Category ASM Speaks

Introduction The consideration of breaking up Somalia into separate entities is a contentious issue that raises significant legal and ethical questions. Somalia is a predominantly mono-ethnic society, and the implications of such fragmentation not only contravene the principles of international…

In the complex of Somali history, the events of 1960 stand as a significant milestone, marking the unification of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland into what we know today as Somalia. The signing of independence involved key figures representing the…

The appointment of Muhumed Hassan Jama, known as Xoday, as the governor of Awdal by Abdirahman Mohamed “Ciro,” the leader of the SNM regime in Hargeisa, was initially met with hope for progress and development. However, Xoday’s tenure has quickly…

Somalia’s federal government recently introduced an e‑visa requirement for all incoming travelers, a standard sovereign measure aimed at improving border security and tracking movement amid continued threats from Al-Shabaab. Reports that some carriers, notably Ethiopian Airlines and flights originating via…

During Djibouti’s struggle for independence, Somalia support, including covert assistance and reports of special forces, helped Djiboutian nationalists resist colonial control. That history of mutual aid makes today’s developments all the more troubling: the current Djibouti regime under President Ismaïl…

Introduction: The Gadaboursi (also spelled Gadabursi or Gadabuursi), a major Dir clan with deep roots in the Horn of Africa, have historically been bound by strong kinship, shared customs and collective responsibility. Traces of their lineage and political life can…

Somalia’s social fabric is woven from tribes and sub-clans whose identities are tied not only to lineage, but to centuries-old homelands. In the Awdal region, around Zayla and Lughaya, the Gadabuursi have exercised political authority and cultural stewardship for millennia,…