At the end of 1954, however, an event occurred which changed the whole course of political life and led eventually to the Protectorate's advancement to full independence. This precipitant was the final liquidation of British administration in the Haud and Reserved Areas and the complete surrender of these vital grazing lands to Ethiopian control. In the period since the resumption of civil administration in the Protectorate, British control in the Haud had gradually been reduced until, by 1954, only two British Civil Affairs Officers remained there. Without prior notice or consultation with her Somali subjects, on 29 November Britain signed a new agreement with Ethiopia which provided for the complete withdrawal of British authority and replaced the remaining officials by a British Liaison staff with headquarters at Jigjiga.

I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Som…, loc. 397