FAH1223,
i support some of what HIRAAN is saying, especially part that says we can be "peaceful neighbors"
and i believe TFG can lead us toward that peace. if somalis take the issue seriously and wonder the reason why somalia has become the only government-less country in africa, it is very very to understand the source. one of the source is religion. some somali people think they are more Muslim than ethiopian, when all fact shows that all muslims are created equal. in fact, ethiopia has 3x more muslim population, many more islamic courts in ethiopia than in somalia. especially south and eastern ethiopia in afar, oromia, somali and even in eastern amhara, the locals use islamic courts. in addition, ethiopia has some of holiest muslim places, including the first site muslim piligrimage, which ironically happens to be in north ethiopia (the homeland of the tigray leader who sent troops to somalia) in general, religious tolerance and de-politicizing religion is the first step to bring peace in the region and allow establishment of first somali government in almost 20 years.
the second part is the issue of the ogaden and NFD in ethiopia and kenya. mogadishu regimes have always wanted to take ogaden first and also NFD. in fact, somalis in NFD already voted for separation 3 decades ago. but no body knows how credible it is. anyway, somalia is a special country in africa because its 99% people have the same somali language as mother tongue and belong to the same ethnolinguistic group. you go anywhere around africa, almost all countries have multiple ethnicities. look at kenya, ethiopia, uganda, ghana, nigeria, all of them can be called a "country of minorities" because they all have numerous ethnicities with almost no majority ethnic group that is above 50%. Especially the Sub-sahara african countries are deeply deeply multiethnic nations except when we come to somalia. ofcourse liberating Ogaden is not a bad thing to do, it is honorable thing when you look at it in general, but it is also illegal in the current multiethnic system in sub-sahara africa. if all ethnicities in west, central and south african countries seek to "unify" one ethnicity, africa would have been burning everywhere. for example, why don't the Bakongo ethnic group in Angola start armed struggle to annex parts of Congo that is also populated by Bakongo ethnic group?? why don't the Akan people in Ghana annex parts of Ivory coast because Akan people also live in Ivory coast?? why don't the Makonde ethnic group in Tanzania try to annex and "liberate the Makonde people living in Mozambique just like those who want to annex and liberate Ogaden?? in all these cases and thousands more cases, ethnicities live in 2, 3 or more countries. i am many people inside all of these ethnicities would love to join their ethnic group and create a country but most of them have decided that breaking AU and UN international boundaries and pursuing illegal and violent causes does not benefit anyone. so the second way somalia will have peace and establish a government will be if it decides to join the rest of the world in respecting the AU and UN international borders. we know that somalia governments invaded ethiopia's ogaden and the ICU also declared it will "unite" all somalis. so such important but common sense issues are what are making ethiopia and somalia enemies.
they could have been friends and allies long time ago. there is still hope in the form of the TFG. otherwise, i am afraid that somalia will be gone forever and violence will continue for centuries more.
AY/TFG
