Baydhaba Janaay is the most livable city in Somalia (including Somaliland)

[Voltage]

Borama is a close second!

That's the verdict from a close relative I spoke with who is one of the principal UN staff members for Somalia.

Everywhere else is in a different category he calls "located in Somalia."

Besides the extreme poverty even for 3rd world standards, at least Baydhaba and Borama give you the perception they are in some other developing country that Somalia (including Somaliland) has yet to reach.

He told me there is not a large or small town he has not been to from the Djiboutian border to the Kenyan border Even many, many villages!

He has been to everything between Hargeisa to Las Anod including further north to Erigavo, from Bosaso to Garowe including coastal settlements like "Iskushuban" and Eyl, from Gaalkacyi to Dhusamareb including hamlets like Bandiiradley and Bangeele, from Feerfeer to Cadale and Warsheikh on the coast, never mind Beled-Weyne and Bulo Burte in between, from Barawe to Bakool including sights like Buur Hakaba, from Gendershe to Liboi and from Kismaayo to Dollow on the Ethiopian river, saying Buurdhuubo's location in Gedo is prime for a future agricultural powerhouse.

He says Baydhabo is the most civilized. From superficial perceptions like no one will bumb into you in the street and keep walking or basically civilized behavior in general which he says has been destroyed in Somalia everywhere else besides Borama---to more measurable outcomes like what one dollar can wield for you in Somalia, you will get 100% of it in Baydhaba. He says even in Mogadishu or Hargeisa, on your best day you are lucky to get 70% of what one dollar can actually wield because of so much corruption, cheating, price gouging, etc.

He says Baydhabo is the cleanest city in Somalia. If you drop a single candy wrapper and keep walking, an entire crowd will form to shame you.

He says Baydhabo is the safest city in Somalia. It's not even about whether there is police or not. Not even about Somaliland vs. South argument about getting shot or suicide bombing on streets. He says if you leave your house door open and leave in Baydhabo, not a single penny will have been missing if you come back at night.

In short, he says it's very obviously the people who live in Baydhaba (and Borama) that made those places what they are and they have a lot to teach other Somalis. A LOT!

[Mk777]

Borama is a close second!

That's the verdict from a close relative I spoke with who is one of the principal UN staff members for Somalia.

Everywhere else is in a different category he calls "located in Somalia."

Besides the extreme poverty even for 3rd world standards, at least Baydhaba and Borama give you the perception they are in some other developing country that Somalia (including Somaliland) has yet to reach.

He told me there is not a large or small town he has not been to from the Djiboutian border to the Kenyan border Even many, many villages!

He has been to everything between Hargeisa to Las Anod including further north to Erigavo, from Bosaso to Garowe including coastal settlements like "Iskushuban" and Eyl, from Gaalkacyi to Dhusamareb including hamlets like Bandiiradley and Bangeele, from Feerfeer to Cadale and Warsheikh on the coast, never mind Beled-Weyne and Bulo Burte in between, from Barawe to Bakool including sights like Buur Hakaba, from Gendershe to Liboi and from Kismaayo to Dollow on the Ethiopian river, saying Buurdhuubo's location in Gedo is prime for a future agricultural powerhouse.

He says Baydhabo is the most civilized. From superficial perceptions like no one will bumb into you in the street and keep walking or basically civilized behavior in general which he says has been destroyed in Somalia everywhere else besides Borama---to more measurable outcomes like what one dollar can wield for you in Somalia, you will get 100% of it in Baydhaba. He says even in Mogadishu or Hargeisa, on your best day you are lucky to get 70% of what one dollar can actually wield because of so much corruption, cheating, price gouging, etc.

He says Baydhabo is the cleanest city in Somalia. If you drop a single candy wrapper and keep walking, an entire crowd will form to shame you.

He says Baydhabo is the safest city in Somalia. It's not even about whether there is police or not. Not even about Somaliland vs. South argument about getting shot or suicide bombing on streets. He says if you leave your house door open and leave in Baydhabo, not a single penny will have been missing if you come back at night.

In short, he says it's very obviously the people who live in Baydhaba (and Borama) that made those places what they are and they have a lot to teach other Somalis. A LOT!

Interesting analysis sxb. I assume as he was ur relative he was not from the region so is not biased in its favour. This is very believable. Personally I believe the reason why people in bay and bakool are peaceful is because of their settled nature. When people are settled they are less likely to want to cause trouble as the problems will be at their doorstep. Compared with the dhaqan of other somalis, they will cause dhib, balaayo and they will move with their geel to someone else and this cycle will continue.

[Django]

Baidoa is not Kismaayo or Bardheere.Elay will not allow squatters from galgaduud to even dream about their city.

[paperino]

I'm tempted to move to and settle down in Baydhabo. What's the weather like? For a long time, I've observed that the Somali riverine people are different. Perhaps it has to do with the river & what it offers in fruits, veggies, grains, etc that make the people civilized. A diet mostly consisting of hilib and limited food in an inhospitable environment would make anyone aggressive. I agree with Voltage; of all reer Waqooyis I've interacted with, reer Borama were the most civilized and humbling.

