@Burn Notice said: You get more bees with honey than vinegar . Burn, good to see you my old friend. . Abdiweli is busy with the cabinet search. Some of the key players from Farole's admin are expected to be back including your friend and fellow Australian Farah Ali Jama, but we shall see if the rumors are valid. I will create "Puntland Oil" thread to share new information. I am hearing 2015 is the year for both Dharoor and Nugal basin. . The VP made a good speech at the ceremony

Large Topic performance test ...

Sent you a private message and waiting for your PM response!

It looks like Abdiweli and Amey are doing things slightly different. I expect more prominent role and visibility for the VP with this new admin.

Only if the trustee can manage it.

Xaglatoosiye will be needing to answer few questions from his boss Siilaanyo.

^^ Give Mr. Mohammed's young team 50 years and they shall be there, Awoowe.

Johhny, putting aside the separatist agenda, Mr. Mohammed sees a future economic opportunity.

Missed the first one, ya Xaaji.

Dubai: Somaliland, an autonomous region in the Horn of Africa, wants to replicate the “Dubai model” in a bid to attract foreign investment, develop infrastructure and generate employment opportunities.“We are looking at … building free zones like Jebel Ali. We have already created a tax regime that reduce tax on foreign investment … In many ways we are looking up to the Dubai model of business promotion, ” Mohammad A. Omar, Minister of Commerce & Foreign Investment, told Gulf News.Omar was on a visit to the UAE last week where he met with representatives from both the local private and public sector in effort to boost Somaliland’s credentials on international development.Located in East Africa, along the Gulf of Aden, Somaliland shares its borders with Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia but is not a country in its own right. In 1991 Somaliland declared independence from Somalia but has struggled to gain international recognition. The majority-Muslim African country has its own government, military, policy, currency and even passport; though the latter two are recognised by very few countries, if any.Assessment testsRich in natural resources Somaliland has already handed concessions to British-based Oil Company Genel Energy, who are currently undertaking assessment tests in the African region, and RAK Gas from the UAE, among others. Omar said the Somaliland government will be approaching other oil and gas companies, including from the UAE, to apply for further concessions.Omar said he had met with officials from Sharjah Aviation Authority, Sharjah Aviation Services and Air Arabia to discuss the development and operation of Egal International Airport, located in Somaliland’s capital Hargeisa, and Berbera Airport. Sharjah Aviation Authority and Sharjah Aviation Services did not return requests for comment while Air Arabia have denied their involvement any such discussions.“Air Arabia wishes to make it clear that it has not gone into any partnership with authorities in Somaliland and has no current plans to do so. However, the airline is aware that there are ongoing talks between Sharjah Aviation Services and Somaliland authorities about potential collaboration,” an Air Arabia spokesperson said.Contentious issueEgal International and Berbera Airpor recently underwent a major facelift following a $10 million (Dh36.7 million) grant from the Kuwaiti government. Omar said there is huge potential for aviation services in Somaliland with its population of around 3.5 million. He added that the region also has a large international diaspora and is near countries such as Ethiopia which has a population of 90 million. He said he would like to see a carrier from the Middle East operating an East Africa hub out of Egal International.But foreign investor confidence remains a contentious issue for Somaliland, which has operated as a country for the past 20 years despite not being internationally recognised. This week government ministers from Somaliland and Somalia will meet in Turkey for another round of talks on Somaliland’s bid for independence.Omar said Somaliland’s participation in the global economy and its ability to provide security and stability to the region “must be rewarded by the international community with political recognition”.Pressed about the Arab Spring, the presence of Al Qaida in North Africa and Al Shabab in Somalia, and general instability in Africa, Omar said Somaliland is immune to all that, “despite being part of a tough neighbourhood”. He pointed to Somaliland’s growing economy and democratic government.SOURCE: Golf News http://www.somaliaonline.com/somaliland-foreign-minister-we-want-to-replicate-the-dubai-model-and-build-free-zones-like-jebel-ali/

