Recognition is inching closer, and it's arriving tangled in bases, normalisation, and great-power deals. Everyone wants the flag. But every yes has a price tag. What's the one thing Somaliland should refuse to trade for it — and who gets to decide that?
Livestock is 60–70% of Somaliland's exports, and most of it goes to Saudi Arabia. One disease scare or one political spat and the Gulf slams the door — it has happened before, and it cost hundreds of millions. Do we diversify the export, diversify the buyer, or build the quarantine and traceability that make a ban impossible? And why are we stuck in this medieval position 100 years behind other countries?
In 2026 it seems like most people are connecting with people for marriage through online spaces. What’s the best way to go about this for someone only seeking a fellow somalilander? In a halal way
As we know, we have a lot of enemies in the region, we are hated in our neighborhoods, especially Djibouti 🇩🇯 , Somalia and their alliance (turkey and Egypt) they are preparing a war inside somaliland and of course outside somaliland, how do we prevent this war ? One way it's a chance for somaliland so we can fight till we reach our borders.
My worries is our media is cold and they can't be pro somaliland because of the (ummada soomaaliyeed) such a morons.
Inside war can be two ways, Djibouti is funding Ina xaashi beenaale iyo muuse saxane to start arguments and the propaganda toward Israel and the recognition. The other ones are the culumo ku sheega where the Somalian culimo is telling a logic thought about somaliland ( we've forced somaliland to look recognition from Israel).
Are we ready for this war?
The previous generation believed in foolish ideas, and they led to chaos. Now the new generation believes in a different set of foolish ideas, which will lead to another round of chaos. We'll just keep repeating the same cycle.
As I've been researching areas that need cleaning and improvement before bringing in the bulldozers, I've realized something concerning: some of these "roads" don't even look like roads, and some of the roads people use every day might actually be private property. Around here, it's common to mark your land with rocks or some kind of border, but there are also many plots with absolutely nothing—no fence, no signs, no rocks, nothing. Then there are places that everyone uses as shortcuts. Over the years, cars have driven through them so much that they've widened and now look exactly like public roads. But are they actually roads? Or are they somebody's land that has simply been tolerated because the owner lives in the diaspora, doesn't know it's happening, or doesn't yet have the funds to develop it? Honestly, nobody wants to be the person who blocks a shortcut and gets cursed by the entire neighborhood.
This is exactly why I'm being extra careful with the bulldozer project. The last thing I want is to clean up what I think is a public road only to find out later that it's someone's private property. Suddenly, there's a land dispute, court cases, accusations, and unnecessary drama. I already have enough things to deal with. I love Somaliland, but one thing we seriously lack is proper planning and civic organization. You shouldn't need detective skills to figure out what is public land and what is private property. The fact that I even have to worry about this shows how much better our planning and regulations need to be. So before I touch anything, I'm going to the local government to get maps and official records because your eyes can deceive you. What looks like a road today might legally belong to somebody tomorrow, and I don't want someone seeing an opportunity to make money off a misunderstanding just because I'm trying to do something positive.
And honestly, this is one of the reasons I intentionally put myself in a position of financial independence. I didn't want my entire future tied to one paycheck because layoffs happen, economies change, and too many people aren't financially prepared when things go wrong. I'm grateful to be in a position where I can use some of my own money to try to improve things, but I also don't want to become one of those people who says, "I have my money, my house, and my foreign passport, so none of these problems affect me. If I want peace of mind, I'll just fly to Qatar or Saudi Arabia for a few days and come back." That's not me. I see the infrastructure gaps, the lack of planning, and the problems people deal with every day, and I want to do something about it, even if it's something as simple as clearing roads and making places safer and more walkable. Has anyone else dealt with roads that aren't really roads, unmarked properties, or land disputes caused by poor planning? Because I genuinely can't be the only one seeing this mess.
Please upvote this so people don't think I abandon my project which is Bulldozer and cleaning some places up.
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I know many of us in the diaspora have goals, ambitions, and big plans. I also know how easy it is to get distracted. Family responsibilities, uncertainty, lack of structure, and life in general keep pulling you in different directions. You have the energy to work on your goals, but then something happens—you get tired, lose momentum, and before you know it, weeks or months have passed. I understand because I was in that same trap, and I'm still fighting it every day.
