It would be very interesting to know what made the old man sacrifice his commander from Puntland. Admittedly this guy was one of old man's closest commanders and it must’ve taken Ethiopia to convince the old man to put him in the doghouse. Afguduud had all the qualities it takes, antiwadaado, and fond of balwad, as I was told, and his firing is not a minor issue as others here want us to believe! In the meantime Kismayo’s core issues keep exacerbating as the militia that holds it makes things even worse. Unintentionally of course!

Ayoub , you are not looking for straight answers from the type of lame questions you are asking. Otherwise why wonder who’s missing from Somaliland's current equation when it’s really obvious and clear for all to see… I don’t agree with your secessionist political narrative (the reason you are putting me in the Ethiopian/tfg column ), and as you know I do appreciate PL’s role to slow down, and perhaps prevent this separatist movement from ever succeeding in that regard. If that makes me a qabiilist so be it adeer. In the meantime though, and before you cut off your branch of the Somali tree, make sure you are adequately equipped to parachute to safety adeer !

Somailand's Hedgehog Attitude Will Prevail. Yes, it has been 16 long, arduous and lonely years since we reclaimed our sovereignty on May 18, 1991. Yes, the recognition that we have aspired to achieve may seem as distant as ever. Yes, detractors have called us and still call us all kinds of names. Yes, enemies who are hell bent on breaking our will and sowing discord among our people have used all kinds of deceptive tactics and hired spin-doctors to discredit our cause. Yes, the world refuses to look at our achievements, our democracy and the oasis of peace we have created. Yes, weasel-hearted African leaders have been warned that recognizing Somaliland would open the gates of hell and monsters would emerge in scores from their scandal ridden closets. Yes, our people suffer due to the absence of diplomatic relations, international credit lines and regular trade agreements. Yes, some of our politicians, some of our opportunists, some of the greedy among us, some of our weaklings and some of the wishy-washy individuals have been trying to weaken our morale. But, against all these odds, as people of Somaliland, we have only one thing in mind; that all roads lead to recognition. From day one, we have decided that there is no rollback, no reverse gears and most importantly no free ride to our coveted goal of gaining our sovereignty, building our country and gaining recognition. We have been watching other countries with less democracy, less peace and less ethnic cohesion gaining sovereignty and recognition. We have seen Bosnia, Montenegro, East Timor; all former Soviet Republics embraced and accepted by the international community. We now watch Kosovo and Western Sahara inching towards independence. Somalilanders know that we neither have the political clout nor the alliance of the willing to support our cause. We neither have oil to satiate Western hunger for fuel nor the correct creed to claim evangelical brotherhood. However, like the hedgehog we know one big thing; that our determination, our strong will, our resilience and our enormous belief in the righteousness of our cause will bear fruit no matter how long we wait for it and no matter how much we suffer on the way. We have proven it in the past and we can continue to prove that we have the resolve and the persistence it needs to stay the course. No one can detract us, no one can pigeonhole us, and no one can sway us from our goal. Despite the world’s indifference, our people have worked hard over the last 16 years. We held democratic local, parliamentary and presidential elections, we created a fabulous free press, we held terrorism at bay, we built our ruined homes, we established universities and erected some factories with our meager resources and remittances from our sons and daughters scattered all over the world. And with or without recognition we intend to continue our march. Our future plan is to develop our roads, our ports and airports, and our health and education systems. Let the Africans whine and whimper over opening Pandora boxes, let the Americans and Europeans indulge in their double standard business of lobbying independence for places like Kosovo and denying the same to Somaliland, let the Arabs wallow in their monkey business and Orwellian newspeak of confusion and self pity, Somaliland has no time to waste. Yes, we may be traveling alone but “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, And we have promises to keep, And miles to go before we reap” with full apology to Robert Frost. And reaping we did. As have gained friends along the way. We owe ample gratitude to a few courageous countries that judged us by our achievements and extended a hand of friendship to us. They shook our hands when all have deserted us; they opened representative offices for us when all have avoided us. We owe enormous gratitude to South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Belgium and the UK. Their legacy will be written in gold in the annals of our history.

lol@Castro! Reer Gaalkacyood iyo sharciga yaa u garnaqi doona!

