It is great achievement. People outside our communities only hear the bad news, especially the young Somalis who fell in the cracks , but there are a new generation of Somalis who are learning and working hard. Their positive impact will be felt soon in the coming years. As i said, we need to pass the torch. Last month a Somali activist who probably raised in this country was interviewed by the local public radio about mental health and the young Somalis , who because of their trauma ended up in jails rather than helped through the health care system. I was pleased the way she expressed her agenda without being victim or pushy. Their is certain ways local Canadians interact with the media. Usually , we used to listen someone who is not fluent or heavy accented like me, and people will say, " is there no other person in this community to speak for their issues" . we need the new generation who are proud and less sectarian.

that is a lot of money. They should have ignored him.

that is a lot of money. They should have ignored.

The world is changing. The out going immigration and citizenship minister Mr. John McCalllum--- who is a very good man, managed the processing of thousands of Syrian refugees last year--is 65 years old, the outgoing foreign minister is a uni-lingual French Canadian who was in parliament for 20 years. Chrystia freeland is the new foreign minister to confront the realty TV president and his men. The new generation of Canadians are taking power. South of the border, lunatics few billionaires, and know-nothing buffoons are taking over. Canada will school them in heath care, peace keeping and trade. Oh Canada our home and native land.....

Calasow is the worst kind of journalists who should not be praised at all. He could have been valuable person if he applied some ethics and honor to his work. No one could deny some of the important scoops he put in the open , especially the Al-shbaab connections and other players, but his out right lies, extortion's and slander is disaster for the country. It looks like gangster journalism with no ethics. He lost me when he showed the picture of the pants of our president beside " Marwo Fowsiya" , then the foreign minister, accusing them of doing inappropriate things. He accused a mother and honorable Somali women without any shred of evidence. We may not like Hassan Sheikh and his policies, but we will never allow some warlord to demean the office of the president. Saalax Bulaacada waa in aynu ka durugnaa.

It is a good day for Somalis in Canada. It is just the beginning of more Somalis entering, both the public and private sectors of the Canadian society. We could do even more in the community level if the "old guard" Dinosaur's leave the community offices they are holding by force. " we are Somali Canadians who immigrated this country as a refugees, but our children are Canadians of Somali heritage, there is a big difference", That is what I told a sixty years old man trying to decide the directions and the future of the Somalis in this province. We need people with no accent who could navigate easily the modern world shaped by technology and education. The time has come for the new generation of Somalis to the our issues from the old guard who are slow and weak in so many ways. I ask those between 20-35 years old Somalis to lead, especially i the diaspora. When Mp Ahmed Huseen visited our town , he specifically met about 25 Somali youths from universities and high school and they had a very productive workshop. My son was one of the Somali university student leaders and he was delighted to meet a hard working successful Somali who is in the Canadian parliament. That meeting gave them a lot of inspiration. Let me finish to congratulate Minister Ahmed for a job well done.

http://www.somaliaonline.com/ahmed-hussen-becomes-canadas-minister-of-immigration-refugees-and-citizenship/

