The Somali people are not only in Somalia

I am from the northern region of Somalia- what the secessionists otherwise call "Somaliland". Unlike the rest of African countries below the Sahara, Somalia is inhabited by one people sharing the same religion, culture, language and origin. The Somali people are not only in Somalia but also in Eastern Ethiopia (the Ogaden), Djibouti and Northern Frontier District of Kenya (NFD).
Before Europeans and Ethiopia carved up the Somali homeland in the Horn into five parts, there was no such a thing as British Somaliland, Italian Somaliland, French Somaliland, Ethiopian Somaliland and NFD. There were only free Somali clans in the Horn. Those clans in former British Somaliland also belonged to clans across the artificial colonial border. Hence they were not an entity having separate cultural, language religious or legal roots that separated them from the rest but only an artificial creation of the British.
When British colonial era ended in 1960, the two former European colonial entities- British and Italian Somaliland- immediately united to become the United Somali Republic or Somalia as it is mostly known, an indication of the desire for union among the peoples separated by colonial rule for nearly a hundred years.
For the information of the pro-Somaliland lobbyists, only one clan among the five clans in former British Somaliland supports secession. If every disgruntled clan or tribe were to be given self-determination, there will be no African state given their fragility. Those who are vying for Somalia's break-up are only digging the grave for many other African countries. Our neighbours, Ethiopia and Kenya, are the ones to lose most. Don’t play with fire lest you burn yourself
Terror Free Somalia Foundation Vote for Limit to Submission best somali documentaries of 2008
still very relevant today. Al Shabaab and their arab Wahhabi backers present a great danger for Somalia ..The Enemy Within
Limit to Submission (Somali Documentary 1980) part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWTuvwgWmow
Somali -Ethio conflict and it starts from the early days
Limit to Submission (Somali Documentary 1980) Part 1

Somali police stations taken over

Islamist militiamen have taken over a number of abandoned police stations in the Somali capital as Ethiopian troops continue to withdraw from the city. The militiamen said they were moving in to prevent an explosion of violence. They are thought to support a faction that has signed a peace deal with Somalia's transitional government. A more militant group, al-Shabab, is continuing the insurgency. Ethiopia has said it aims to ensure there is no security vacuum after it withdraws. Separately, at least six people are reported to have died in fighting between rival Islamic factions further north. Members of al-Shabab clashed with local supporters of a rival group - Ahlu Sunna Wal-jamaah - in Guriel, about 400km (250 miles) north of Mogadishu. more..http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7810246.stm

2 Somaliland officers killed in violence linked to voter-registration
http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_2_Somaliland_officers_killed_in_violence_linked_to_voter-registration.shtml

Six dead in fighting after Ethiopian troops leave Somalia
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/04/2458755.htm
Peacekeeping desperately needed in Somalia
Have you ever wondered which is the most corrupt nation on the planet? Transparency International's corruption index gives Somalia that prize. It is ranked 180th out of 180 nations.In the jargon of foreign policy, a nation that is not working well is called a failed state.
Have you ever wondered which evidences the greatest failure? The competition is great.
Zimbabwe, North Korea and Burma come to mind. But Foreign Policy magazine gave the 2008 prize to ... Somalia. The nation, on central Africa's eastern coast, presents a dark picture to the world. Somali pirates hijacked 42 ships in the Gulf of Aden last year. Fourteen are still being held.Right now, three Chinese warships are steaming to the gulf, where they are to join an impromptu navy formed by more than a dozen nations over the last few weeks.That's the international response to the catastrophe that is Somalia: Treat the most overt symptom. In mid-December, the United Nations gave up its effort to create a peacekeeping force to restore some semblance of order. "Not one nation has volunteered to lead," admitted Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. secretary-general. more..http://66.35.240.8/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/03/IN6I1514ID.DTL

8 die in renewed clashes between rival Islamist insurgents in central Somalia

Eight insurgent fighters were killed and an unknown number of others wounded in Saturday's clashes between rival Islamist groups fighting over control of a central Somali town, witnesses said. Residents said four fighters from each side died after the clashes broke out between Ahlu Sunna, a moderate Islamist group and Al-Shabaab fighters in Lebi Halul, a village five km north of the central town of Guriel, 400 km north of the Somali capital Mogadishu, reported Xinhua .
"We could hear the intense sound of the gunfire from the battle areas and after the fighting subsided, four dead Ahlu Sunna gunmen were brought back to the town," Jamaal Omar, a resident told Xinhua by phone from Guriel. more..http://news.trendaz.com/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1387080&lang=EN