Amal Farah, a Somali immmigrant living in the UK, is disowned by her family after declaring she is an atheist Amal Farah, a 32-year-old banking executive, is laughing about a contestant singing off-key in the last series of The X Factor. For a woman who was not allowed to listen to music when she was growing up, this is a delight. After years of turmoil, she is in control of her own life. On the face of it, she is a product of modern Britain. Born in Somalia to Muslim parents, she grew up in Yemen and came to the UK in her late teens. After questioning her faith, she became an atheist and married a Jewish lawyer. But this has come at a cost. When she turned her back on her religion, she was disowned by her family and received death threats. She has not seen her mother or her siblings for eight years. None of them have met her husband or daughter. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done – telling my observant family that I was having doubts. My mum was shocked; she began to cry. It was very painful for her. When she realised I actually meant it, she cut communication with me,” said Ms Farah. “She was suspicious of me being in contact with my brothers and sisters. She didn’t want me to poison their heads in any way. I felt like a leper and I lived in fear. As long as they knew where I was, I wasn’t safe.” This is the first time Ms Farah has spoken publicly about her experience of leaving her faith, after realising that she did not want to keep a low profile for ever. She is an extreme case – her mother, now back in Somalia, has become increasingly radical in her religious views. SOURCE: independent.co.uk http://www.somaliaonline.com/amal-farah-a-somali-immmigrant-living-in-the-uk-is-disowned-by-her-family-after-declaring-she-is-an-atheist/

May Allah have mercy on her. My condolences walaal. It looks like Afghanistan situation is getting worse.

lol@Safferz. No, he is married.

@nuune said: Fowzia eey baa cuney, she was there with Hassan, she was hoping to get nominated, that is what Madaxweynaha wanted, laakin dagaal iyo qeylo ayey sheekada tagtey, Nuunka, I expect her to go back to Hargeisa any minute and declare she is a Somalilander. Awoowe, indeed this is a setback for the country. It is quite a large list with some unsavory characters amongst it.

What happened to Fowzia?

Many Somali parents across Toronto are furious over a new proposal by the local school board to create what some parents are calling a "Special Ed" type of program specifically designed to target Somali kids. The program proposed by the Toronto District School Board, is making some parents nervous as it may further stigmatize one of North America's oldest Somali diaspora communities “Our children are born and raised in Canada; we don’t need a special brand of education,” said Suban Abdullahi, three of whose children are at university. “We don’t need more labeling and separation; we've had enough already.” “The task force wants to stigmatize all Somali kids and say they’re incapable of learning.” quipped another parent, Saeed Mohamud. Here is the full story from the Toronto Star. Source: Toronto Star http://www.somaliaonline.com/somali-parents-in-toronto-the-proposed-special-program-wants-to-stigmatize-our-kids-and-say-theyre-incapable-of-learning/

Kenyan hotelier says running Somalia’s "best hotel" SOURCE: Captial FM http://www.somaliaonline.com/bulsho2/kenyan-hotelier-says-running-somalias-best-hotel/

