Somalilandsun – With the first official public release that stated the oil exploration operations will begin in our land, one question came to my mind: Are we ready to extract oil – if the oil lies within our land?
that question puzzled me for hours, I began to flip my mind in every way i knew, I tried to find a reasonable and satisfactory answer, but with the heat of the moment, I haven’t thought in my whole strength, the idea that my poor country, one of the third world countries, the idea that there will be an oil exploration operations taking place in my humble country, and Maybe an economic quantities of oil could be found inside it, and the possibility that a huge problems, such as: poverty, unemployment and emigration will find a permanent solution has been caressing my imagination.
At that moment all my thinking was focused on positive aspects, those operations and what it will offer as solutions to our greatest problems, and the wealth which will benefit both the people and the nation, and how it will be probably the magic wand that we need in our quest for international recognition.
The oil exploration operation began in Burao Togdher, and with it began the dreams of an entire nation, and aspirations of generations eager for quality of life and self-sufficiency, the hopes of the citizen began with it as well, but something wasn’t taken into account, our day dreams blind us from the truth and reality, we forgot that with every major economic project that has the ability to change the conditions of communities, with it always grows the greed of the greedy, and it attracts the attention of thieves, and those who put there individual interest before the national interest.
primarily Our communities are composed of tribes and tribal divisions, those tribes are always misled by politicians, businessmen to determine their personal goals, also to increase their wealth on behalf of the tribe, the nation and the land, we have forgotten this bitter reality that governs our country and most of the third world countries.
Then I woke up of my dream, and realized the shocking reality that lies in front of me, I tried to use the balance of logic and reason to determine if it possible extracting commercial quantities of oil from our land, i began to study the situation, evaluate all available aspects that concerns this matter from several directions:
– Politically, our political situation has been and remains the most important and awkward obstacle, the most prominent in the face of prosperity, progress and investments that will make a quantum leap in the country economically and socially, we still un recognized country, that isn’t entitled to enter into international agreements or agreements with international companies, and being un recognized there is no global company that would dare to invest in us, because the laws that prevail states can not guarantee their rights and properties.
– Socially, as I said earlier we are a society composed of tribes, the basic unit of our society is the tribe, therefore it’s very difficult for foreign companies and workers to explore oil in hostile environment, let alone to engage in production and oil extraction stage, but this situation can be resolved by using several effective mechanisms such as:
1. Community awareness both civil and rural, before the start of any fieldwork or enforce any practical plan on the ground.
2. The addition of elders and chiefs of tribes into the community awareness process, and they must be assimilated into the daily agenda.
3. Clarification of the alternatives offered to the community who live in those territories, such as a land.
4.The provision of basic social services, they may need to dig water wells or build schools, hospitals and similar services.
These steps may help solve the social problem that may hinder the exploration operations.
– Security, there is no doubt that we live in one of the world’s lowest regions in terms of security, we located in an area that the world considers it one of the sources of terrorism, and a shelter for some terrorist movements, and to make it worse, this tribal society does not owe loyalty to the governmental authority, but to the tribe , and most of the community is armed, where everyone owns his own weapon in his home, but this also has a proper solution, the government have passed in the right direction in this regard and created an oil protection unit.
– General psychology, common people do not understand the ways to explore oil and methods of extraction, there are shackles in their minds manufactured by ignorance, but it could be broken down by offering science and knowledge to free them from inhibitors, it’s difficult for common people to absorb the idea that their country can produce oil and has the ability to compete with global markets in this matter, they can’t simply comprehend it.
Here I write this article today, and I have yet failed to make my brain and logic the judge of it, No … contrary i spoke with my heart , I hope that we will be able to extract oil despite of these obstacles that i have mentioned earlier and I am sure that we will overcome it all, to reconstruct our country, to solve our problems, and to taste the sweetness of the development and prosperity.
Peace be upon you
Mustafe Osman Adam
Department of Geology
International University of Africa
Khartoum, Sudan
Faraid@hotmail.com
Tell: +249969042875
