Hibaaq, sister welcome. My own niece is graduating from Engineering this coming April. She is one of the few women in the class let alone being Muslim woman. If you are planing to go back home after education, definitely you will prosper. My main advice is that there is hard work and many long ours of study ahead of you. You must have the backbone and toughness to face many challenges coming both from the education and the cultural purists. You should know there are many here i North America who achieved many rare things. Good luck.

Injustice might destroy Jigjiga sooner rather than latter. Looking at the dysfunction of the Somali government in Mogadishu with the constant bombing of the Al-shabaab terrorists, one way or another , I did praise the tough stance of Mr. Abdi Cumar in my previous articles. Having watched the fragmentation of the Somali people and the endless mess, I mused that a benevolent and tough dictator might be the medicine for our ills. Also having seen some of the developments done in the region, especially roads and electricity, I did supported his rule. At the same time I did denounce his constant massacre of defenseless Somalis on both sides of the border. Rather than accept the tribal ,yet pro independent and freedom fighters of ONLF , I preferred the dictator for fear of chaos and another Somali civil war . Because of our own biases or what we like to hear, sometimes we ignore the evil in front of our own eyes. If one is abusing the wrong or the rival tribe , we try to make excuses for her/ his crimes. The Somali people came a long way to be persecuted, humiliated and oppressed in 2016. . I knew some of his atrocities, yet I did cover up for him in the name of stability. Depute the negatives and positives about Cabdi Illey, the biggest reality that we can not escape is he became a tyrant who is oppressing Somalis in a way never seen before in our history. I did talk to a friend who visited both Addis , Jig-jiga , Borama and Hargeisa lately. He said , he had never had seen an ugly form of oppression and dictatorship than the one practiced i Jigjiga---- probably the worst i the world. I asked this gentleman to describe some of the most heinous crimes that is going on in the Somali zone. He said. " I do not know which one to compare, because , i have never seen anything similar., but I could probably compare North Korea with primitive nineteen century system", he continued, " While we were all familiar with the illiterate Somali soldiers of our times who neither read or write, the Somali Zone paramilitary soldiers patrolling the biggest city in the land are the most ignorant and cruelest in the history of probably statehood". He said from Addis the capital through Oromis region and up to Harar, the Ethiopian soldiers you encounter are professional and courteous . They call the elder Somali, Ahmra or Oromia travelers mam and dad, and they would not even ask them to stand up. They might ask few questions to the young men whom they might suspect of immigrating to the high seas , but, they are professional in their interaction. As soon as you enter the Somali region, the land is barren with drought and the people you encounter are without mercy just like the landscape. He said , " Somalis wish the federal rule of Ethiopia extended in their region rather ruled by the merciless militia". As soon as you encounter the check points, The illiterate soldier who could not read a passport or any other document , will start not only swearing and insulting everyone including mothers and grandmothers, but would kick and hit people without no apparent reason( Soo deg istlaantaadan gurguuranaysa, adowga la gubye). The first welcome would seem hell on earth. If you ask them to be merciful to elder mothers, expect a jail cell which could last weeks and months( weligay gumaysi intaa leeg ayaad dhul Soomaaliyeed ku arki isma lahayn). As narrated by the witness, he said , the most surprising thing was the meeting between Mohamed C. Cumar , the president of the Somali region of Ethiopia and the local people of the city. Like most dictators , he keeps talking for hours and the Meqrib prayer came. Since the Maqrib prayer can not be postponed , people were preparing to leave and preform their duties toward Allah. The problem was who would dares to ask the dear leader to stop---no one. "Car yaa nin rag ah oo u sheegi kara in Saladii maqrib joogto" When the righteous ( Qurbajoog) diaspora member tried to remind, he was told , to keep quite or else ( Waar rag kaa horeeyey baa lagu cunay Saalladii baa joogtee Afkaaga hayso). His erratic behavior is known to the locals . He says . " In a coffee shop, if people do not know you, they will just get up and leave rather than being reported to the dictator. No one will talk ill about him in public for fear of being heard" . He continued, " the four hour trip from Awbare to Jigjiga takes days by constant road blocks and abuse". In most Somali cities tribal connotations and name calling became familiar in the last twenty five years, but according to this traveler, in Jigjiga, it's cruel and ugly form of Somali tribalism is practiced. Over 90% of developments go to the tribal regions of Cabdi Iley. Even Qabri Dahar, a town of less than forty thousand people have built an airport, where Awbare, Shiniile and other major towns