The Corruption Tango - by Abukar Arman Any unchecked authority or power—especially when involving monies—ultimately leads to corruption. That is why it is necessary to put in place mechanisms to monitor, audit, reward, and, when necessary, punish.All laws stemming from a moral or a legal code are based on a system of rewards and punishments. By corruption I mean: Abuse of authority or position of trust in order to benefit self, family, friends, special interest groups and others willing to buy special privileges in cash or other more subtle payoffs, or by being complacent or tolerant to such conducts. In recent months, the Somali Federal Government (SFG) had to swiftly sack its first Central Bank Governor when he was implicated on corruption in the (controversial) UN Monitoring Report on Somalia. The process was settled quietly behind closed doors. No investigation, no prosecution, and no guilt or innocence. More importantly, no lessons learned and no improved vetting process. Immediately following the sacking, SFG appointed its Second Governor to the Central Bank. Within weeks after taking her position, the new Governor resigned; publicly alleging being pressured to sanction a national asset-recovery contract with potential monetary improprieties. What ensued was indirect a smear campaign and two concurrent narratives of corruption that, for all intent and purpose, have stained the credibility of both parties [Disclosure: Though not part of the government, one of my in-laws was named by some websites as a stakeholder in the case at hand] Whether this latest allegation is real or artificial is immaterial. As a failed state (albeit one on its way to recovery) and one that has been occupying the lowest rank in the Transparency International Corruption Index for a number of years, SFG would have a hard time shaking this sort of controversy off. Which means friends may retreat, potential donor nations may become reluctant, elements within the international community may use it as a political card, and international banking institutions may hike the interest rate on future borrowings. Swamps of Corruption Contrary to the common belief that corruption is limited to certain political and socioeconomic environments, namely underdeveloped and developing countries, corruption is nearly ubiquitous global reality. It is a phenomenon found in democracies and dictatorships as well as monarchies and anarchies. Like crime in general, corruption cannot be totally eradicated. It is a criminal and immoral phenomenon found even in countries that generally respect the rule of law and have all necessary institutions for effective system of checks and balances. Nepotism/favoritism was so rampant in the U.S. that some historians consider American Civil War hero, President Ulysses S. Grant, as a poster child of corruption. It wasn’t till late nineteenth century that US Congress passed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, the federal law mandating that government jobs must be awarded based on merit. That and the federal anti-bribery laws did not prevent officials such as Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich, from trying to auction President Obama’s old Senate seat after winning in 2008. If that seems like an isolated case, think of the Watergate Scandal, or the network of consultants, lobbyists, private contractors and government officials who provide privileged access to powerful offices and resources known as the Beltway Bandits whose iconic cash for services was highlighted by the Iraq war and their relentless lobbying to protect the crooks and criminals of the global banking system. Moreover, it wasn’t that long ago when, across the pond in UK, the so-called Rotten Parliamentscandal exposed an endemic of corruption across party lines that ultimately resulted in the prosecution of several members and former members of the House of Commons, and members of the House of Lords as well as a large number of resignations and sackings. If these shenanigans and criminal activities could take place under the microscopes and lamp posts of law and order, imagine what NGOs and international community representatives in remote countries could do in enabling corrupt officials to get away with robberies and seduce others to tango with them. Corruption is a two-way street. To focus on one side and not the other is nothing but a subtle effort to continue business as usual. Steps Necessary to Prevent Corruption Currently in Somalia, officials are neither constrained by clear and enforceable rules or policies nor is there an auditing apparatus that is in charge of vetting government