airstrikes in Somalia, is supporting African governments in intelligence and reconnaissance efforts, and is building a drone base in Niger, where eight US and Nigerien soldiers died in an ambush last year. Coulibaly says unless Tillerson’s trip produces a clear dialogue that will inform US-Africa strategy, “the United States risks falling behind.”

Wonder if @TillamookTimodheer was in there, braving the cold weather?

I teach my children "biyo gacmahaga ayaa lagaga dhergaa". I would think that building would not fit my view in life. Besides, one cherishes and love more what he builds with his own sweat, his own hands and his own time.

Turkish aid Great design. I think it will become a landmark. But $100m is a lot of money to spend on a single building.

Wishful thinking. You need to wake up and face reality. I am not too sure what kind of drug you are on when you are trying to put in the same sentence other nations like Sudan or Djibouti .... (do not even mention America in here). in comparison to the weak foreign protected mayor in Villa AMISom. The reality is, Villa AMISom is playing your kind - the ever deluded drugged mindless fools. It is all an exercise - Qawda maqashii waxna ha u qaban. Let me tell you about the falacity of the whole game. What the weak gov't is trying to do is to utilise diplomacy. But even in diplomacy, you are limited by how much economic power or military power you can project. Which is why they cannot even summon an ambassador for explanation - the least diplomatic exercise a sovereign nation can do. The funny thing is they are protesting when the Ambassadors of UAE and Ethiopia are enjoying sipping tea in Mogadishu, unaware of the whole hullabaloo. And to come to reason why Somaliland is using this and responding at disproportion, to kill two birds with one stone. The first being to rally the nation to unite and heal the wounds caused by the competitive recent elections, and the second is to send a message to the "Protectors" Villa AMIsom that Somaliland will frustrate their efforts if they do not keep check on the weak gov't i.e. pull their puppet regime in a friendly direction.

After running around knocking on different doors pleading for help, thinking they have any political capital, relevance or respect that can use in order to sway anyone out there to come to their help. After exhausting all that wasted effort, they will come to face the reality.

If Mogadishu and their supporters start banging their head against a brick wall or not. This agreement is done deal. The Chairman of DP World summarised it in this interview. This interview the comments that the Chairman has made will trump any cabaad or dhuuso from Mogadishu. Come next year, when the new port is unveiled and opened for operation, it will be a testament to the chairman's comments below. Chairman of DP World "We can't stop fools from talking from their backside, but one thing we are all sure about is despite their dhuuso iyo cabaad, they won't have any bearing on the agreement. "

As I write this, the Port of Berbera is in operations, managed by the new company that has share holders DP World, Somaliland and Ethiopia. Dogs will bark from the side lines, this caravan is unstoppable.

Barwaaqo, The foul mouthed Timodheer, waa looma ooyaan. Little does s/he understand that there are in fact a people who remember their war heros, there are people who feel the pain and injustice done to thousands of their fella family members. But since they are looma ooyaan, these are foreign ideas to them. But it shows the difference, that we value our dead, we remember them and we promise them that they died for a cause and their cause is still alive and well. Our war dead today are smiling in their graves, knowing that those they left behind are on track to assume that cause. Just imagine if there was a telephone call to Aakhiro, a call to Afwayne and to the SNM Heros. The SNM heros would be over-joyous upon hearing that their comrade Muse Bixi is the President of Somaliland today. While the ignoble Afwayne would be shocked that Mogadishu is today an occupied territory of Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda etc...

Ethiopia has border issues with Somalia, not Somaliland. In fact, Somaliland + Ethiopia border has never been in question during or after 1960s. Hence, there is no point in any one trying to bring up something that never existed before or now or in the future. Waste of anyone's time. Speaking of annexation, lets talk about the actively border operation that Kenya is doing on the Jubba Hoose/Gedo regions of Somalia. or the prolonged occupation of the Ethiopian army in Gedo, Bakool and Bay regions. Surely, no one wants to talk about the real operations that are going on where by both Ethiopia and Kenya are creating "new reality on the ground". Go figure.

You pulled those figures out from your back side. I know the Darawish armed militia were destroyed in the battle fields and finally eliminate completely from the territory. The civilian populations were not targeted. In fact, the Mad Mullah was the one that killed lots of unarmed civilians. Do not rape history. And yes, because of hands off policy the British Gov't administered Somaliland i.e. Somalilanders being highly suspicious of any development plans by the British Gov't., which in turn made the territory not developed. Hence, the reason why I say Somaliland is better off today than anytime before including during the il-fated union with Somalia from 1960s.

Africa should avoid forfeiting sovereignty to China over loans: Tillerson ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday that African countries should be careful not to forfeit their sovereignty when they accept loans from China, the continent’s biggest trading partner. Source

DP World shows its holdings including the Map of Republic of Somaliland separate from Somalia. Kudos.

I can go as far as saying It is now better off under AMISom Trusteeship than the warlord era.

Holac, It is well known fact that Ex-Italian colony of Somalia was better off under the colonial regime. Both in terms of peace, economy and development. As Sheikh Abdirahman Bashir said in the below video, Djibouti was way better during the colonial times (Listen to where the video starts) The only Somali region that boasts better now than during the British Protectorate is Somaliland. Again, Listen to Sheikh Abdirahman Bashir, a Djiboutian, talk about the unique aspects of Somaliland's developments.

Baashe Cawil, Somaliland Ambassador to UAE, vs Zakariya. Baashe destroys the old fella.

Timodheer, I am sure you understood what I was referring to but the suuroda-ridden self of you have chosen to ignore the flesh of my point. Dhaw dhawda yu caduur hadalku ugu dhacaa... True the systems may have changed in Somalia thus far, but that does not mean there is no possibility of it ever sliding back to military dictatorship. Sure enough, the Somali Republic of years between 1960 and 1969 gave the term, in the words of Abdi Samatar, "First Democrats of Africa". Hence, the possibility is there, so do not discount a dictator making a comeback. But what will not come back and is as good as the extinct species are the borders that existed as of 1991. Those borders are as good as dodo.

That is a possibility. Ghelle has been dancing on the head of snakes.

kkk The chances of Somalia ever returning to its pre 1991 days is almost next to zero. I wouldn't discount Allahs' plans, but from as far as humans can tell, it is as good as a dead. You can pray over a dead body for however you like, it won't be coming back. You need to swallow that bitter news. With regards to the Garaad clan, as you can see things are going very well. I know you would rather wanted to see blood and mayhem in those regions. Beesha Garaadku waa idinku garatay.