I am neither academic like Adbi samatar nor a well known prolific writer like Bashir Goth( his poems are written in Somali, English and Arabic), but also , I am not a lay person who just read the first book on the civilian government of Somalia in the sixties. I never reviewed a book in my life , but there is always a first. Mr. Bashir has really reviewed in depth the new and different paradigm the Samatar brothers have opened for the next generation of Somali and African studies scholars. Rather than follow the the typical colonial narrative based on on tribal loyalty above every thing else , Abdi Samatar has shown the complications of the Somali politics in that democratic era. He also provided a lot of history and information hidden in the archives of the world which would help those who are trying to dig the past. The esteemed writer Bashir Goth warns that , "a research that has taken more than a decade, dozens of interviews, and sifting through tons of personal diaries, governmental archives, and other research resources, cannot be simply dismissed by sly innuendos, tribal biases, personal dislikes, an undocumented oral stories". As I stated in the beginning , I did not made due diligent research, but that does not impede me or any other person to analyze or refute some of the conclusions reached by the author at the end . Also, I may use exactly some of the stories Mr. Bashir dismisses as " Oral stories", but also other accurate facts highlighted by the author and others. Since Somali language was only written as early as seventies, and some of the stories were passes by the protagonists themselves though oral history, we can not discount them as just stories. For example, when late prime minister Egal called interior minister and SYL chairman Yasin Nur Hassan about the rumors of coup around 9:00 pm at the night of October 20,1969, Yassin told Egal that the chief of the army general Siyaad Barre is right here with him and dismissed the rumors". these kind of stories are not written by the author and others , but was authenticated by many reliable sources. My review will mostly concentrate on the conclusions of the book at the end , or what Abdi Samatar called " how the country descended to an era of corruption, political opportunism, single party government, and oppression of the opposition during the last civilian government of Abdirashid-Egal". Which "culminated in the assassination of the President and military takeover, heralding Somalia’s descent into the abyss". Former president Aadan A. Osman was a democrat and beacon of stability. As the founding father and president , he left his marks not only on Somalia but also on the continental Africa. Unlike many leaders of his time, he even prepared his life after politics and retired to his farm in Janaale. This book highlights the integrity, organizational skill, and patriotism of former Prime minister Abdirisaq H. Huseen. He was the first and only Somali leader who persecuted his own ministers for corruption and theft. His honesty was unparalleled and when the October revolution came and investigated the old guard, they , "found only $500 in his Account" according to the author. He was not only able and competent leader, but he left his mark on the independent movement in the early years. The critic or the theory I am presenting here does not diminish the work of prime minister C/risaaq(may Allah bless his soul) or delete his history as a freedom fighter. The foundation of this theory is that Mr.C/risaaq never fully accepted the defeat of Aadan cadde in 1967 at hands of C/rashiid Sharmaarke and Mohamed I. Egal . In the Somali political folklore, we hear a lot about the corruption of the civilian government , especially during the premiership of Egal and president Sharmaarke. The 1964 election cited by the author, "by general consensus this election was the fairest ever held in Somalia". During the election day "on march 30 1964, despite the war Ethiopia there were no major trouble regrading the vote. Government mobilized the resources to ensure all went well". The prime minister that produced this result despite the war was Shrmaarke. Again, "there were 1130 precincts, and the government deployed 45 responsible officials in each district to manage the process. All major political parties had their representative". When Aadan Cadde was doing the consultations to name a prime minister after the election, everyone recommended the reappointment of Shrmaarke who won the war and managed the election brilliantly, but he went the other way and appointed C/risaaq. No one should be faulting the president to pick whom ever he wished which is his constitutional pejorative, but it must be noted that he went against the wishes of the majority of SYL and the opposition party. When Sharmaarke was named prime minister in 1961, rather appoint an SYL cabinet which was recomended by his own party, he formed a national unity governemt which had both the Egal led SNL, HDMs(hisbi digil mirif Somali) of C/qadir Zoppo and others. He never showed any partisanship or hate against the opposition. Here is the list: C/eashiid sharmaarke prime minister Mohamed I. Egal minister of defence C/laahi Isaa mohamud foreign minister C/risaaq H. Huseen interior minister C/qadir M. aadan Zoppo finance minister Ahmed Haji Duacaale agriculture Ali Garaad Jama education Ali Mohamed Hiraabe information Sheikh Cali Jimcaale health and labor C/nuur M. Huseen public works Cismaan M. Ibraahim general affairs Cabdi hassan buuni deputy prime minister. Another conclusion the author made which is that the SYL made the country one single party state is debatable. After the SYL the UNC of Egal was the main opposition party. After Egal joined the SYL to increase his chances of winning, the power of opposition diminished. The Egal factor is really huge in the contemporary Somali politics of the sixties. M.I.Egal was a man of destiny. When he brought the Somaliland protectorate to the union in July first, he was the most prominent northern among the 33 members of parliament who joined the union. Many years before the union, Egal already defeated politically many who challenged including Ina Oomaar, C/raxman Tuur, and all others. By far he was the most educated in the new parliament, and he always believed that he should be in charge. He joined forces with C/laahi Issa Mohamuud whcih he thought would command a majority. According to Abdi Samatar Egal " should not be faulted by that assumption since A/laahi Issa was the prime minister during the Italian Administrative rule between 1956-60. Egal was the lion feared by all , and the first act of the southern politicians did to sideline him was to elect the speaker of the parliament to a man from Berbera , the home town of Egal. He was the main opposition even when he was in the cabinet. He did join or create many different groupings to break the strong hold of SYL. Even the international media and outside observers looked Egal with different eye than the rest. Finally , Sharmaarke convinced him to join the SYL to have any chances of power, which he did. It was a matter of time before Egal took the hems. When Sharmaarke named him prime minister, C/risaaq and his group could not accept defeat in 1967. The antipathy and hate C/risaq Huseen had for premier Egal was almost illogical. Rather than give way to the new order , he campaigned to derail their work. He decided to control the SYL chairmanship after his defeat, but was forced to give up after long battle. Just before the trasition of the presidency, Mr. C/risaaq met army chief Siyad Barrre and had a long talk. I really appreciate that Proff. Abdi Samatar did disclose this meeting although he did not elaborate enough. Samatar said that " the first person to visit after the election was national military commander general Siyaad Bare and invited him a short ride to Balcad , 30 km from the capital using the general's private car". After their conversation centered on the change of government , the general said ," speaking in the name of the army we would never forget what you have done for the defense force, and we will stand by you in the future". In my book, there is quid pr quo from the general regarding the future between him and C/risaaq. There was even a talk in town mentioned by the author that the army may even intervene before Sharmaarke took power from Aadan cadde. I am reading the book as we speak and would finish my review in the coming days. There are more intrigue encounters between Barre and C/risaaq.