contracts or have the legal oversight against illicit political and business deals or misappropriation of the meager revenues. First and foremost, the federal government must institute policies that criminalize corruption. Second, the judiciary system must be reformed and technical capacity must be improved. While robust functioning of all governmental institutions and policies of checks and balances are crucial to fighting corruption, the most crucial is the branch that enforces such policies. This vital institution must be in place even before any anti-corruption bill is passed by the parliament. Without an effective legal system, fighting corruption would remain a perpetual political pipedream. Third, the government must create a genuine anti-corruption commission with litigation powers.Fourth, reinstitute the office of Asset control & Risk Assessment to control fraud and corruption and conduct necessary audits. Fifth, Spesso politico (Italian for political expenditure) unspecified cash arbitrarily appropriated for top offices to use it at their respective discretions must be totally eliminated. This is a system inherited from the Italian colonial administration that would cash in key offices to bribe, and thus manipulate inter-clan politics to its favor. Although some would argue that such coffers are strictly used to appease vociferous clan leaders and turn away saboteurs, it mostly fuels zero-sum politicking and induces predictable temptations. Sixth, improve salaries of the plethora of poorly paid public servants. This was one of the biggest factors that increased corruption and ultimately contributed to the destruction of the military government; likewise, it is one of the biggest factors that compel some desperate soldiers to sell their military goods to militants such as al-Shabaab for survival. Seventh, mandatory asset declaration policy must be instituted. All key officials must declare their assets or financial net worth before assuming office. Such policy would bring an end to the questionable routine of officials leaving office as wealthy men.An ad hoc policy of that nature was once applied under former Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi (Farmajo), though no one has officially checked the net worth of each minister once that PM was sacked and his government collapsed. Eighth, government must institute meritorious hiring policy to prevent the mother of all corruption- nepotism/favoritism. Ninth, government must adopt the Transparency International Integrity Pact and require all key officials to commit to promote ethical conduct and good governance by signing that document. Tenth, sign the United Nations Convention against Corruption. This convention would, among other things, enable Somalia not only to prosecute corrupted officially who embezzled monies outside the country, but an international cooperation on asset-recovery. (December 4th is the tenth anniversary of this convention.) Eleventh, press freedom must be protected with enforceable policies that safeguard public scrutiny of elected and appointed officials. Twelve, government must adopt a collective approach in combating corruption by mobilizing a coordinated effort between leaders from the religious, intellectual, entertainment and arts sectors to stigmatize and ostracize corrupt officials as a public enemy. All forms of corruption are zero-sum freeloading and indeed parasitical; and some are existentially more threatening than others. Officials misappropriating or stealing national assets in wealthy countries are one level of lowliness and criminality, doing the same to mainly donated funds intended to assist a nation that was at the brink of self-annihilation and its mostly impoverished people is totally another States that earn the reputation of being corrupt have one distinctive criterion in common: they all fail to meet their service and protection obligation toward their citizens. And that, needless to say, erodes public trust on leaders and institutions which then impede economic, political and social developments. Therefore, the challenge awaiting the federal and all other local governments is to fight kleptocracy and the culture of impunity that sustained it. Author Abukar Arman is a former diplomat (Somalia's Special Envoy to the US). He is a widely published political analyst. His focus is post-civil war Somalia, extremism, Islam, and US foreign policy. He is a DiploAct of a sort (fusion of diplomacy & activism). You may follow him on Twitter: @AbukarArman or reach him via e-mail:abukar_arman@yahoo.com http://www.somaliaonline.com/bulsho2/the-corruption-tango-by-abukar-arman/