with hundred of thousand people have zero infrastructure. When people ask this injustice and the open looting of public funds and developments in one tribal region among many others , they will says , " well, we are cashing the blood of our tribe" ( waar meesha dhiiga beesha ayaa lagu joogaa oo wax lagu cunayaa). From Mogadishu, to Garoowe and Hargeisa, we used to hear tribes claim that they paid a price for the power they got or demanding the right to rule because of the sacrifices they made against the military government, discarding totally the destruction and damage they did to the nation and people. Well, folks those bragging rights from Garoowe or Hargeisa are foot notes or minor issues compared to what the is going on in zone five. When the budget comes from the federal government 200 elders arrive to collect the money. Regardless of what the USC says about the ownership of the capital, Mogadishu is and always will be a Somali town. if you subtract the terror and her corrupt politicians, no one can distinguish you from your your other Somali brothers and sisters. In fact, it is a well known among Somalis that, unlike Garoowe or Hargeisa, in Mogadishu, no one will ever ask you which tribe you are or where you from among it's residents. You will be among the millions of Somalis roomig the land although the Al-shabaab terror network may kill you for other reasons. In Garoowe, there are no Al-shabaab and you can settle in any hotel or residence , and intermingle with locals and feel the sense of Somalihood. Despite some open tribal discussion which locals consider normal, you will be at home with your people without any fear of being singled out . In other words it is a free Somali town . In Hargeisa, everyone may complain about the dysfunction of the Siilaanyo government, or the connection of the ruling class, but eventually every group might get some of the taste of the food. You could go to Burco, the home town of Ahmed Siilaanyo and insult both his tribe and government, and latter have a Qat session with the same group you were insulting. In Somalialnd , you can talk unless you are a journalist talking about the misdeeds of the ruling class. Even a journalist will be out of the jail after few days in the dungeon. An Awdalite who was supporting Suldaan Wabar last year went to Burco to visit a friend who was working with an NGo, and he said that, " I talked openly with the Habro in Burco about my support of Awdal state and other issues" yet , He said ,they were not hostile or agitated about it and said " Guys, cool down, the old man will leave tomorrow ( Waar OdayganSiilaanyo wuu iska tagayaaye buuqa inaga daaye nimankiinan oo meeshan yar dab ha inaga gelinina). While government institutions seem to be disappearing in Hargeisa, the people are shaping life and liberty, and Hargeisa is free just like Borama and Berbera. In other words, both Mogadishu, Garoowe and Hargeisa are the land of the free Somali nomad. The free Somalis who went through a lot for the last twenty five years are shocked about the Jigjiga oppression. Another, subject the traveler raised was the resentment, hate and contempt other Somalis in the region have for the ruling tribe. Imagine if 75% of the people feel wronged or oppressed which in turn may create a unforeseen consequences. Another issue is Cabdi Illey sent thousands of Somali Liyu police to Oromia region in northern Dire-dawa and the regions south of the capital Addis which might bring hostility toward Somalis in the Zone. Jigjiga is a police state with tens of thousand in jail. There is no doubt most of those in jail are the presidents clan and are accused of undermining his rule , but as soon as they are released , they become salaried members of either the police, public service or just collect money and renounce their opposition. According to this eye witness, thousand of people have lost their properties to give way for people who either got the looted money or forced to make way for someone from diaspora. He said , " I have met many angry people who were contemplating revenge against the ruling people and those who looted their land within the city at the exact moment they get an opportunity. In other words , If Cabdi M. Cumar does not change his repression and looting , an unforeseen apprising may happen in the Somali Zone in the near future. Not now, but the moment the Ethiopian government weakened, the Somali zone could face with what Somalis witnessed in 1991. I do believe Mr. Cabdi Cumar can reverse this oppression and looting with small gesture of justice and equal distribution of the wealth. He should know that it is the will of God that unjust systems do not last after one generation .If your neighbor who neither worked hard and earned his wealth nor got education too deserve the power and wealth he got, resentment , hatred and hostility will follow. When this resentment accumulates among thousands of people, it will explode and no one will be able to explain why normal people are behaving and acting this way toward their fellow Somalis. I think the leadership of the region have both the means and the power to do minimal justice and fairness to avoid clashes within the communities. There is fear now , but one day that fear will disappear and neither LIyu police nor tribal militia would be able to control.