Brother Saalax and others please keep posting these life changing issues. This is probably the most important topic of all. This year we all witnessed how the drought effect begun from the Awdal coast to Togdheer , Puntland and all the way to central Somalia. Of all people , C/weli Gaas, a Harvard educated man , had not only removed a good and hard working man, but prevented the introduction of life changing methods of life. Afqalaad aqoontu miya maye waa intu Eeba gashaa ayey nala tahay ee ma ogtahay dib looma abuuro dadkee The two places --Somaliland and Puntland --were Somalis have found some kind of relative peace and administration, have not done much to alleviate poverty. In Hargeisa, they keep building useless two million dollars government offices rather than build 20 reservoirs each for hundred thousand. I agree with you guys, this nomadic life style can not be sustained any more. Collectivization and communal life must be introduced. As Makhiri said, top down introduction of grand plan does not work. Locals must be given power to to implement these issues. People who became mature in the early sixties will tell you that , until the introduction of the top down regional bosses who sucked money and resources from the villages and towns, there were no major droughts or inflation before the independence. A man with 20 goats or 10 camels has more resource and much richer than the poor people dwelling in the cities, yet they are running after the camels like slaves of the beast.

happy new to you Alpha and all other SOLers. We pray for rain and relief from the drought. where are Tilamook, Xaaji Xanjuf, Oodweyne and others?. In 2016, I was off base on most of my predictions. Last year was a horrible year in so many ways. I hope 2017 will much calmer and prosperous. Here are my predictions. Let us call the year of the slow moving politicians (qunyar socod), so Cumar C/rashiid Sharmaarke will be elected the next president of Somalia. A/raxman Cirro, another "qunyar socod" will be elected the next president of Somalilnd, if Kulmiye allowes election within 2017. Mohamed Cumar Carte will be elected the speaker of the upper house of Somalia. Donald Trump investigations of his crimes will start late 2017, which will lead his impeachment in early 2019. American leaders and others know the election was hacked electronically, but they do not want to destabilize their country, but eventually they will get Trump. It will be a crucial year for Anatolia. If it survives these calculated and criminal bombing of the country, Turkey will be unstoppable, in fact it my pass the threshold of untouchable countries after this year. Turkey will be great power. Oil prices will bounce back between $55-60/barrel. Angela Merkel, the pragmatic stateswoman of Germany will remain chancellor. The decline of the Arab countries of the gulf will start in 2017. Sooner or later the monarchies will be shaken. Trade war between China and America will effect global economy. SISI of Egypt will release Mursi and the brotherhood after tentative agreements in late 2017. The Dallas Cowboys will win super bowl; Chelsea will win the Ppl. Syria will hold election in 2017. The united nations will designate Canada the best country in the world. The next president of Somalia will stop Qat imports from Kenya. We all hope less terrorism and wars. The Kenyan in chief in the white house has spread chaos around the world, either by his weakness, drones or apathy. We pray for peace , hope and prosperity for all especially for Somalis every where.

Is that Amisom soldiers searhed by Somali security men?, Malister, I like that picture.

We thank him for what he did, although every thing was built by others. Not one single building or hospital was built by the government. I think, by now Mogadishu has enough hospital built by Turkey , Qatar and others. The main issue is can he visit Balcad which is 30km from the capital by his own capacity?, the answer is no.; do we have two or three thousand armed Somali soldiers who could face Al-shabaab and defeat them in a battle?, the answer is no. Anyway, the Somalis have spoken and they want change for the better. Xadhig jiidkaan aan dhamaanayn ee sanadaha socda waan ka daalnay. Waxa aan raadinaynaa geesi dhibkan ummadda ka saara.

I do not know any thing about Somali grazing laws in the eighties , but there were some area controlled by the agency of " forestry and grazing". In this semi arid land of the Somalis, all you need is to eliminate open range grazing. Certain open grazing area must be identified and allowed in winter times when the resources are scarce. The problem is we do not even have laws to regulate and manage city life let alone rural area's. Government means registry and regulation and collectively we refused to enforce the laws in order to survive and prosper.

Holac, for what is worth , when she was interviewed by the media she seemed confident, calm and prepared. My only beef with her was the claim that eleven of her siblings died because of childhood mortality, and she was the only one who survived. That is a huge record for any Somali family.

Does anyone know that today during the budget meeting of the Siilaanyo cabinet, there were 82 minister (ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers). This would probably break the record for largest appointed ministers in history. Each one of them is talking $2100 a month, a car , personal driver and office. Even some of the sacked ministers are still collecting salary. This is a crimev especially when people are dying for lack of water and basic food. Where is the common sense. The problem is no one is complaining in Hargeisa about this.

Shariif Ahmed might had good intensions , but was not up to the job. Waxa uu yidhi , " Areey dabagaale ayaan dabin u dhigtay Maroodi ayaana iigu soo dhacay". As you said every where the worst among us are in power or running the government. Three years ago, a man who visited Mogaishu told me that . " anyone with small integrity would not join the Damujadiid group", I did not believe then, but now I realized how they destroyed both the dignity and integrity of the whole nation.