Che, there's nothing particularly wrong in being a Jew! But good Cambarro has gotten this utterly wrong; the parallel she claims to have observed does not exist here. Jews are way ahead of us in many ways; they know who they are and plan accordingly. We on the other hand know what is right but know not how to achieve it. We lack unity in purpose. Secessionism is a good example of us attempting to seek moment’s repose in disunity! In short, Jews do appreciate unity and cultural cohesion, the one whose value we Muslims still struggle to realize! Stealth, you said: I don't see the comparison that the old lady Cambaro has put forth. And I agree. The rest is a typical you trying to stick on a rattlesnake and expecting not to be bitten by it adeer!

Melez is not alone...

Give up now and fight another day! Says NGONGE. And good Baashi agrees. That’s a wise advice for those who have a plan for Somalia and can resist to be overtaken by the day-to-day events on the ground. Granted that it’s quite a low key in concept , but it’s a wining recommendation in execution!It's easier said than done, however! If you want to know why we are civil-war prone, look no further than this thread…

Good news...

^^ ! Wallee shiddaa taagan!

^^You're using it quite aptly . Jimcaale & Che, if you insist i am sure Hiiraale supporters will challenge you...

lool@lagaroonayaal... take it back man, that's a bit gross! ps--i reckon you dont know what it means in southern context .

^^Adeer odogu waa noo dhuuntay...no body thought he would turn out this way!

Ilaahay khaatimada ha waafajiyo. Hadduu saan ku dhinto wallee war baa u yaal! I understand why those who are behind explosions do it: that’s the hand they are dealt with, and the other choices out there are simply unacceptable! Whether these tactics can achieve any thing is beside the point now…

Originally posted by Naxar Nugaaleed: Speak for your self, XF! I thought i did ! If not,whose name did you think i spoke?

So Rooble thinks those who point at the absurdities of his FM hate him and his fellow landers! That’s very childish walle…

I guess they couldn’t stomach the prospect of Iraqi insurgents capturing/killing/wounding a member of the royal family…

Of course Ethiopia is the mother of [the notion of free] Somaliland...ayadaa naas nuujisay! Problem is these politicians seem to be caught in the middle of Ethiopia's regional ambitions and uncle Sam's terrorism project! In that scheme, Somaliland did not fare well, and apparently is missing like a broken tooth on a comb. Who to blame, then?

War soo noqda... round and sexy kulahaa...war ma israacaan adeer !

Originally posted by Jacaylbaro: "We are fighting terror, we have democratised -- everything they preach. So give us access. Why put us in chains?" Duale said. ^^They found someone else who could do it more efficiently…that’s why! That's what it comes down to. But JB, as usual, disagrees.

lol@beer belly. Istaghfurulaah yaa Castro . I think it's a odkac belly instead.

To sale the state it is! The man, in the name of exploring Puntland’s resources to benefit the people, sloughed off into a shameless scrap-trader! Of course Cadde sports with royal titles. …just enough to distinguish himself from those in the south! Yaa Allah~~

^^I am sure you are not equating Good Baashi’s prudence to G. Bush’s pretense! No parallel there yaa Castro ! As for killing Ugandans, I think it’s expected that they would be killed and maimed; Mogadishu is a war zone after all. As long there is no road map for solving Somalia’s conflict, to abort this government is the only strategy Mogadishu insurgency has at the moment.

NGONGow, actually I am for it as long it’s genuine! Baashi knows it, and you know it too, and so does Castro, that we had enough of these perpetual wars. I want them to end. I want people to live in peace. At this point of Somali history I am for any tolerable government; something that works. But I want a sustainable peace, and not an ad-hoc arrangement that falls apart when these men leave the scene. And as always, I insist on human dignity hence I can never accept the illegal presence of Ethiopia on our soil. I know Baashi does not accept it either. But what’s proposed as a reconciliation conference smells like a sham gathering to legitimize this tfg, and no more than that!

Articulate and assertive! But the duplicity fails him. If he was so opposed what has transpired, as he claims he was, he could’ve easily spoken earlier and resigned rather than waiting till Geedi dumps him! He’s not credible really! Not to forget how excited he was during the Ethiopian invasion.

Absolutely; there is no any other alternative. The insurgency is not working at speed needed to rescue Somalia.