Somalia received a pledge of aid for $50 million from Saudi Arabia this month on the same day it announced it was cutting ties with Saudi rival Iran, a document seen by Reuters showed. The government, which did not confirm or deny the pledge, has said there was no link between long-running Saudi financial support and its diplomatic decision to break ties with Iran. The Saudi Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. But diplomats said it was the latest sign of patronage used by the kingdom to shore up regional support against Iran, a rivalry that deepened this month when Sunni majority Saudi Arabia executed a Shi'ite cleric and Iranian protesters responded by torching the Saudi embassy in Tehran. "The Saudis currently manage to rally countries behind them both on financial grounds and the argument of non-interference," a diplomat said, referring to what Sunni-majority countries see as Iran’s habit of cultivating ties to their Shi’ite minorities. A document from the Saudi embassy in Nairobi to the Somali embassy in the Kenyan capital showed the kingdom pledging $20 million in budget support and another $30 million for investment in Somalia, a nation trying to rebuild after two decades of war. The two grants would come from the Saudi Development Fund, according to the document that was dated Jan. 7, the same day Somalia cut ties with Tehran. Somalia cut relations with Iran saying Tehran had meddled in Somali affairs and threatened national security. Mogadishu gave Iranian diplomats, among the few stationed in the Somali capital where bomb attacks are frequent, 72 hours to leave. Somalia's Finance Minister Mohamed Aden Ibrahim declined to comment on the pledges, but said any financial assistance from Saudi Arabia was not related to Mogadishu's stance against Iran. "Our relationship with Saudi Arabia was long-standing and is not something that has just started," the minister told Reuters. Several other Arab states such as neighboring Bahrain, a long-time close ally and recipient of Saudi largesse also cut ties. Other wealthier Gulf states withdrew envoys. Sudan, which like Somalia and Saudi Arabia is a member of the Arab League, said it had cut ties with non-Arab Iran. Somalia's ties with Saudi Arabia have grown as it tries to rebuild a nation while battling an Islamist insurgency, although Western powers and Turkey remain among the biggest and more prominent donors to the country. Somalia's president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, met King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud in Saudi Arabia in October. A Saudi team had visited Somalia in late 2015 to discuss further Saudi support for the country. "Any financial and other requests that we made to the Saudis were way before" Somali cut ties with Iran, Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer told Reuters. (Additional reporting by Angus McDowall in Riyadh and Bill Maclean in Dubai; Writing by Edmund Blair; editing by Susan Thomas) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-saudi-iran-idUSKCN0UV0BH

Beautiful. Tigey travels a lot.

<cite> @xabad said:</cite> Why ? and what is the alternative. Honestly, at this point, let's go our separate ways. Soomaali intii israbta hawada noolaadaan intii kale nabad galyo. These !diots were chosen to transition the country to some sort of governance better than the current. The current system has no accountability. The xildhibaans chosen by bribed "elders" that are beholden to no citizen. What have they done for their respective regions? What laws have they passed to smooth the transition? Many of the commissions that were supposed to be setup in the first few months of Xasan's administration are being rushed now. That's why the faith of Somali nation is being decided by self-serving 7 !diots in Kismayo. What we need are institutions! And these people are robbing Somalis of that chance. To keep assigning .5 to our fellow citizens is travesty. It is immoral. What human would like to be referred .5. And as political arrangement, how do we know so called minorities are actually numerically inferior. We confuse violence ( as perpetuated by "big" clans) with sheer numbers.

4.5 is immoral and indefensible. Only person with no sense of decency would support it.

I always thought the general attitude exhibited by Arab men stems from repressed sex needs. Women, all over the world, are treated as second class, but no culture, maybe Pashtuns are close second, attach so much importance to the absolute control over woman's body

Xabad. Yes, they are clearly not tourists, but I do like the idea of exploring the coastal towns in Bari and beyond. There is so much history and beauty.

Good to see, we can fully feed our people and stop this import everything culture. Every part of the Somali peninsula can be farmed with proper management. They are not original with the names though hehe. Does the World Food Program operate in Somaliland? B@stards create havoc in the South. They import food just as the farmers are about to harvest.

Nice logo. Hope the project materializes. I believe Bossaso is the proper spelling.

I have always wanted to visit Bariga fog.

I was discussing this with a Palestinian friend. Apparently, it is prevalent.

Xabad, That's true in anyway considering the whole situation started with Addis. I was really TPLF backed down so openly, though they could be killing, arresting and torturing people as we speak.

Who is we? lol@in runta la isku , that's the Somali code for it's my bs that only matters. Feeding ungrateful folks? First, you are not feeding anyone. Forget about the rest of Somalia, you are not even feeding Xamar. All we see are fat cats lining their pockets. Secondly, any foreign aid (not money from Mogadishu ports) that is given in the name of Somalia belongs to all regions of Somalia. Take away any region's share, then it is isbaaro, something Xamar has become famous for, any image that I hope it would like to shed. Thirdly, here's simple a question, do you want to have a country with real government or just one city? Think deep for second and don't be seduced by tribalism or regionalism!

So, the Federal Government will be a government for some, very wise? Good enough reason to move the capital.

Ethiopia cancels Addis Ababa master plan after Oromo protests http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35300471

Alpha. I don't care what you say that man is Oromo. When did SL tribes start assimilating Oromos? There are many Somali tribes of Oromo origin. Xabad. I think he's the father. The man is mentally ill.

I am talking about the interpreter. Watch the entire video.

Let's be serious! Nothing comes out of Mogadishu, things only go in.

Welcome, I hope the quality of construction is as good as the Chinese.

The little girl is his daughter.

Is it true or is he just the fall guy? It's funny seeing Oromo guy with Qaldaan accent.

<cite> @Asad Ahmed said:</cite> i am disappointed by people begging for money collected from mogadishu taxpayers,port and airport revenues . Nagadaaye

https://horseedmedia.net/2016/01/12/somalia-port-expansion-equipment-arrives-at-bosaso/

Baashi is a microphone holder now, hehe.

President Erdogan had no reason to risk his life and the lives of his family when he first visited Hamar. That's said, modern nation states are driven by self interest. Somalia would be advised to view the relationship as one of mutual interest. Anything beyond that will result in self delusion. And welcome bosmanoglue.