Free and democratic nations do not rush to build false alliances for cash. It must be based on mutual interest . Only despots and corrupt politicians do. I agree Russia has no place in Somaliland or any where else in this region, at the same time these gulf countries are not nations but banks with oil money. They never do any thing benevolent or merciful any where. They would have brought couple of thousand Syrians or other refugees. In 1960, Taiwan was the primary nation representing the Republic of China and many nations were forced by American's to deny the 700 million , people's Republic. Somalia disagreed and opened it's embassy at Teinamen square. We had relations with both China and USA. As Che said , we need an anchor state that protects our interest and survival at this stage. Hassa Sheikh and the oligarchs in Mogadishu will sell us all for nothing. For the last four years he gave up every thing and got nothing in exchange . Siilaanyo and company are also following the same foot steps. They both signed this Emirate base , yet no one in Somalind knows. Four years hare just finished and Al-shbaab is at the gates of Mogadishu. What have all these nations have done other than Turkey?, where is the Somali army, where is security? We need a real change.

before I started writing this article I was trying to convince Faadumo Dayib to abandon her bid to run for president of Somalia. This so called indirect election does not favor outsiders or first time political participants like Faadumo. The vote buying and the corruption reached unprecedented limit in the Somali history. President Hassan put in the parliament his own staff, friends and family. It really looks bad for all involved. No one knows when they will hold , but we all want this drama to end . This week we all heard the news that Ms Faadumo Dayib decided to quit her candidacy for president. She rightly decided to look ahead of the future and prepare for the 2020 election which could be one person one vote, unless the incompetent leaders procrastinate and then again, we all end up another gerrymandered election. First of all , she is not the first or the only Somali female who run for the highest office. There are and were many capable Somali women who achieved many goals before her. It was Ms Caasha Ahmed Cabdalla who fought inside the parliament during late President C/laahi Yusuf's term without fear of the Ethiopians soldiers or others. There was another Caasha, who for twenty years fought for women and children during the height of the civil and made a lot of tangible results , she is MP Caasha Xaaji Cilmi . If there is any Somali woman who has both the education, ability and the cultural knowledge of the land and the people , it is Fowsiya Haaji Aadan, the first Somali foreign minister of our time. Having said that, Faadumo is a unique individual who achieved a stardom or celebrity status due to some favorable media attention both in the region and the international media. She looks like an original Somali with " Diric" and scarf worn modestly which reminds all of us about our lost heritage and tradition. I am not one of those who dwell on race, for me , culture, geography , citizenship and tradition is what connects people----look at Amin Amir, his color is brown, yet , no one is more original Somali than him and his family. Having said that , Faadumo somehow represents that symbol of the Somalia we all knew. Sometimes , when I look back the culture, tradition and history we Somalis destroyed along our state, I watch some you tube clips of the past, like the Young Hibo Nuura, whom people describe as the " the beautiful , black pharaonic of the Somali coast" ( jawharadii madoobayd ee xeebta Soomaaliyeed) and become nostalgic of the past. Faadumo reminds all of us that originality of our people. Any way, Faadumo could use her recently found celebrity status for the good of all Somalis , especially for women's health, education and participation of the political life. She could join the parliament-- if Hssan Culusow does not steal her seat--and raise her voice. Observing what is going in Mogadishu, it is difficult to even win a seat. I am self, was tempted to travel to Mogadidhu last August, but was prevented by my wife. One of the Suldaans who were nominating the Somaliland contingent in the Somali parliament is a close uncle. They called me to fill a position vacated by fellow sub clan member , and I thought about it. I told my wife that I would leave enough money to cover the mortgage for a while and if things does not work out I would come back to my business. I had a friend to run the business while I am away, but I could not convince her. If your wife and family does not support your agenda, certainly you can not succeed. My sister in law who knew only Djibouti , Borama and Hargeisa said ," Why are you going to these places were people are killed every day ( Huuno Xamar iyo dhulkaas manaqaane hadaad rabto in aad soo yare nafisto maad Borama iyo Hargeisa iska yara gaadhid"). Who can blame them, for them Mogadishu is a foreign land. They don't know that Mogadishu is the power center of the land and in order to affect changes in the Somali situation, someone must face Damujadiid and company. Another northern friend who came from Mogadishu also discouraged me. He said " if you want to spend your days secluded in a hotel ,and collect $1700 a month for lodging security and food , be my guest". One more thing, he continued, "these idea of talking and denouncing the misdeeds of Damjadiid will kill you within days, and no one will cry for you( waan ku aqaanaa oo afkaaga ilayn haysan mayside). If you can not correct any thing and secluded in a hotel, what is the use of participating, besides, when was the last time you heard a member of parliament come to television and say something bad about Hassan Sheikh? , well that was long long time ago. Since she renounced her candidacy for president , and does not in the game any more, we should not be dwelling about her and other activities or how she became so famous , so , we wish our sister Faadumo Dayib good luck and keep your love of your people and land for ever. Mohamed C. Farmaajo. Like most Somalis who were tapped to be prime ministers, Mr. Farmaajo was not a career politician or even someone involved with Somali politics of yesteryear . In order to replace the politically connected but slow moving Cumar Sharmaarke, the two Sharriifs of the Islamic court (Sharrif Ahmed, and Hassan), decided to bring an independent person from the Gedo community. First, they approached C/qadir Aadan Jangeli, who was member of the Hiil-Qaran party at the time. At that same moment, his brother and former member of the military government , Dr. Mohamed Aadan Shiekh died in Italy, and he did stop some