Yemen-Somalia ties were always strong [Archives:2004/796/Letters to the Editor]

Abdulrazak Osman Dirie
[email protected]
History shows us that the Somali people have enjoyed special cultural and commercial relationships with their brothers in Yemen, which date back to thousands of years. In the course of history people from both sides of the Red Sea have immigrated from one side to the other in search of life and adventure. For instance, the Meheri in Yemen are also found in Somalia (Puntland) as a Somali clan and physically the people and their landscape is quite similar to the northern parts of Somalia and those who reside it.
Above all, the following footprints reveals that:
1. The Pharoahs known the incense producing areas in the Red Sea as the Punt.
2. Meheri & Somalis live side by side in Socotra which is adjacent to the Somali peninsula and the longest mountain in Socotra is called ” The Somali mountain”.
3.The Kingdom of Arwa in Yemen is considered as a Somali historical event by the Somalis and locally they call it “Arawello”.
4. The well-known historian , Ibn Khalduun has stated that the Somali and Mehri people have common ancestors.
5. In Dufaar , there are ancient graves with heaps of stones while in Somalia there are similar graves known by the Somalis as the “grave monuments” or ” Taallo geeriyaad” in Somali.
6.There are strong indications that oil will be found in Somalia just like Yemen.
7.The political situation in Somalia looks like that of Yemen when the southern part of Yemen declared independence in order to weaken the unity of the Yemeni people and strangely we have the self declared government of S/land in Somalia.
On this occasion , I would like to thank his excellency President Ali Abdalla for his relentless efforts in the Somali peace process and I wish him the best the new Somali President Mr. Abullahi Yusuf, who was recently on official visit to Yemen.
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