An elder gentleman who came from Hargeisa last month said that " Haddii aanu isbedel xagga maamulka ahi iman Soomaaliland waxa suurta gal ah in loo soo gurmado". Government institutions have collapsed, courts and judicatory have lost trust long time ago. In the afternoon, people are arrested for one reason or another in the afternoon, and after they kept you in police station at night , you must pay to be released in the morning. Even your own Suldaan will jail you if you refuse paying his dues. In some ministries, people have changed hands five or six time. They are just dismissed without explanation. As minister Baashe said some are "ilma Barre" or untouchables who would refuse to take orders from their superiors. They say in the Soomaali region, the latter leader is always worse than the former. If you begin with Aadan Cadde of 1960 to Hassan Sheikh Mohamuud of today, that statement is truly the reflection of what happened for the last 56 years. Here in Somalinad Cigaal was the best, and from there things went down the hill. If the Landers were against dictatorship and tribal power, they should have formed a system that required institutional checks against unlimited executive power. Limitless power and greed is the earmark and the foundations of primitive society. As the elder said, if change of government and system does not come early, expect bad news . This group of politicians in Somaliland have wasted twenty years of institution building . .

She is the rule not the exception.

Siilaanyo just fired minister Baashe for telling like it is. This kind of statements about governance and nepotism should have been investigated. In any normal system , this kind of corruption and nepotism brings governments down. Another useless shuffle Number eight. That time has come to call back those colonial powers to teach us again what government means.

He is probably mentally sick, or a brain washed Wahabis. After Looking his contradictory journal message , I consider him a mental case. Why would "scared Muslim" kill innocent people who have done nothing to him. I do believe that there are large number of Somalis who are mentally sick especially those who left the country for the last ten years. Al-shabaab uses a lot of them for bombings and suicides. By the way this Cartan guys looks older than the 18 years attributed to him by authorities. Things were getting better for the Somali youth lately especially on the Canadian side, yet this kind of terror acts shows that we must do more to educate and warn our youth It is sad..

Thank you. The good think is we have a well educated and connected group here in SOL. I did not even heard about these problems until you mentioned. I did google , and found out the risks. "Canada is the only country in the G7 that does not have a law in place to protect people from discrimination based on their genetics. Considering that there are more than 33,485 genetic tests available, and counting, the lack of protection affects everyone. Medical science is unlocking a database of life-saving information, but Canadians face a major barrier to obtaining that information.". I guess we have to wait until the law changes.