where--I do not know where-- probably in Mogadishu , and discussed the post with the Shariifs. Since C/qadir Jangeli was a former civil servant who knew very well both about the country and the manipulations exercised by the neighbors, he forwarded his conditions, including his freedom to pick capable cabinet members. In other words , he was not a kid in candy store who would be mesmerized by being appointed a prime minister. He also told them about his membership of Hiil-Qaran party, and at the time , we were told that he forwarded few names including General Jamac Mohamed Qalib--a man Ahmed Samatar called the toughest and most capable man who could stabilize Somalia. As soon as they heard about his team and intentions, The two Shariifs, changed their mind and decided to find another man from Gedo. They decided to focus on rookie individuals who did not know about their games , but they settled on unknown but resilient guy from Gedo. Finally Mr. Farmaajo was chosen by president Shariif Ahmed. While Farmaajo lacked experience, he had enough education and good will to succeed. Like many people of his generation who established themselves well within the American system , he was very comfortable and did not need a job in Somalia. He did not seek the job, but the job came to him. He was also a man who had seen the country in her better days. While the Somalia of eighties had share of it's problems, definitely it was proud and independent. Just like my generation, he did believe that Somalis should not carry the water for no body but for their own people. Sinnaantaan la magac ahay Sanku-neefle ma oggoli Inuu iga sarrayn karo Inkastoon sabool ahay Haddana waan sarriigtaa Sacabada ma hoorsado Saaxiib nimaan nahay Cadawgayga lama simo SOOMAALI BAAN AHAY Socdaalkaygu waa meel Sahaydaydu waa dacar Soohdintaydu waa caan Seeftaydu waa cudur Naftuna geedka iga suran SOOMAALI BAAN AHAY His approach was swift , and he targeted immediately the security of the city and arranged the army. He divided the city in eight zones and he personally led the operations to push the insurgents out of the city limits. With army general Dhagabadan , may Allah bless his soul--he was killed in a hotel after the mercenary supplied Al-shabaab stormed his room, he fought for hours before he was killed--and intelligence director Ahmed Faqi, they liberated the city with help of Ugandhan and Somali army. He put his main effort for the salary payment of the Somali soldiers. He pushed all the way to Marka and Lower Shabeelle. Then, in order to fix the confidence deficit of the nation and his government, he demanded that the U.N envoy Mahiga should move to Mogadishu to conduct his duties rather than land the airport , meet people and fly back to his comfortable Nairobi office. In the horizon there was a hope for the good. When the deadline for the Shariif government got closer, Farmaajo convinced the president to extend their term through the parliament unilaterally for one more year and finish their agenda. Many including Mahiga objected this new unilateral moves of the Farmaajo government. If the Somali army in connection with Ugandan army kept moving and eliminated Al-shabaab both from the capital and surrounding regions, the huge project of the Amisom and neighbors to earn billions in salaries for their armies were jeopardized by Farmaajo and his government. Through Shariif Hassan, the speaker of the parliament, Mahiga and the Ugandan leadership decided first to object the extension. Eventually they accepted with conditions , emphasizing that neither the speaker nor the president should be sacked during this time, but the intransigent prime minister must be sacked. The two Shariifs eventually accepted his resignation and appointed a new prime minister. His strength. He paid the salaries of the soldiers on time and built an effective albeit small number of Somali army. His cabinet was lean and small , and he tackled al-shabaab insurgents in pro active ways. Almost every week the intelligence people were disrupting and arresting insurgents with bomb making material in their save houses. The extremists were under pressure daily. With less than a year Farmaajo showed progress in many fronts, yet with all that achievements, he could not hold to his position for many apparent reasons. His weakness that brought him down. He took a knife in a gun fight. Many people including most of the diaspora Somalis do not know how much the country has changed since the early nineteen nineties. Mr. Farmaajo , did not understand the caveats attached to the "Transitional Federal Government of Somalia" title. The international community , through the U.N envoy and the Amisom army, directly run the country in this period. During his confirmation, Speaker Shariif who objected his lean cabinet, demanded that the vote of confidence for the prime minister should be a secret ballot ,rather than the traditional hand raising . That issue dragged for weeks, and eventually the Nairobi based bosses resolved the issue. From that early incident on , Farmaajo fought an uphill battle against Shariif Hassan and tried to replace him with another leader from Baidoa --Madoobe Noonow. The naive Farmaajo did not know how many obstacles Shariif Hassan has passed since 2004, including Embagati, Jowhar, Baidoa, Asmara and Djibouti. He is a typical street smart Somali with little education, but with a lot of charisma and throat cutting business mind. . He not only challenged then president c/laahi yusuf, but almost derailed his agenda with constant maneuvering and back stabbing. We could all appreciate how C/laahi was tough and more experienced politician than the novice Farmaajo. In order to prevail against Farmaajo, Mr. Shariif Hassan allied himself with U.N envoy, the Ugandan led Amisom and the Nairobi based order. The prime minister, did not had the necessary alliance to challenge not only Shariif Hassan,and Ethiopia, but the Ugandan military leadership who were calling the shots in the war against Al-shbaab. He forgot that it was the Ugandan tank that made Mogadishu hospitable in 2011. He pushed too hard, and the push back against him was strong. Since he grew up in the era of his uncle Siyaad Barre, he probably thought he could get his way by eliminating his opponents without consequences. To be fair ,if we examine the Somali situation of 2011, it was a tough time to lead a fragmented country and, at the same time reconcile with so many opposing interests. . In this tough times, you need a leader who would willing to swim with sharks and survive. Emotions, nationalist pronouncements and willingness to do the right is not enough. He exposed himself too much and, When the going got tough, he could not even survive Shariif hassan. In conclusion, Mr. Mohamed C. Farmaajo and many