When it comes to geopolitical and geostrategic importance in Africa, Somalia dwarfs many countries on the Indian Ocean. It overlooks both the Gulf of Aden and hence the mouth of the Red Sea and the gateway to the Indian Ocean. The Somali space, although currently, in differing state controls, covers from Bab El Mandab to the Socotra Archipelago and all the way to near Mombasa, on the estuary of Tana River, in East Africa. It is, indeed, a vast space, which has been significant throughout the known history of the world, connecting the old worlds of Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Indeed, its people, over seventy million of them now and scattered over four countries, have also been resilient and hardy enough to maintain their control of the waters around them, in the past although at times, this security fell into the hands of others, as seems to be the case, in the recent past. This does not, however, negate the re-emergence of Somalia, as a major player, in the maritime affairs of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

The vast Somali space which covers over 1.3 million sq. km. in land and over 1 million sq. km. of maritime space including its Exclusive Economic Zones, needs to be viewed under a different perspective, different than what has been going on in the past several decades. A united Somali space compared to scattered Somali spaces are two incomparable issues when its comes to maritime and other security and economic matters with respect to the space and the world.

The Somali space beyond the current narrative of a conflicted and unstable region, presents a different picture that can be useful to the world and to itself, as well, with respect to the exploitation of not only the space, as a safe maritime and airspace passageway, but also as a source of vast mineral wealth of the region. These include among others, its large market space of nearly three hundred million, but also its useful and youthful population with a medium age of under twenty-five years.

The Horn of Africa should, indeed, only have four worlds or four countries, in the sense of metaphysical universes – the Somali world representing all the Somali majority inhabited regions, the Habesha or Abyssinian world from Eritrea to the northern highlands of Ethiopia including Addis Ababa, the Swahili world including the stump left of Kenya after removing the Somali space, Uganda, Tanzania and the countries of Rwanda and Burundi, and the Sudano-Egyptian world consisting of South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt, in the place of the current multitude of countries, including tiny countries like Djibouti and large countries like Sudan.

The resources of the region include oil and gas of considerable proportions, which is more and better accessible than many other countries and regions, but also large reserves of other important minerals, such as gold, uranium, tin, phosphates, cobalt, copper, lithium, molybdenum, californium, and other rare earths, which are all needed for the technologies of today and tomorrow.

It is an ancient commercial hub which brought products, services and ideas to and from Asia, Africa and Europe. It was always a significant connecting crossroads along the Red Sea, the Indian ocean and the world . There is no reason, why it should not continue on the same path, if the world would let it be, unlike today, where some countries are exploitatively dividing it into clan enclaves at each other’s throats in the form federal infrastructures, which does not suit the homogenous nations, like Somalia.

In Somalia, there are no conflicts based on religion, tongue, or culture. The conflicts prevalent in the country, remains to be those implanted by others who finance differing groups for their own ends. Such financing should be curtailed and stopped completely, and the world would certainly see the real beauty of Somalia.

A conflicted Somalia, as is the case presently, has security implications for the region, where the world spends billions in ensuring that it does not affect neither the stability of other countries nor the passage of goods and services along its waterways in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean.

The economic implication of a peaceful and settled Somalia involves the peaceful exploitation of the resources of the region, which as we noted earlier, is not limited, to the potential oil and gas reserves or the uranium reserves or for that matter other minerals, but its beautiful long coast of some 3,333 km for tourism, its agricultural potential of its vast arable lands, and its again vast meat production possibilities from its large livestock populations (camels, sheep and goats and cattle, chicken, and others).

There is a major misunderstanding with respect to the Somali population, which is an African people with a unique Somali identity as opposed to being Arab with respect to Somalia’s membership in the Arab League. It is a resilient population with respect to the immense and harsh environments; they have been exposed to, in the recent past, including migration to nearly all countries of the world. Its heritage and culture needs to be preserved for the world as it has roots extending to ancient Egypt, ancient Persia, ancient India and indeed, ancient Asiatic countries including the Arab world.

The strong sense of community, wherever they are, and social networks which they possess, indeed, assist them in coping with the difficulties they face. It is where the world needs to help them preserve their foundational values and not destroy them, as has been the attempts of some countries, which have so far failed. The world would benefit from a settled, stable Somalia, and spend less on it. Indeed, many world corporations and countries, would benefit from the exploitation of the country’s resources both maritime and land, and markets, which Somalis have access to.

Although Somalia faces many challenges, the country enjoys an immense potential for economic, human and developmental growth. Many countries are currently involved in Somalia. They include the United States, Türkiye, Qatar, Eritrea, and others, who are generally considered friendlier than other countries. But there are countries who are more antagonistic and whose main activities in the country have been disruptive and contributed to the current conflicted state of the country. They include many Arab and African countries including the UAE, Ethiopia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, France, and their allies.

It is perhaps time, Somalia and Somali people revisited the country’s diplomacy and international relations and prioritized the interest of the country instead of carrying around begging bowls to be misappropriated later, whence received, if ever received. A settled Somalia is in the interest of the world and not for Somalia only. It is food for thought for those countries involved in the country for good or bad.