Almost all Somali patriots including the author of this article, ask themselves this very afore-mentioned question now and again; but, the direct answer of this question is somehow inscrutable, because the geo-political hostility between these two neighbouring Horn of African states is as old as the name world; besides that, the two racial beings are insatiable for war as experience taught us. The ages old Ethiopian-Somali hatred is million times deeper than the natural hatred between beauty and ugliness; it is in the bones, the marrow and the blood of the peoples of these bordering two states now and then. The ideological distance of the religious faith of the twosome is also as wide as the dimensional gap between peace and war.
There are abusive well-known proverbs among the Somali citizens that signalise for the depth of the animosity: the Somalis say, "Amxaar afkuu kuugu qosluu kugu qaniinaa", which translates as "An Ethiopian bites you with the same mouth that he smiles at you."
They also say, "Gomash hoos maleh Amxaar gacal maleh", which translates as "Gomash has no shade as Ethiopian has no mercy." Gomash is a name of a small tree. If we closely and carefully study the central insight, theme, of the above hassling sayings towards the pride of the Ethiopian people, we can easily infer the wideness of the abysmal hostility between the Ethiopians and the Somalis.
The horrible incident of seeing Ethiopian soldiers, dead, being dragged on the streets of Mogadishu by the disgruntled Somali Mogadishians in the elapsed weeks is a clear signal of how those people hate them (the Ethiopian forces in the capital, Mogadishu.)
According to my stamina of mental analysis, there are two main, basic, factors that hone the Ethiopian-Somali animosity and they are as follows:
1 - The geographical confrontation, crisis, over the ownership of the disputed oil-rich Ogaden region that houses more than six million Somali ethnics is the now and then prime cause of the amoral human devastation between the twosome. My aim is not expounding on this issue, Ogaden case, which incapacitated the good-neighbourhood of the two bordering states; but, I am to refresh the readers that this issue hoists the flag of the Ethiopian-Somali animosity. The Islamic cleric hardliner, Hassan Dahir Aweys, once said, "Ogaden is inscribed in the blood and engraved on the conviction of every Somali patriot. We will never concede it, Ogaden, to Ethiopia under any circumstance, because lots of dear Somali heroes martyred for it to be regained and are interred there,Ogaden." This statement has it is own impact on the Somali citizens and on the Sheikh himself.
2 - There is a great religious gerrymandering between the side-by-side living arch enemies. Somalis are Muslims by faith, Sunni by thought and Shafi by doctrine; therefore, they consider the Ethiopians as their religious foes in the East Africa, acting for the spread of Christianity. They also assume that Ethiopia is the spokes-agent for the western ideological architecture. This anthological and geo-political variation has its own danger towards lasting better neighbourhood.
As an author and poet, I am very much fond of peace in the whole region; but, in my personal opinion, the stay of the Ethiopian soldiers in the long time troubled Somalia, will accrue the diversity of the religious, cultural conflict between the two neighbouring countries. If the world founders to ask for the unconditional withdrawal of the Ethiopian forces from Somalia and replace them with international peace-keeping forces, there will be all-out regional bloodbath. As the presence of the government-brought Ethiopian forces is adding fuel to the fire. The global political pathfinders should think twice to avoid regional annihilation and loss of innocent lives, because it is the civilians that will suffer and perish. Other wise the answerless question will be: Is the whole world novice at the historical Ethiopian-Somali animosity.
Mohamed Abdikadir Daud (Stanza).