other decent Somalis could not win this so called indirect election. It is not all about money and deal making, but also building alliances and having a solid base to start your campaign. The only people who can muster money, regional alliance and connections are those inside the government, which makes this race between President Hassan Sheikh and Prime minister C/rashiid Sharmaarke. In this race the wild card is Sharriif Hassan Sheekh Aadan. South West president Shariif Hassan Sh. Aadan Did you guys remember the eighties song of the late Bob Marley, "I shot the Sheriff but I didn't shot the deputy", of course. In this pages we have no intentions of shooting anyone , but Shariif Hassan is a tough guy who could shoot his enemies without hesitation just like the other violent groups in Mogadishu, namely the Terrorist mercenaries of Al-shabaa, criminal war lords or the Damujaddiid. If you read the auto biography of late president C/laahi Yusuf in his book " struggle and conspiracy (Halgan iyo Hagardaamo)" Sharriif Hassan almost eliminated both C/laahi and prime minister Geedi in a plot organized by the Islaamic court. I do want to go in to details, but somehow C/laahi Yusuf survived the assassination attempt and the next day, Shariif Hassan flew to Dubai, then Asmera, Ereteria and finally Djibouti. If that plot succedded he was would have became the president . He may seem a soft talking benevolent, yet he is carrying a deadly blade, no wonder they call him "Shariif Sakiin". Through Sharrf Hassan we all learned a valuable lesson about the street smart Somalis and how they conduct their political business. They have little or no education, but they could defeat easily anyone from the diaspora who thinks they could come and start from the top without going the local test. In Hargeisa, Muuse Biixi defeated the international diplomat and Darfur veteran Mohamed B. Yoonis. Who knows , he may even defeat C/raxman Cirro in the next election in the manner he approaches people. This week he went to Awdal and went straight to the community of Vice presidential candidate Mohamed Cali . With his traditional " Go' iyo Macaws" clothes he sat and chatted with the people at ease , while Cirro is hiding behind close doors. Shariif Hassan was originally a " Qat" trader. In the Somali culture Qat traders are not only savvy businessmen, but they are gamblers who would do any thing to make a deal. Also, Qat being a commodity that could not last fresh after 48 hours when it arrives the Somali territory, the trader must do many tricks to sell his product before it would rot. If the market is overflowing, he would give you the Qat less half the price and you do not have to pay right away( waar markaad lacag hesho iska bixi , haddana iska qayil). The whole sellers trust their traders and some times they are willing to cut their loses in order to continue the business . It is like a casino or the gambling business where they allow you to spend and loose, and pay them latter. A man who is trained in this business would easily out smart a novice from he diaspora, for Qat trader , money is nothing but a tool to do business. in 2010 , when he was the finance minister , Shariif Hassan showed his generosity---it was not his money-- and openness with elders and local people. A former member of Parliament told an encounter between Shariif Hassan and local members of the " Unaka community". He said " five elders came to see president Shariif Ahmed to ask the usual never ending Somali " Shaxaad" and the president gave each hundred dollars", since the offices of both Shariifs were inside Villa Somalia, they also stopped by Shariif Hassan's office and asked some money. The Shariif asked them how much the president gave them, and when they told him the amount, he gave them each a thousnd dollars. Before they left , they all said , " Areey Shariifnimada iyo Madaxweynahaba Igaarkaan aa iska leh". Roughly meaning " this man should have both honor and the presidency instead of their nephew".. Southern Somalis love to take money, but are not generous when it comes to giving others, but this Shariif is the exception. When Prof. Ahmed Samater went to Mogadihu to run for president, immediately the gossip about his party and group was out in the open. We in the diaspora work hard for our money and we are not willing to give it away easily. The good Professor used to complain about the hungry mouths of Somalis who just want to take and take it. In Mogadishu they said , this group is very tight with money , " waar kuwan Hiil-Qaran la leeyahay waa kuwa gaajo ah oo habeen keliyana lagama cashaynayo". In another famous incident, a former diaspora resident and minister of the constitution, C/raxman Hoosh, tried without success to prevent former warlords and illiterate members of the old guard from becoming members of the parliament. He said, anyone seeking to be MP, must have a high school diploma or else he will be disqualified. In an open microphone, a heated exchange took place between the minister and Shariif Hassan. Shariif Hassan waxa xa uu yidhi ," Shahaada dugsi sare maa umalanaysaa in ay naga horjoosan karo, saxxiib suuqaa laga soo gadanaa waana la imaanaynaa". He told him clearly that they would buy the diploma from the market and you can do nothing about it. In all his political challenge , the Shariif always wins. In 2012, the U.N envoy told him to stand down and allow Mohamed Jawaari to be the speaker and he accepted. Another former rival and opponent , Madoobe Noonow from the same political gropings of the Shariif tried to form a regional goverment consisting of six provinces including the south west and Jubba region. The Kenyans, president Hassan Sheikh and the U.N all wanted the South West regions of three provinces while Jubba would form it's own region. The Shariif campaigned with three region formula and easily defeated the ambitious Noonow whose community is one of the largest in the Jubba region, and lost again with the "Shariif the blade". There is more to this Shariif than the eyes could catch , but we should leave it there . My conclusion is he will be the next president or he will decide who should be the next president . He is controlling alomst 30% or more than 68 members of the lower house , and when you add the the upper hose he has about 80. Which could easily swing the bendlum to whom ever fuilfills his conditions. Some are saying that he is favoring Hassan Sheikh , while others say that he will oust the Damujadiid and select Cumar Sharmaarke. Despite what people say, Hassan is controlled from Ethiopia and the U.N , and he will vote which direction they tell him to vote. One thing is for sure, if this Shariif becomes president , Somalia would be managed directly from Nairobi and Ethiopia in a manner never seen before.

