Somalia was a self-sufficient country in food until at least the late 1970s, when intervention of the IMF and the World Bank in the early 1980s reversed the trend and turned the country into a chaotic real estate ever since. That is, at least, what the Third World Traveler on the real causes of famines in Somalia, excerpted from the book, “The Globalization of Poverty and the New World Order” by Michel Chossudovsky ,Global Research, 2003, paperback [first edition 1997], on page 95, says and this was so, despite the recurrent famines and droughts.

Somalia is the real Horn of Africa and is a land mass of some 638 thousand square kilometers with a coastline of some 3,333 km along the Indian ocean and the Gulf of Aden. It is a land space which has been the envy of many a nation including the neighboring countries of Ethiopia and Kenya and others from beyond the region, which would have liked to exploit the rich natural resources of the country, for their own ends.

It is a land which was inhabited by its Indigenous people, the Somali for, at least, the past ten thousand years and who have fiercely defended it from any and all of those who coveted it from any quarter. The latest invasions included the Ethiopian invasion of Ethiopia in 2006/2007, which ended up in a disastrous retreat for Ethiopia. Others have tried before and after, through differing processes including twisted diplomacy and other means. Somalis always say, “Kii dhuumanayow ee dhabarku muuqdaw, waa dharaar lagu dhawrayaa….,” which literally means “The one who thinks, he is not being seen, must know that he is being seen like in day time and is being watched….” This is to say that those who are cheating Somalia, thinking that Somalis do not know, must go back to their calculations for Somalis are fully aware of their activities and know.

It is an old race which has lived in this harsh environment and survived preserving its culture and way of life in tact despite the advances of technology in the world of today. Somalis are entrepreneurial and are known for their adaptability to all kinds of environments from the harsh cold north of the Scandinavian countries and Canada to the hot deserts of Arabia and to the jungles of Africa and they all thrive, not forgetting their homes back in Somalia to which they still contribute to its recovery from the imposed long civil war.

Somalia’s richness is its people, first and foremost, and despite its family quarrels, they have stuck together and survived some of the most brutal exposures to cousin killing another cousin to exposures of wastes buried in its seas and even in its lands to invasions by neighboring countries like Kenya and Ethiopia and some Arab Gulf countries.

There is now the talk of the mediation by Türkiye of the Somalia and Ethiopia disputes. It was actually another invasion of Somalia’s integrity and sovereignty by Ethiopia. Somalia had to defend itself and it did quite well on the diplomatic front. On the physical front, Ethiopia poured so many of its soldiers into Somalia, without permission from Somalia. This appears not have been addressed in the Ankara Declaration. Was Somalia’s arm twisted again to accept whatever was handed over to it? It is not clear. Türkiye, no doubt is working for its own interests and Somalis should be aware of that. The graceful hand that Türkiye extended to Somalia at a weak moment of its history should not be forgotten, though, for always. Somalia is still rewarding Türkiye for that kindness. The partnership contracts on the oil and gas and the resources of its seas of Somalia are but examples of what Somalia has done for Türkiye, so far, without tendering as this should have been.

Somalia is a poor country on the surface, but it is a rich country, should all its resources be exploited, at least, at 25%. The resources include not only its location but its long and beautiful beaches which can be converted into a tourist heaven through the construction of first-class hotels and resorts, where tourists can enjoy the warm blue waters of the country throughout the year at reasonable prices lower than most other tourist destinations across the globe.

Construction of a rail line just along its coast from its furthest west point at Loya Ado near Djibouti, following the Gulf of Aden and turning at the stunning Horn of Africa at Ras Asir to the south all the way to Ras Kiamboni would be a great journey many would enjoy.

The arable land space of the country can feed some 163 million people. It has about 8.1 million hectares of arable lands and a much bigger lands space for animal rearing where some of the largest animal populations of Africa live. According to AI Overview, Somalia has 7.1 million of camels, 5.3 million of cattle, 30.9 million of goats, and 13.6 million of goats. It has also may different kinds of birds, 727 species of them, including eight endemic species – Somali pigeon, Black boubou, Lesser hoopoe-lark, Archer’s lark, Ash’s bushlark, Somali bushlark, Obbia lark, and the Warsangli linnet. The national animal of Somalia is the leopard, while the national bird of the country is the superb starling, and its national plant is the king protea.

The country is inhabited by one people, the Somali, who are homogenous in tongue, religion, and language and despite the quarrels they have, still live together in the same clusters anywhere in the world. The people are organized into clans who intermarry and are therefore interrelated. Despite the wars and struggles, they all help each other and the clan structure, which most see as the disaster in the country, is also the saviour of the country. It is a sword with two edges, which if used positively can reproduce the pre-conflict Somalis, who were all brothers and sisters despite the differences in political views. As noted earlier, its people is the best asset that Somalia has.

The country has a rich heritage and is also resource rich and such a combination can forge a successful and lively society in the region. Somali politicians, who seem to be the main stumbling block as they pursue their political agendas, need not rely on the cheating foreigners who control them. they should revert to their Somali-ness. Being a nationalist but with some vision for the nation will be more helpful than the personal agendas, which they currently pursue. One may also read my previous article in Eurasiareview.com and entitled: Somalia: Resilience In The Face Of Relentless Assaults – Analysis, dated July 16th, 2024. It is a more expose of the resilience of Somali people and the harsh environments they were exposed to over the years.

With a population of some 32 million at present and growing, the land space of Somalia and its maritime space, will be able to provide the needs of the country. But this needs quite a shift in the attitudes of the political class which is currently busy enriching themselves at the expense of their people. It is the main curse of the country. The successful business class of the country can and should play better in helping raise a more efficient and more productive political class that can contribute to the growth of their businesses and development of the country in the process.