[SuldaanMaplesyrup]

Quule is one helluva drug.

[ReturnOfMariixmaan]

Buurdhubo my ancestral hometown.. Waa dhul barwaaq

[lone]

I wouldn't call any city in Somalia livable.

[Nubis]

^Exactly. Stop propaganda, biased topic.

[JSL3000]

Quule is one helluva drug.

[DaroorMan]

the fact the boon OP had to write in brackets "including Somaliland" shows that deep down he knows that SL is really a separate country and has to delude himself to ease the pain of separation being irreversible and very soon formalised

[zidane88]

There's no city safer than Hargeysa. I have been there in 2016 and i couldn't imagine what i have seen there.
The money exchanging business where countless different money is out on display without fear. You can go anywhere in Hargeysa without fear of robbing, or killing. To compare it with Baidoa is not an insult but a curse.

[DaroorMan]

There's no city safer than Hargeysa. I have been there in 2016 and i couldn't imagine what i have seen there.
The money exchanging business where countless different money is out on display without fear. You can go anywhere in Hargeysa without fear of robbing, or killing. To compare it with Baidoa is not an insult but a curse.

simply because Somaliland isnt Zoomalia but a separate thriving country and I wish the Landers the very best. What I don't understand Zidane is why would our own people in eastern Ethiopia aka Somali regional state want to join up with Somalia when it is better to either remain part of Ethiopia, become an independent country or join after secession Somaliland and/or Djibouti

[zidane88]

Daroorman. Who said we're joining to Somalia. We're merely expressing our identity as "somalis" in Ethiopia but no one want to join Somalia.

[DaroorMan]

thank the lord

[Voltage]

Borama is a close second!

That's the verdict from a close relative I spoke with who is one of the principal UN staff members for Somalia.

Everywhere else is in a different category he calls "located in Somalia."

Besides the extreme poverty even for 3rd world standards, at least Baydhaba and Borama give you the perception they are in some other developing country that Somalia (including Somaliland) has yet to reach.

He told me there is not a large or small town he has not been to from the Djiboutian border to the Kenyan border Even many, many villages!

He has been to everything between Hargeisa to Las Anod including further north to Erigavo, from Bosaso to Garowe including coastal settlements like "Iskushuban" and Eyl, from Gaalkacyi to Dhusamareb including hamlets like Bandiiradley and Bangeele, from Feerfeer to Cadale and Warsheikh on the coast, never mind Beled-Weyne and Bulo Burte in between, from Barawe to Bakool including sights like Buur Hakaba, from Gendershe to Liboi and from Kismaayo to Dollow on the Ethiopian river, saying Buurdhuubo's location in Gedo is prime for a future agricultural powerhouse.

He says Baydhabo is the most civilized. From superficial perceptions like no one will bumb into you in the street and keep walking or basically civilized behavior in general which he says has been destroyed in Somalia everywhere else besides Borama---to more measurable outcomes like what one dollar can wield for you in Somalia, you will get 100% of it in Baydhaba. He says even in Mogadishu or Hargeisa, on your best day you are lucky to get 70% of what one dollar can actually wield because of so much corruption, cheating, price gouging, etc.

He says Baydhabo is the cleanest city in Somalia. If you drop a single candy wrapper and keep walking, an entire crowd will form to shame you.

He says Baydhabo is the safest city in Somalia. It's not even about whether there is police or not. Not even about Somaliland vs. South argument about getting shot or suicide bombing on streets. He says if you leave your house door open and leave in Baydhabo, not a single penny will have been missing if you come back at night.

In short, he says it's very obviously the people who live in Baydhaba (and Borama) that made those places what they are and they have a lot to teach other Somalis. A LOT!

Interesting analysis sxb. I assume as he was ur relative he was not from the region so is not biased in its favour. This is very believable. Personally I believe the reason why people in bay and bakool are peaceful is because of their settled nature. When people are settled they are less likely to want to cause trouble as the problems will be at their doorstep. Compared with the dhaqan of other somalis, they will cause dhib, balaayo and they will move with their geel to someone else and this cycle will continue.

My Gaaljecel friend, indeed he is not from the region. As he is a relative, it most likely means he is Marehan which he is! His analysis was based in professional, objective observation.

As for the difference I am not really surprised, I long said the true distinction in Somalia may have to do with nomadic pastoralism vs. sedentary agricultural or even agri-pastoral mkdes of living.

Nomadic pastoralism is harsh, stateless, and generally not susceptible to mechanisms of organized living including better conflict management because they have nothing to lose as people whose culture does not invest in the land.

Sedentary people can't just up and move so they have to learn to work with their neighbor and are more accepting of organized, State society to hash out conflicts that may arise.

The only thing that would surprise is Borama since they are part of the nomadic pastoralist culture but then the community that live in Borama (Gudabiirsi) are known as the most educated Somalis and are famed even in the farthest corners of the Somali world as people that love learning and are generally the most "civilized" Somali clan.