Saalax, it is all about politics. The Saudis were doing this to Somalis for twenty years. They did ban Somali livestock without any regard of how their decisions would hurt people. There is no scientific mechanism or conditions to fulfill. The Saudis are neither friends nor clients. It is a despotic Sheikh who got some power to abuse people. When dictator C/fataax Al-sisi took over Egypt, they offered billions of aid with no humanitarian or friendship reasons other than to destroy the Egyptian Brotherhood party. Last month they suspended a monthly shipment of free oil they have given to the Sisi for the last few years after the dictator made rapprochement with Iran. from 2013, up to today, they gave the Egyptians about $ 25 billion worth of donations. Suddenly they found out all that aid was wasted . This feudal monarchy is supplying armed groups in Syria ad other places while fighting those Muslim groups who are trying to gain power through election and democratic means. Those who are unjust will not rule the land or prosper in the long term. I can assure the Saudi monarchy would not last in the coming modern times. The time has come for Somalis to find different markets.

I think the Gabooye thing could be eliminated easily if the new geeration of Somalis started inter-marrying. I do not know about you guys, but as a young man if I had met and liked a girl from that group, I would have married without question. I brought to the diaspora myself, other than myself, who has the power to reject who I want to marry. If she is Muslim and Somali that is good enough. The best way to eliminate is for the so called sheikhs who keep talking about cloths and beard should tackle these social issues. Maybe they should lead by example and marry one themselves.

Prpf. Omar Enow, May Allah bless his soul. The truth really hurts. After listening his remarks, we Somalis should not accuse anyone of discrimination or bias, because we practice that better than anyone else. I am not sociologist , but the issue of race always revolves about culture and economic power. If Africans were rich and technologically advanced like the Japanese, everyone probably would have claimed them. For example , in apartheid South Africa, the third world Chinese were considered colored, while the first world Japanese were equal with whites. Another fact is we are culturally different than the Swahili Kenyan, the South African Zulu or the Nigerian Yoruba. I could even go further and say that the killing and murder of Somalis by South African masses has some racism and resentment. For example, we have something in common with the Ethiopian Christian than the Lebanese Christian, it is all about certain affinity. Here in the diaspora , I could get along with the Ethiopian, Sudanese or the people from east Africa , compared to the west Africans. The Urban Jareer Somalis who shared both culture, religion and life style with other Somalis, could have easily married other Somalis. I have seen Somali women who married an Italia or French nationals and their families did not mind, probably for financial reasons. Any way, the case of this professor is compelling and just. It is time we do some soul searching and move away from the primitive parts of our culture.

