Breaking into even smaller bits? -Economist

[NASSIR]

Breaking into even smaller bits?

Even the parts of Somalia that were steady are looking shaky again

 

The Economist print edition

04 Oct, 2007

______________

A PECULIARITY of Somalia is that while the south of the country, including its broken capital, Mogadishu, has burned, the north has been stable. Now, to the horror of those trying to put Mogadishu back together again, the north is beginning to crack too. Fighting broke out this week between Somaliland, the northern strip that has been virtually independent of the rest of the country for some 16 years, and Puntland, a semi-autonomous territory in the north-east (see map). Somaliland says it has driven Puntland forces out of Los Anod, a town in the disputed Sool region, killing six Puntlanders and injuring or capturing another 40-plus. Puntland says its soldiers have retaken the town. Yet another war seems to be breaking out.

 

 

Sool is split between sub-clans backing either Somaliland or Puntland, while some of them want autonomy for Sool itself. Somaliland, a former British colony that was separate from the larger parts that were run by Italy, declared independence in 1991 and has since sought international recognition. Puntland's sense of identity is less strong; it has seen itself as a building block for a future federal Somalia.

 

But Puntland is losing its grip. The Sool dispute has been compounded by the secession of much of the Sanaag region from Puntland, to form yet another self-governing entity in the north. Drawing on its history as a sultanate, Sanaag declared independence in July, renamed itself Makhir, and chose Badhan as its capital. Tension between Makhir and Puntland is high.

 

A still worse headache for Puntland is the departure of its strongman, Abdullahi Yusuf, to become president of Somalia. He ran Puntland with authority and ambition, grandiosely hoping to turn it into the Horn of Africa's Dubai. When he went south, he took with him a lot of Puntland troops, vehicles, weapons and ammunition. Their departure emboldened other northerners with dreams of secession or autonomy, and may give Somaliland the edge if the dispute over Sool leads to war.

 

Oil and gas add fuel to the ferment. Exploration rights in Puntland have been sold several times over. Somalia's prickly prime minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, was furious when Mr Yusuf signed oil agreements without telling him, including one with a Chinese company. Mr Gedi has also refused to endorse exploration deals signed by Puntland's government.

 

Meanwhile, Mogadishu is getting worse again. Fewer children are going to school. The city's markets are stagnant—quite the opposite of the government's assertions that things are back to normal. Government troops and the Ethiopian forces propping up Somalia's government are still being attacked by bombs, grenades and snipers of the Islamist militias ousted by Ethiopians early this year.

 

The African Union promised to send 8,000 peacekeepers and then hand authority to a UN mission later this year. But several AU countries failed to honour their pledges. Uganda is still the only African one to have sent troops; with just 1,600 of them there, the UN is unlikely to come in and take over.

 

The American administration and other Western governments still want to back Somalia's transitional government until elections due in 2009. A recent reconciliation conference in Mogadishu passed off without rancour, itself something of a success, and was bolstered by the apparent failure of a rival meeting, mainly of Somali Islamists, in the Eritrean capital, Asmara.

 

Source: Economist.com

[BarigaSanaag]

This is by far the worst biased article I have ever seen. Since when did the tribal Maakhir become " Sanaag "

 

I wonder who biased this naive journalist and it really makes me believe if I can trust Economist in other articles.

Maakir is less than a half gobol.

Indeed its is Badhan district + tuulos belonging to a certain ***** in Ceerigaabo district .

 

There is a corridor in the middle from of Sanaag wich belongs to another **** related to the first one. This corridor goes all the way from Sool .

 

If not the maakhirians has annexed their land and provincial tuulo jidali.

And here is Somaliland

Somaliland controls Ceel Afweyn district of Sanaag + half of Ceerigaabo district .

thats rougly 70 % of Sanaag in whole by blood .

 

 

A more realistic map would look like this one .

where maakhir is the colored part with its bits of land in west bari and badhan district.

 

From Ceerigaabo to south Garadag

CeelAfweyn and Ceerigaabo district west is 100 %

SL simply because of blood.

[Koora-Tuunshe]

LoL Bariga….

 

Caamirow niney cuqdad dishey waygu ceeb inaan u celiyaa… Oodweyne iyo JB iyo ragii aqoonta lahaa maanta waan u jawaabi lahaa..… Kana cuqdada waxaa galiyey buurta oodda loogu rogay iyo balowda hoohaare… waxba haka waaline u aayar, waayo waxa maqaalkaas ku qoran oo dhan intaa yarta ah ee "Maakhir" baa wadnaha goysay oo weedhaas ugu wacan.... War Caamirow idinkaa isyaqaanee maxaad ku sameyseen miskiinkaas?