Somalia Online - Lawmakers of the autonomous Somali state of Puntland elected Abdihakiin Haji Abdulahi Omar Amey of Buhodle as the region’s Vice President for the next five years. Mr. Amey who was challenged by the outgoing Vice President Mr. Abdisamad Ali Shire, Abdulahi Ali Timaade and few other candidates, got 73% of the total vote cast in the last round. Speaking to the media after his victory, Mr. Amey thanked the lawmakers and promised he will work towards unity and good governance. News Snippet http://www.somaliaonline.com/bulsho2/abdihakiin-haji-abdulahi-omar-amey-is-elected-vice-president-of-puntland/

Wrong color it seems.

Off to Brazil!!

72′ Goal Mamadou Sakho 69′ Yellow Card Mathieu Debuchy 69′ Ohhhh that's a terribly late challenge from Debuchy! The Newcastle man goes in with the studs high on Konoplyanka and goes into the book for his trouble. A lot of challenges flying in now! 67′ Yellow Card Patrice Evra 67′ A break in play at the moment as Evra goes in late on Yarmolenko. It wasn't a particularly vicious challenge, but it was late, and out of control. The Dynamo Kyiv man is down and looks in pain. 65′ Ukraine finally make the tactical change required as Roman Bezus is replaced by 30-year-old full back, Oleh Husyev. 64′ Substitution Roman Bezus Oleh Husyev 64′ Riberyyyyy!!! Just over AGAIN! The longer this match goes on the longer the French fans in the stands will get nervous, and no shots seem to be going in for the hosts at the moment! 62′ Benzema looks to latch on to a pass over the top of the Ukraine defence but Mandzyuk recovers well after bursting a gut to get back and take ball off the toe of the Frenchman. 60′ 30 minutes to go here in this World Cup play-off. We are currently drawing at 2-2 on aggregate but the momentum is certainly with the hosts, who continue to press forward. 58′ Benzema!! Just wide! The latest France attack sees three or four players flooding forward and the ball eventually come to the Real Madrid man. He looks to find the bottom corner but his attempt nestles into the side-netting! 56′ It's been all France since that sending off for Khacheridi. Two goals down and a man down against a team with the talent of Les Bleus will be difficult for the Ukrainians to resist! 54′ Cabayeeee!!! Unlucky! The ball breaks to the Newcastle man just outside the box and he looks to smash the ball towards goal on the half volley, but the ball bounces up awkwardly and the strike is dragged wide. 52′ Ribery makes a fantastic run through the middle and eventually breaks left before hitting the byline. He cuts the ball back to Valbuena who curls a cross towards Benzema but Ukraine smuggle the ball out of the box! 50′ Interestingly, no changes yet from Mykhaylo Fomenko. It was only a few minutes ago that Khacheridi saw red but they'll have to reshuffle themselves defensively or France will run over the top of them. 49′ BEZUUUUUSSSS!!! UNLUCKY!! The ball breaks to the Dynamo Kyiv man 25 yards out and he drills a strike towards the left corner that flashes just wide of the post! Lloris was certainly scrambling across! 48′ A sickener for Ukraine! This task just got a hell of a lot more difficult! 47′ Yellow/Red Yevhen Khacheridi 47′ Khacheridi is sent off for Ukraine!!! The 26-year-old sees yellow for the second time as he horribly scythes down Ribery down the left-hand side! 46′ We are back under way! 45 minutes to decide who is going to Brazil! Don't forget folks, no team has ever come back from a two-goal deficit from the first leg in a World Cup play-off to go on and head to the tournament. Are France about to make history or will Ukraine hold on? Half time in Paris. Mahamadou Sakho opened the scoring for France with a lashes close range finish and Karim Benzema netted the second from an offside position after previously seeing a goal wrongly ruled as offside. There will certainly be a spotlight on the officials after this one! We enter the break at 2-2 on aggregate, perfectly poised! 45′ Yellow Card Mamadou Sakho 45′ Yellow Card Yevhen Khacheridi 44′ Khacheridi and Sakho both go into the book as they get into a slight scuffle during the build-up to a corner kick. They'll both have to be careful now, both rather explosive personalities! 43′ In an almost carbon copy of the previous challenge, Bezus and Cabaye collide and the Newcastle but naughtily leaves the boot in slightly. Bezus is down again and Ukraine get the free kick. 41′ Both sides are guilty of surrendering possession far too easy at the moment here. Short passes are being intercepted, and it is interrupting the flow of the play. 39′ There's a break in play at the moment as Bezus is currently down injured after a nasty collision with Cabaye. It was the Ukrainians tackle, but he's come off the worst, and he's suffering the wrath of the French fans as they boo him. 37′ France wont care though, and they are now massive favourites to progress to the World Cup. One goal from Ukraine though, and it is a totally different story. 36′ Now Benzema previously had a goal that was flagged as offside when he was on, but should that excuse such a terrible decision? Should referees be excused if their decisions even themselves out? 35′ Dear oh dear, that goal was A MILE OFFSIDE! 