At the end of 2014, a delegation from the Kremlin, Ruusia arrived in Hargeisa. They were presented as businessmen looking deals in fishery and aviation industry, but according to intelligence sources, they were representing the highest levels of the Russian defense ministry. President Ahmed Siilaanyo arranged Chief of staff and place minister Hersi H. Hassan and foreign minister Mohamed B. Yoonis to meet with delegation. The Russians, without hesitation forwarded their plan immediately . They wanted to build a base in Berbera. Since Berbera port is located among the most strategic area of the world, the Russian, for their future plans in the middle east , Indian ocean and the Red Sea wanted to lease from Somaliland in exchange for something big for the Somaliland government and people. Mr. Putin had seen the weaknesses of the Obama administration and wanted to get one more base in the region to augment his bass in Tartus Syria. The ministers were shocked that a powerful nation who is member of the security counsel has came to knock their doors for a deal. The ministers conveyed their fears of the western powers of the Russian presence in the region, so they said , " what are you willing to exchange since we would be taking a huge risk?". The Russian said that they would be willing not only to recognize Somalialnd, but would convince another dozen or so countries ,where they have both political and economic influence to follow suit. The Russians went even further and offered about a billion dollar aid of development and infrastructure. According to this report, they mocked the piece meal aides of the west to Somaliland and offered a life changing aid both for the port and other infrastructures. The ministers received the document explaining the Russian deal and promised to consult more and meet in the future. In order to enhance future cooperation, in the spring of 2015, the Russians invited the Somaliland soccer players to participate a tournament of football for unrecognized countries in Abkhazia, Georgia. In order to participate, the Russian embassy in Addis Ababa even accepted the Somaliland passport and stamped their visa for travel to Moscow. http://www.sdwo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cagayare.jpg http://www.sdwo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/image-ba716761dee09473765cdd1daaa73ebf030a81bc4c33226c5bce697cf936500a-V.jpg As soon as the Russian delegation left Hargeisa, a simultaneous meeting among western intelligence took place in London and Washington. They moved swiftly to dismantle any future Russia deals with somaliland. They did not even bother to notify the Mogadishu based Somali government or the Somaliland administration. Instead, they called one of their client states in the region, The United Arab Emirate , especially Dubai rulers, and asked them to take over the port before the evil Russians take over the land with unforeseen consequences. The Gulf rulers who have ignored Somalis for the last 25 years suddenly became the new darling of both Somalia and Somalilnd. Since the gulf sheikhs do not operate as institution , but a family , they decided to approach the issue of the Berbera port as a matter between two families. Immediately they called a young man called Baashe Morgan, who is the son in law of the Somaliland president and started their conquest quickly. These Emirates, believe that every thing has a price regardless of people or country. They begin their campaign by giving Baashe the keys to a million dollar house and named him the envoy of Somaliland in Dubai. Then they put aside about another $32 million for the mission. Those ministers who sat down with Russian were fired or resigned for one reason or another, and a new minister of foreign affairs with other allies, including Faysal Waraabe begun to negotiate the new deal with Dubai world port. In their first meeting , they gave the minister and his delegation a $15 million dollar signing bonus named in Somaliland as the money for the pen ( xaqul qalin). No one , including the Somliland parliament have seen the fine print of the Berbera port deal, yet pressure was applied to everyone to speed up the deal. Many people have welcomed the deal in order to modernize and increase the port capacity, while others were fed up with the port manager who run the port for 20 years as his own shop. The main problem is few people including all of us knew that there could be probably no investment coming from the gulf. Maybe the whole issue was to keep out the Russians and buy some time. One thing is clear that Berbera and the whole Somali territory is a Jewell in this strategic region. If these enterprising Landers were in charge of Mogadishu and the Somali government , they would have probably achieved a lot more than the hapless Damujadiid flying in Addis three times in one week.

He soon may start abusing the Oromo on behalf of the Tigray which will lead to more enmity among the Oromo. The ORomo are talking to other Somalis to keep leash on ILLey.

Che, for what is worth , in your previous comment you did mention how The ONLF is crucial for the future of the region. Also, the OG community have been murdered and abused by him for a long time. Another issue is the Tigray themselves are probably planing the civil war. Since they are in charge, they are well aware of these crimes. The ONLF and other Somalis in the region should not wait until the last minute " when the Sh...t hits the fan" as you said, so since Cabdi Illey can not be allowed to be part of the future because of his crimes, the ONLF should start to be inclusive now and enlarge the movement among other communities.

Mooge, That was how we grew up. Depressed people, sick people or even people with anxiety used to go to the mosque and read the Qur'an to find company with Allah. It is all about the doctrine of the Wahabis. Among the huge oceans of Islam, they consider themselves as the few. They do not smile and they are not open. Many have underlying issues of marginalization, anger and isolation. They should be encouraged to talk to people. I can assure most of these are mentally sick people who should be helped. It is also a huge contradiction for a Somali whom his country is in a mess trying to harm those who rescued him.