But here's my advice: come to the motherland for at least two months if you can. I'm here right now because my classes are online and I have everything sorted out, so I've had the opportunity to truly see life on the ground. Feel the heat, walk the uneven roads, see the traffic and the lack of civic sense, watch people hustle every day just to survive, talk to the woman selling watermelon, the man with a donkey cart, the small business owner trying to make ends meet. You'll also see the beauty of this place, the nightlife, the resilience of our people, and the massive opportunities that exist here. You have to see it with your own eyes because no news article, YouTube video, or social media post can fully explain it.
Once you're here and it finally marinates, I promise you that when you go back to America, Europe, Australia, or wherever you're from, you won't look at life the same way again. You'll work harder, waste less time, and appreciate opportunities more because you've seen firsthand how many people would do anything to have the opportunities that many of us in the diaspora take for granted. As I've said in my previous posts, the people who benefit the most from living here are usually those with multiple sources of income and foreign passports because they have options. They can leave whenever they want and come back whenever they want. I'm fortunate enough to be getting close to that position financially myself, but I don't want to just live comfortably and ignore everything around me. I want to use my resources to do something positive, which is why I'm planning community projects and cleanup efforts while I'm here.
So if you're feeling unmotivated, lost, or stuck in life, my advice is simple: come home for a couple of months. Stay with family if you can, rent a place if you need to, and experience it for yourself. Trust me—you'll leave with a completely different perspective on life, opportunity, and what really matters. You might even come back more motivated than you've ever been.
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Let me introduce myself first, I am 22yo M born and raised in Burco that is totally against illegal immigration. I was lucky enough to study in a school equipped with good facilities and teachers from all over the world and that is how I learned English. I took some international standardized tests and been able to secure full scholarships in abroad. The sad thing is my friend’s and everyone around my age plans to Tahriib basically move to Europe by crossing the Mediterranean sea. When I try to tell them that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, they call me a hypocrite. I keep telling them my situation is different from theirs because when I graduate in these abroad universities I will either come back to Somaliland to give back to my community or try to work in corporate world. I tell them, yes when they get into Europe they will find jobs, but these are the undesirable labor ones ( today’s slavery). Moreover, even if you were schooled in Somaliland, they won’t rate our education system so you will just be a slave collecting mere coins. I took Economics, and I understand a little about the European job market and price costs. I explained that if you earn $400 in Somaliland is better than earning $4k a month in Europe. Here is why: if you live in a big city to earn that kind of money, your rent will be from $700-$1000, phone bill, electricity, water, and food could also be another grand, car costs as well, and you have to send around $500 to ppl back home, literally you won’t be left with anything and that is gonna stress you out. If you live in Somaliland, your rent and food costs will be around $180 dollars and your family won’t need any support from you, you could save $100 every month and live a much healthier live than being a second class citizen in Europe ( those born or legally migrated to European countries usually understand the system although I know they won’t have it easy) I tell them don’t compare yourselves with the people you know who live in Europe. They were schooled there and that is how they are able to get good jobs.
In addition, when I question them why not just do the plumbing jobs or warehouse jobs they will do elsewhere in here, they are like nah ( reerkayagu waxaas ma qabto) my clan don’t do that typa thing) how do we tackle this type of mentality from the youth. Don’t forget they will also be beaten to death in Libya if they don’t pay ransom that is around $20k ( they have less than 20% chances of reaching Europe yet they are willing to leave Somaliland)
I am not bragging or anything because I am also still in Somaliland. I won’t leave here if my visas aren’t approved. This is pissing me off because 100s of Ethiopians are coming in to do all the jobs ( shoe shining, car washing, cooking, barbing, and barista stuff) while hundreds of Somalilanders are leaving to do these kind of jobs in Europe or America.
As the question is in the title...please share some assumptions locals made about your return.
It would be interesting to know if we all had the same assumptions thrown at us.
For anybody confused. When a diaspora returns back home and stays there more than a few months, the locals can't comprehend you moved from your resident country (UK, US, Canada etc) to live back home. They assume there's a negative reason.
Before I get into today's topic, I want to thank everyone who reached out privately after my previous post. I'm currently mapping out the city, researching districts and areas that need major improvement, and talking to citizens because they know this place far better than I do. Over the next three weeks, I'll be visiting these places with relatives, doing estimates, budgeting, and figuring out where I can contribute, so thank you again to everyone who sent messages and suggestions.