Udub was founded by late president Cigaal, who by intent and purpose planned UDUB to be like SYL and wanted his party to take hold from Hargeisa to Boosaaso and Baidoa. It was a long term plan of his which was not fulfilled by his unexpected death. Anyway, Gamal , as a young energetic economist and political novice, he tried to take the party of Cigaal and Rayaale to the next level. By 2010, The party already had the largest sitting members of the parliament and even after defeat--- it has the second largest voting block in Somaliland. He seemed fit as the leader of the next generation of leaders who could move people to the next level of economical progress and social development. He was a self made man. He graduated from the ivy league university of Harvard and worked as an executive for City Bank in many foreign capitals. Every thing he earned , he got without nepotism or favors from his tribal friends. We all thought that someone as young , modern and educated will introduce a different kind of thinking that centered on rule of law, meritocracy and the never reachable economic development. The problem was before he could do any thing , first he must pass the corrupt rulers of Udub including former president Rayaale. Just like Siilaanyo transferred the Kulmiye party to Muuse Biixi without contest, Rayaale and his stooges decided to transfer UDUB to an old guard that represented both greed and status quo--Cali Waran Cadde. Waran Cadde convinced former vice president Ahmed Yassin--- a God fearing decent man -- to set up a formula that could eliminate anyone who does not have deep pockets from the leadership. Being an influential minister for almost ten years, he thought no one can match his money and connections for the leadership. So , they told anyone applying for the Udub leadership to deposit $380,000 dollars that will be used for the coming campaign. Ahmed Yassin followed the rules set by the party's central committee and proceeded. Then, the unexpected happened. Jamaal, a young economist with deep pockets, showed up and deposited the required money without hesitation and campaigned for the leadership. Waran Cadde never intended to put the money, but wanted only to keep others out and then bend the rules as he always did both in Somalia in the eighties and now in Somaliland. The deadline passed, and Ahmed Yassin was forced to hold the election of the leader as was planned. When the members convened to cast their vote, Waran CAdde cried foul and boycotted. Those who followed the rules voted and elected Jamaal as a leader. Then he called his old master Raaale (they were both former intelligence officers) and asked to intervene. Here is how it went down: WC : madaxweyne hawshii aan isku ogayn waxbaa ku dhacay, madaxweynenimadaydii aan isku diyaariyeyna khatr bay ku jirtaa. R: oo sawtaan wax walba kuu salaxay ee aan meel kuu dhignay lacagtii aad ololoha ku galasay iyo xubnihii golaha dhexe labadaba. WC: Lacagtii way igu baxday , cidna ma filayn in ay igu qabsato. Gaban reer Berbera ah oo uu Suufigii Ahmed Yaasiin wato ayaa yimid , lacagna wuu wataa ee adeeroow hawsha wax igala qabo. R: oo hadii uu lacagtii la yimid dadkiina doorteen maxaan yeelnaa?. WC: Madaxweyne, Hargeisa kaalay oo waxaad tidhaa UDUB cidna ma iibsan karto , wiilkan yar ee Gamaalna xisbiga dhawaan ayuu ku soo biiray. R: Adeer wax Sharci ah oo horjoogsanaya qof xubin ahi in uu isa soo sharaxo miyaa jira? WC: Igu daa anigaa si qarsoon u bedelaya sharciga xisbiga oo waxaan ku soo darayaa in qofku uu ugu yaraan laba sano xubin ka ahaado golha dhexe inta uusan isku soo sharixi hogaan. R: Adeer sow sharcigu hore looma dejin ma hadda oo doorasho lagu jiro ayaa la bedeli karaa?. WC: madaxweyne, hawshani waa tii aynu weligeenba biyaha hoosteeda u soo mari jirnay markaanu sirdoonka ahayn kow dhe, Wax internet ku qoran oo meel loogu hagaago lihi majiro, cid aan inaga ahayn oo faraha ku haysaana majirto. Waxaad igu sugtaa sharcigii oo aan bedelay. R. Waa tahay ee bal hawsha ha inagu fashilinin. WC: madaxweyne, hal arin oo kale ayaan kaa rabaa. R: adeer maxa dhiman?. WC: waa in aad timaadaa oo wadaadkan Ahmed Yaasiin aad iga qabataa. R: oo maxaan u sheegaa saw ninkii hawsh waday ma ahan. WC: Hargeisa kaalay oo waxaad idaacadaha u sheegtaa ," xisbiga UDUB lama gadan karo waa in di loo eegaa doorashada Jamaal. R: adeer armuu xisbigu is qabsadaa oo burburaa?. WC: Ma burburayee, Ahmed Siilaanyana waanu wada hadalnay ee mar soo gaadh Hargeisa. In politics, If you plan something and the unexpected hapens , like people electing the other guy, you cut your loses, lick your wounds and make the best efforts to unite your party and wait for the next. You can not deconstruct what happened or you will both lose as it did . Rayaale stayed in Paris for almost a year without even coordinating with his deputy Ahmed Yassin , and for the last minute decided to help his former corrupt lieutenant. The