34′ Assist Mathieu Valbuena 34′ Goal Karim Benzema GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLL FOR FRANCE!!! THEY'VE LEVELED THE TIE!! A scramble inside the box sees the ball bounce fortuitously off Valbuena before falling to the feet of Benzema, who smashes home from a few yards out! 2-0! 33′ What a save from Pyatov!!! The ball comes to Valbuena 18 yards out and he rifles a strike towards goal that looks destined for the top corner, but the Ukraine 'keeper somehow gets up to tip the strike over the bar! 31′ There wasn't much in that at all! 30′ GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL FOR FRANCE!! WAIT! NO! OFFSIDE!! Ribery lashes a cross along the goal and the ball comes to Benzema at the back post who scrambles it on, but the linesman flags! 28′ Bezus is looking for a penalty! He shifts the ball back on to his right foot inside the box but goes down under the challenge of Debuchy! France are let off the hook though as the official only whistles for a corner. Looked like it would have been a harsh decision! 26′ Pogbaaaaaaaa!!! How close was that?! The 20-year-old drives forward through the middle and has a crack at goal from 20 yards, but his attempt whistles past Pyatov and strips the paint off the top of the bar! Inches! 25′ Valbuena whips in another wicked set-piece but on this occasion the Ukrainians manage to scramble the ball away! The Marseille man's delivery has been top drawer so far tonight! 24′ Ribery bursts down the left-hand side and drifts past a couple of challenges before looking to dink the ball to the back post. The cross comes off a Ukraine defender though, and France get the corner. 23′ What a celebration! The stadium exploded with cheers! 22′ Goal Mamadou Sakho GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLL FOR FRANCE!! THEY MAKE THE BREAK THROUGH!! A superb cross into the box from Valbuena is cleared to the edge of the box but Pyatov is forced into a superb save as a shot comes back in towards the bottom corner! But Sakho was on hand to lash the ball into the corner from the rebound! 1-0! 20′ The ball breaks to Edmar on the edge of the area and he looks to spray a pass to the right wing for Yarmolenko but there was just too much on it and France get the throw in. 19′ The visiting nation are just starting to edge their way back into contention here. Les Bleus were dominant in the opening stages but failed to capitalise on their flurry of chances. Will they regret that come 90 minutes? 17′ Superb work by Konoplyanka down the left-hand side as he shows Debuchy a clean pair of heels before out-muscling him and earning a corner kick. Set-pieces like this will be vital tonight for Ukraine tonight, you would feel. 15′ In fact, the boos are absolutely deafening as Yarmolenko goes down with an injury inside the France half. The fans they he's play-acting, but it looked pretty legitimate! The Dynamo Kyiv man should be fine though! 14′ Fair play to the French fans though, they are relentlessly booing the Ukraine players whenever they are in possession, and passionately cheering their players when any attack is looking likely! 12′ All the play has gone through the hosts so far. This is exactly the kind of attitude that Deschamps would have wanted from his players, but is it a few days too late? 10′ BENZEMA!!!! FRANCE ARE PILING ON THE PRESSURE EARLY DOORS HERE! The striker is the latest to have a pop, and again it's with a header. The attempt didn't pose to much of a threat to Pyatov this time, though! 9′ POGBA!!!! NEARLY, NEARLY!! A corner kick is floated in from the right-hand side and the Juventus youngster bullets a header at goal, but his attempt goes just north of the bar! 7′ Yellow Card Ruslan Rotan 7′ It's only seven minutes into the match but already Ribery has come in for some harsh attention from the Ukraine players. Rotan earns the first booking of the match for bundling the Bayern Munich man over with authority. 3′ tI really is an electric atmosphere in Paris tonight! So much on the line! 1′ We are under way in this World Cup play-off! The national anthems are passionately belted out by each set of supporters in the Stade de France! Taking all the factors into account; this promises to be one supremely entertaining contest! However, Ukraine are no strangers to disappointment at this stage of qualifying. Play-off defeats to Croatia, Germany and Greece stopped them reaching the World Cup in 1998, 2002 and 2010. Les Bleus' key man tonight is undoubtedly Balln d'OR nominee Franck Ribery, who has scored four goals in his last three international matches. France coach Didier Deschamps knows all too well about the heartache of failure to qualify for the tournament at this stage. The former France captain was part of the team who lost 2-1 to Bulgaria at Parc des Princes in November 1993, a result which halted a trip to the USA for the 1994 World Cup. Ukraine (4-2-3-1): Pyatov; Mandzyuk, Khacheridi, Rakitsky, Shevchuk; Bezus, Rotan; Yarmolenko, Edmar, Konoplyanka, Zozulya. France (4-3-3): Lloris; Debuchy, Sakho, Varane, Evra; Matuidi, Cabaye, Pogba; Ribery, Benzema, Valbuena. TEAM NEWS.