Now, onto today's question: Why has land become so expensive in Hargeisa? I remember when land was relatively cheap and people didn't seem to care much about it. Today, it feels like everyone is buying land, holding onto it, not developing it, and then selling it later for massive profits. Buy, hold, resell, and repeat. I'm not against investing—I bought a few hectares years ago myself because I was thinking long term and believed the city would eventually expand toward it. But what I don't understand is this obsession with hoarding land instead of developing it. At what point did prices become so inflated? Was it population growth, diaspora money, speculation, lack of regulation, or fear of missing out? I've been told that some plots now sell for $40,000 USD or more depending on the location, which seems incredible considering the economic reality on the ground.
As I mentioned in my previous post, unemployment is high, many people are struggling to make ends meet, and opportunities are limited, so where is all this demand coming from? I can afford to buy more land if I really wanted to, and after six years of preparing myself financially, I'm getting close to a position of financial independence. But honestly, I'm not interested in buying land just to let it sit. I'm interested in building companies, investing in different sectors, creating jobs, and contributing to the motherland in a meaningful way. I also understand our history and know that Hargeisa wasn't engineered for a population of several million people, which is why rapid growth has created challenges, from infrastructure problems to flooding when it rains. So for those who know the history, when did land prices start skyrocketing, why did everyone suddenly start hoarding land, and do you think it's helping or hurting Somaliland's future development? I'd genuinely appreciate your thoughts or a DM because I'm truly trying to understand this issue better.
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Salaam everyone,
I want to share something I've been quietly working on Geeljire (geeljire.org), a platform to learn the Somali language online.
Honestly I built this out of frustration. Duolingo doesn't have Somali. Most sites are outdated, have no audio, and don't acknowledge that Somali even has dialects. I wanted to fix that.
Here is why it’s different from other sites:
Note: We are currently in Beta! 🛠️ Since this is a passion project and still in the early stages, you might run into a bug or two. If you have any issues or feedback, please email us or DM me here. Your input is what will help make this the best resource for our community.
Pricing: I want this to be accessible. It’s $4.99/month (OR $34.99/Year) for full access to the lessons, library, and audiobooks.
I’d love for you guys to check it out. What’s missing? What would help you most on your journey?
Mahadsanid 🙏
I 29M am talking to a Somali girl 29F and we both live in the uk and are getting to know each other for marriage.
I work a decent job and make £31000 a year, she has a professional role and I’ve googled that her salary is about £42000. I’m hoping I get a promotion at work which will get me to £34000 at the end of this year.
The issue I’m worried about is that with the cost of living, rent, bills etc I wouldn’t be able to financially support us on my income alone. She brought this topic up and asked how we would split roles and finances. I’ve told her that I wouldn’t want things to be done with naxariis so each person helps the other person out but ultimately things would be 50/50.
I really want to be an active father and very very close to my kids in the future inshallah and I’m willing to put all my effort into that role and wouldn’t leave all the work to her by herself. But she wants me to be responsible for all the finances by myself.
She also got a bit offended that I think I would be able to do 50% of the childcare because she would be doing the pregnancy and breastfeeding alone.
She has said she would be willing to help out with bills and pay for holidays but again, I don’t see how it would be right for her to keep the majority of her income when I would be struggling to provide and have less time with the kids.
Also she believes my salary would be sufficient for us and I don’t agree with that at all.
I think this is a bit selfish and I’m sure most other young couples in our situation don’t do this as it is not possible in this economy.
Looking to see what other people do. How do you guys split finances in your marriages?
Do you think the houthis would actually strike somaliland even if they dont find any bases in here
These screenshots from Facebook show Somalians celebrating this little cyberattack incident. They are mockingly saying “ oh no The republic is getting attacked” “ Cirro has gambled with the lives of Somalilanders.” Deep down this hurts them because they wish this was hypersonic missiles on Burco, Berbera, and Hargeisa to wipe us out. Somaliland needs to completely cut off these snakes 🐍 to shows the world that they are against our existence.
