The Ogaden — formally the Somali Regional State — has been a source of territorial dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia since the colonial boundary drawings of the 19th century, flaring into full-scale war in 1977–78 when Somali forces briefly occupied the region before a Cuban-backed Ethiopian counteroffensive reversed the gains. Issuing a coin nominally denominated in a regional currency unit called "Lacag" is a pointed political gesture, Lacag being the Somali word for money.
Whether this piece has any legal tender status within Ethiopia is doubtful. It reads more convincingly as a numismatic product aimed at the diaspora market.
The Ogaden — formally the Somali Regional State — has been a source of territorial dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia since the colonial boundary drawings of the 19th century, flaring into full-scale war in 1977–78 when Somali forces briefly occupied the region before a Cuban-backed Ethiopian counteroffensive reversed the gains. Issuing a coin nominally denominated in a regional currency unit called "Lacag" is a pointed political gesture, Lacag being the Somali word for money.
Whether this piece has any legal tender status within Ethiopia is doubtful. It reads more convincingly as a numismatic product aimed at the diaspora market.