 

Waxaanse garan la'ahay in SOL administration ay fasaxeen cayda iyo inkale?

[Taleexi]

Waxay ila tahay reer waqooyi waa is yaqaanaa, oo reer walibu meeshu dego SOL laguma go'aamiyo.

[NASSIR]

Mansa, the guy wax kalaa ka dhaadhacsan.

[Taleexi]

Iska daa saaxiib, yarka xummadu way ka degi doontaaye

[Jacaylbaro]

Open lettere to The Economist: As for your ill-informed article, Somalilanders havealways taken great pride in the Economist's

 

 

To The Economist

25 St James's Street

London SW1A 1HG

United Kingdom

 

 

Dear The Economist

 

 

Your recent article entitled, "Somalia: breaking into

even smaller bits" was in fact very incompetent piece

of writing on a complex situation in the Horn of

Africa.

 

However, we would like to take this opportunity to

correct few miss-conceptions about the situation

between Somaliland and Somalia.

 

Aside from the well documented failed union between

the two nations and the subsequent dissolution of

1991, Somaliland's border has not changed. Nor will it

change from its original location which we inherited

after we gained our independence from Great Britain on

the 26th of June 1960, before even Somalia got its

independence from Italy on July 01, 1960. Somaliland

simply wants to keep its original border and has no

territorial claims on Somalia. That is, according to

the well-documented border of Somaliland, the regions

of Sool and Eastern Sanaag are part of Somaliland's

territory.

 

We, the people of Somaliland do acknowledge that some

of our citizens in parts of Sool and in Eastern Sanag

(referred to Makhir in your article) don’t see eye to

eye with the rest of Somalilanders in which direction

our country should be heading, and that is the essence

of the true democracy we have in our country.

Nonetheless, our political differences should not give

war-mongers in Somalia or in Puntland the green light

to attack Somaliland. With that in mind, Somaliland

like any other nation will defend its territorial

integrity at any cost.

 

With a doubt, Somaliland is mature democratic state.

Indeed, Somaliland's track history is indicator of

this maturity. And as we have done many times in the

past, we will resolve any issues within our borders by

means of peaceful dialogue and consensus.

 

As for your ill-informed article, Somalilanders have

always taken great pride in the Economist's

description of their country. The previous editions of

the Economist about the Horn of Africa and Somaliland

showed that your editors understood the geopolitics of

the region.

 

Finally, let me reassure your readers that Somaliland

is indeed a shining start for Africa and no matter how

many obstacles we might face, we will keep pressing

ahead.

 

 

Yours

 

Editor of www.qarannews.com

 

Qarannews Media Natwork

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

We, the people of Somaliland do acknowledge that some of our citizens in parts of Sool and in Eastern Sanag (referred to Makhir in your article) don’t see eye to eye with the rest of Somalilanders in which direction our country should be heading, and that is the essence of the true democracy we have in our country.

"We, granted, the people of Soomaaliya do acknowledge that some of our citizens in Waqooyi Galbeed and some parts of Awdal (referred to "Somaliland") don't see eye to eye with the rest of Soomaalis in which direction our country should be heading, and that is the essence of the true democracy we have in our country."

[Buuxo]

^^^

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Buuxo, maka yaabtay sheekadda meesha ka socoto?

 

Anagee sheeko jaabo jaabo noo keenayaan.

[Jacaylbaro]

Nin hadlaba nin ka daba hadlaa jira ..... adigu ha ka dhooqayne ragga isu daa niyow

[Koora-Tuunshe]

Lol Qaran afka qalaad waa laga badshaa. Waxay wax u qoreen qaabkii discussionada Soomaalida...lol

 

War qoraalka luqadaha xidko loo maro ayaa jira. Gartana xag-xagashada kuma fiicna...

 

Sheekha Jaceylka: maqaalkaas ninka la baxay ama ku riyooday Sanaagbari ayaa qorey, ee adiga soo qor kaa mid dhaama oo aan hordhigi karno economist. Hadii kale ninkaasi saaxiibul paltalk ah yaanu idin ku ceebeyn meesha.

 

Taasi waa taladii aan isku lahayn...

[Jacaylbaro]

looooooooooooool ,, ninba taagtii hadal baa la yidhi ,,, mar hadii ay the economist fahmayso then nobody cares the way he/she writes the thing u know