What makes me wonder is why do we still have flights connecting Muqdisho and Hargeisa that are referred to as domestic flights? Why do we even talk/welcome Western ambassadors to Somalia that refer to us as part of Somalia? Why is the Somalian passport being made in Hargeisa??? How is the world gonna take us seriously when we are this connected with our own enemy????
Yesterday, I finally got my Somaliland national ID. I completed the paperwork, got the necessary signatures, and returned to pick up my card. The good news is that I got my ID, but the experience was honestly devastating. I waited nearly nine hours in complete chaos. There weren't enough chairs, shade, or bathrooms, and there seemed to be very little organization. People were frustrated, angry, and exhausted because everyone has places to be and responsibilities to handle. I didn't record anything because I don't want enemies of Somaliland using our problems against us, but pretending these issues don't exist won't solve them. This isn't just about an ID card—it's about why people have to travel nine or ten hours to Hargeisa for basic government services when Somaliland has counties and regional capitals that could provide these services locally.
While waiting, I spoke with several locals who asked if I was diaspora. We all agreed that Somaliland has enormous potential, but too many problems continue to be ignored: corruption, inflation, unemployment, poor infrastructure, reckless driving, and weak enforcement of basic rules. The local currency is struggling, people are hustling every day just to survive, and many are considering leaving because they don't see enough opportunities. What confuses me is that whenever there's a political crisis, leaders quickly come together to prevent the country from collapsing, but where is that same urgency for the everyday problems people face?
Honestly, the people who seem to benefit most from living here are those with multiple sources of income. For them, Somaliland can feel like paradise because they have options and can leave whenever they want. Meanwhile, many locals are simply trying to make ends meet, and even the diaspora feels the pressure of supporting family back home. I'm fortunate enough to be getting close to that position financially, but I don't want to sit comfortably and ignore these issues. Next week, I'm planning to hire bulldozers with my own money, pay the drivers fairly, and help clean some areas to make them safer and more walkable. We also desperately need more trees and green spaces because the heat here is unbearable and small improvements could make a big difference.
I love Somaliland, and that's exactly why this experience made my blood boil. I see massive potential here, but potential means nothing without action. People aren't leaving because they hate their country—they're leaving because they want opportunities, stability, and a better quality of life.
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Why has the tone and approach of Somalia changed in the last few days?
First of all, their president apologized for ppl part of his cabinet threatening us with violence and he said he is ready to listen to of all our demands. Secondly, Hamze bidaar has contradicted himself as he initially claimed the Israeli recognition was a FaceTime prank and not something legit. He confessed that this move was unexpected and scary move to the Somalians which indicates that they accept Somaliland will never come back.
They always act nice like a toxic ex that wants to get back with you when we are cooking big things.
First, I think we need to address a very important misconception which is we don't owe these people anything, neither an explanation for our diplomatic choices nor any defense of our faith. This is especially true for the 'We are all waloolo Muslim ah' crowd, who overly explain themselves without realizing that these people couldn't care less about your struggles. The fact that he specifically brought up Hargeisa, especially with recent developments, shows this was highly targeted. My point is, we already know no one's claiming to be Yemeni (😭), so let's drop the apologetic tone and stand our ground. Don't let people disrespect us just to boost their own fragile egos.
The government of somalia used a Washington lobbying firm called BGR group that the government was already paying $50,000 a month $600,000 in total to act on its behalf to broker a transactional deal to join the Abraham accords (ally with Israel) and in return israel refrains from recognising Somaliland.
This was uncovered because FARA requires firms to reveal their activity logs. This revealed BGR group’s emails to Brian McNamara and Joe Foltz, the emails were explicitly about a abraham accords meeting on behalf of the ambassador of somalia. This paired with simultaneous lobbying efforts to block somaliland recognition traction in the US government makes it clear cut proof that somalia was trying to ally with israel so israel doesnt recognise somaliland.
Their only debate is ‘we wouldnt have celebrated it’ but they have nothing to celebrate about 😭. They throw out of proportion the loud small minority in hargeisa that backed out israel flags to fit their narrative. I was in somaliland when we got recognised wallahi i didnt see a single israel flag all that was celebrated was recognition itself.
Anyways what im urging for my fellow somalilanders to do is make sure this isnt kept hidden or forgotten if you ever see them try shame us for the relations with israel show them their hypocrisy that they tried do the same thing not even for recognition and development but to spite somaliland.