honorable Ahmed Yaasiin protested and pointed the finger how Rayaale ignored the rebuilding of the party and showed up the last minute to destroy what was left. While the dispute was going on in late 2011, Siilaanyo decided to speeded up the municipal elections. Here you had a group that refuses to hold elections for president and parliament for seven years, deciding to hurry up the local elections in order to destroy UDUB. Udub was finished, even though it had 38 members sitting in the parliament. No one tried to correct the flowed system where the largest party sitting at the legislator became unaffiliated . Rather than hold the parliament vote and figure out who could manage to get elected, they used the municipal election to eliminate a party from the parliament. In Hargeisa, everyone probably got paid to keep quite and pretend nothing significant happened. Waran Cadde went from Rayaale to the new boss Siilaanyo and never looked back and the weak and slow moving Rayaale came to Hargeisa many years latter and said , " I made a mistake when I denied the party to Jamaal and C/rashiid Mataan, I did know that Waran Cadde would be satisfied just to be a minister". Well, it was too little too late. In the meantime, After the UDUB disaster, Faysal Waraabe, who was wounded and left for dead after his party was replaced by Wadani and Cirro, needed help from anyone who could save his shop for the next election. He did talk to anyone who could listen, but almost everyone refused to join and ride a caravan driven by Faysal waraabe ( waar waraabe waxba ku darsan mayno, ilayn waa intaas oo uu anaga dib noo cunaaye). He courted and sweated talked the young Jamaal who also wounded by the corrupt oligarchs of UDUB, and convinced him to be the candidate of the UCID party. Before Jamal could become a candidate , he must spend time and treasurer to help UCID fight among the ten or more parties vying to be the last three standing. It was monumental task that needed money and campaign. With the help of C/rashiid Mataan, Jamaal and his camp succeeded to make UCID among the three finalist parties. For the second time, corrupt oligarchs and insiders of the ruling party decided to undermine Jamaal and his party to prevent open contest. Faysal WAraabe, the same man who rode the shoulders of Jamaal during those tough times , decided to switch camp and sell the party to Kulmiye. As they did during UDUB quarrels, they gave UCID to Faysal without proper legitimate means. The desperation of the ruling Kulmiye have no boundaries. They decided to eliminate a legitimate forward looking party of Jamaal and made the party the sole ownership of one single clown man. Faysal knows he has zero chances of winning anything , yet he decided to use the party as a microphone to insult and harass people. Now fast forward to the latest events and what is happening to the double time victim Jmaal Cali Huseen. As we hear in the media , Mr. Jamaal was the guest of honor of the wife of president Siilaanyo and also met and discussed his future with Ina Biixi. Common sense dictates that Mr. Jamaal would not be seeking accommodations with those who undermined his party and the people in general. I heard that he was seeking financial compensation for the money he spend in UCID for the last five years. What he must realize is that the compensation money Amina Weris promised to him is not her's but the people's money. Mr. Jamaal, What at stake here is your credibility and honor in your future endeavors. Some may try to convince you to vote with your sub clan today in order to appeal to them tomorrow, but that does not fit your ideals and the expectations of the people. I would like to give you my small advice , free of charge of course. Unlike what African dictators and oligarchs think, life continues after elections, and there will be many more opportunities to succeed in your political dreams. So far , the people of Somalilnd consider you as a decent and honorable man wronged by a corrupt political system that rewards the incompetent, greedy and corrupt politicians who keep recycling out dated ideas. There would a time when the people might decide to clean the house and throw out the old guard. On that note , you must keep your slate clean without undermining your support and your future. The people of Somalind are suffering with three years old drought especially in the east , and the people are calling these drought Kulmiye, just like they called others as " Dabadheer' and other names. While droughts come and go , in our Islamic tradition , consistent drought is bestowed usually among the lands where injustice and greed is the norm. I would not suggest to you to join any political party in Somaliland , but if you decided to jump these slow moving trains, do not reward those who have undermined both your former political parties and the rule of law. Good luck Mr. Jamaal , you may need it.

