Well during the previous week, Gen Tesfaye Ayalew, head of operations & deployment for ENDF, came to Caabudwaaq in the first official presentation of this plan;-Western Galgaduud upto Dhusamareb including establishing a presence for the first time in Abudwaq. If this introduction is successful and Ethiopia wants to establish permanent presence in Abudwaq, there are hopes of connecting Abudwaq by road to Wardheer/Shilabo for a major gateway in to Galmudug sort of like a central Dollow.
Very quickly since I do not want to belabor this point;
-Marehan and Ethiopia have had an 80 year old state of hostility on "Carro Mareexaan" on that plateau where 90% of it is formally classified Ethiopia
-Because of that reality and state of disagreement, Ethiopian "administration" officially ended between Warder and Shilabo towns
-For Ethiopia to have enforced control, it would require war then permanent occupation---for a people straddling a border who were already bitterly ready to fight them
-Recall Adan Loow, who started the 2nd Italo-Abyssinian war of 1933 and Mohamed Siad Barre who started the Ogaden War are from these people and this land
-Ethiopia ever militarily asserted an attempt during the capture and occupation of Balanbale---which was ended after few years because of unsustainability
Yet, recently significant changes have occured as shown on this forum primarily resulting from change within the Marehan themselves that is so different to the past, it is actually radically revolutionary namely;
-Reconceptualization by Marehan about nationhood, citizenshio, even ethnic nationalism
-Marehan then starting to pursue friendly relations with Ethiopia followed by not only acceptance that Carro Mareexaan across the border were Ethiopia but even wanting to own political rights and privileges due them over their land as local administration
Caabudwaaq has two airports, the old one to the north and the working one to the south;
The southern one is in Somalia, the northern one is in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia wants to build a permanent base on the northern airport.
They also want to connect Caabudwaaq to Shilabo, Warder, and Galadi by paved road.
Ethiopia also wants to invest in the local economy, source livestock and resources for the ENDF, open state clinics and schools in the landscape essentially a package of "soft power" projections to incentivize and increase the warming ties between it and "Siad Barre's people."
These are interesting times from a historical trajectory point of view;