After Somali immigrants failed to elect one of their own to the Minnesota Senate two years ago, a small group of them joined supporters of the victor, Kari Dziedzic, for a campaign event in her father’s home in northeast Minneapolis. Gov. Mark Dayton, who was there, urged the East African attendees not to give up, saying their time would come. One of the Somali-Americans in the crowd that day was Abdi Warsame, who became the first member of his community to win election to the Minneapolis City Council this month, two decades after Somali refugees began arriving in the state. “I felt like he was speaking to me that day,” Warsame said. His landslide victory in the Sixth Ward race signals the rising political influence of Somali-Americans in Minneapolis and offers a window into the changing demographics that also swept into office the council’s first members of Hmong and Mexican descent. But Warsame’s win was different from that of the other immigrant candidates, Blong Yang and Alondra Cano, in that he relied more heavily on bringing members of his cultural community out to the polls — some for the first time. “He couldn’t have done it without other communities in the Sixth Ward, but everyone recognizes the Somali vote was important for him. It was really impressive,” said Ryan Allen, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota who is studying Somali-Americans’ experience in the Twin Cities. Somali immigrants have created mosques and nonprofits and gotten involved with civic life in ways that outsiders have not immediately seen, he said, and “all of that activity built a base that Warsame was able to take advantage of.” Warsame joins Ahmed Hassan, elected the same night as he was to the City Council in Clarkston, Ga., as the highest elected Somali-Americans in the United States. The right ‘ingredients’ Warsame is quick to describe himself as European-American, too, given that he left Somalia as a child for England, where he lived until immigrating to Minneapolis in 2006. He worked at a Wells Fargo call center in Roseville before heading the tenants’ organization for Riverside Plaza, the high-rises in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood that house 4,000 East African immigrants. The job furthered his connections within the Somali-American community. Warsame said he learned the art of public discourse from his stepfather, who had been a diplomat in Somalia. He has a 7-year-old daughter who lives in Texas but is otherwise guarded about his personal life. He is a fan of Clint Eastwood and Coen brother movies but gave up soccer, admitting he has “two left feet” and no longer has the stamina for the sport. Early in the campaign, Warsame feared that his Somali would not be up to scratch. Given his relatively recent arrival in the United States and his largely Western background, he did not initially seem like the kind of person whom Somali-Americans would rally around. Being of Somali descent helped his candidacy, but it wasn’t enough. Members of the community insist that not just any Somali-American could win, and one of his minor rivals, Mohamed Cali, was a case a point. Cali garnered little interest in the Sixth Ward race in 2009 and won few votes this time around, too. Warsame, though, is “an exceptional speaker and he’s got an extremely nice personality; he’s just kind of got the ingredients,” said Brian Rice, a politically connected attorney who advised the campaign. “He was an exceptional person to take on this mission.” Warsame put it this way: “It wasn’t, ‘Abdi is the greatest candidate of all time.’ It was hard work.” Redistricting helped The route to election began at the campaign event featuring Dayton. Warsame and other Somali-Americans had rallied behind Dziedzic after she defeated their own candidate, Mohamud Noor, in a primary. But the hundreds of Somali immigrants they had been able to mobilize on Noor’s behalf caught notice. Rice introduced himself to Warsame at the Dayton event, and suggested later over coffee that he advocate for more favorable ward boundaries in the city’s redistricting talks. They brought on a former state demographer to help examine a new ward that would include more East African immigrants. The redistricting panel, charged with adjusting ward boundaries to account for population changes identified in the U.S. Census, made only minor tweaks to its proposed map until members of Warsame’s team showed up with maps of their own. Latino and American Indian advocates weighed in later, and tensions simmered as the groups feared the panel would favor one at the expense of splitting others into multiple wards. Ultimately, the Somali community got most of what it wanted, leaving longtime Sixth Ward Council Member Robert Lilligren to face a host of unfamiliar voters after boundaries were redrawn. Campaign hurdles A year later, Warsame marshaled hundreds of supporters to attend DFL Party precinct caucuses and the convention, overwhelming Lilligren’s campaign and winning the party’s endorsement. They set up a campaign office in a Somali mall between the light-rail Blue Line and Riverside Plaza and organized hundreds of unpaid volunteers to reach out to East Africans — and later to take them to the polls to cast early votes. Early obstacles included accusations from Lilligren backers that Warsame’s supporters intimidated and harassed them during the caucuses. Later, several mysterious candidates filed to run with similar names in what Warsame’s campaign said was a tactic by the other side to confuse voters. Meanwhile, it wasn’t enough for Warsame to sell himself to the East African community — he had to explain ranked-choice voting, too. And he had to run a dual campaign that reached out to both that group — which responded more to YouTube videos and face-to-face meetings — and others beyond their community with more traditional mailers and political endorsements. His campaign targeted voters using a database showing who voted in recent elections, but also built files to track up to 1,500 East African voters, some of whom received as many as seven door knocks over the months. “My vote is not going to matter — you’re not going to win,” some told Warsame at first. Others said, “What am I voting for? I just voted for Obama last year.” Still others gave vague brush-offs, wary of political sales pitches. “I would say, ‘It’s not about winning. Even if you lose, people will take you seriously … by voting you have power,’ ” Warsame recalled. A voice at City Hall In the end, well over double the number of Sixth Ward citizens who voted in the last election turned out on Nov. 5. Noor, who won a seat on the Minneapolis school board a week later, said many Somali-Americans seek services from the city as cabdrivers or as residents dealing with housing and police issues, but they have addressed them independently. Now, they will have a council member who can advocate on their behalf and explain the system at City Hall. Why did it take so long for a Somali-American to win election to the council? Osman Ahmed, who helped Warsame’s campaign, said that with new arrivals, it is not something that happens easily or overnight. He said he is hopeful that the election will resonate with youth in their community who feel disconnected from society because they are black and Muslim and that it will prevent them from becoming radicalized. This, he said, could allow them to “see the reality: become a good American and they can be on the top.”

Thanks STOIC.

This is a historic moment. The tireless campaign has finally ended on a good note. WELL DONE TO MY BROTHER ABDI.