Dhagax-Tuur, the typical red neck is no different than the Somali nomad . I do not buy the western propaganda of pointing fingers to other cultures and their women. No one can deny the empowerment of women in terms education and employment in the western countries, but Domestic violence against women and abuse is rampant in the west than any where in the world. On the issue of Donald Trump, the writing was on the wall. The young and innocent collage girls might be enthusiastic to vote for woman president,or angry about his behavior, but the so called rest belt, battle ground state or the typical American women does not put any weight about the so called grabbing of Mr. Trump. Forget about the media talk of suburban women being upset about his grabbing of women or his foul mouth. Who do you think a woman would choose, between a soft spoken gentle homosexual or a nasty loud mouth man who may take her upstairs?.I bet she will take the real man. You know what, let us leave this woman thing there before I get in to trouble. Any way, How can anyone blame them. The media vultures were scaring people about Zompie like killers of ISIS and terrorists who might strike any time. They told people about the cave dwellers of Mosul and Afghanistan coming to America to murder them. In the American movies there are only bad guys and good guys, and to confront the bad guys you need a tough nasty SOB to defend you--some one like Bruce wills. So, the American men and women have chosen the nasty man to defend them.

Thanks guys. It is really more educational, especially the results submitted by Blue, Che and others. The biggest surprise for me is the lack of middle Eastern connection. So far most of the results are unique East African, North African and others. This DNA results might prove wrong the Somali legends of the Arab traders landing the Red Sea and intermarrying with local Bantu's , and in turn producing The unique Somali race. I don't know where to find , but a Somali historian wrote a book while ago claiming that the Somali ethnic group is alder than the so called Arab traders of yester years and pointing toward the Egyptian Pharaoh and North Africa. It has always been the inclination of Somalis to attach themselves to Yemanis and Arabs probably because we share faith. While there is nothing wrong to be connected with different people and regions where you may share culture and faith and geography, the Somali nation, stretching from the northern Dire-Dawa Ethiopia to lake Turkana Kenys is not only huge but unique. . If it does not involve any health insurance or other issues, as Miss Blue says, we may all do the teat and find out.

Horaa loo yidhi waa " badow , bunduq iyo Dolar haysta. Sidoo kale waa beledkii xarakada iyo dooda. At the same time , it is the land of the free and opportunity. I would rather go and live in America than Russia, Dubai or Lagos, Nigeria. When I read the expanding conspiracy websites who keep parroting the evil's of America and the so called world order , while praising the despotic Putin , i shake my head. The freedom of speech, hate and many other things can exist only in America. Go to Russia and figure out if Putin likes free press or the constant abuse thrown toward American presidents.

She was the one who hand picked Muuse Biixi. I think the British government is guilty by facilitating the looting of the foreign aid given to Somaliland . Rather than build roads , water reservoirs and medical clinics , most of the money donated by the gulf ended up in London. The British government must convince the wife of president Siilaanyo to quit interfering the election and the foreign aid in Somaliland. If I were the opposition, I would have hired a lawyer to dig deep and find out about the million dollar houses in London and Dubai. Dadkani ma dhergayaan miyaa?.

I was very busy this week and rather than shoot a quick answer like Che, Holac and others do, i was trying to write a long drivel about Trump but, was unable due being tired. any how , It is hard to put all his supporters in one box. Some were cultural value voters pushing back against the excess of the progressives who went too far. They got the gay marriage and their other demands, but they went to next step to annihilate their opposition. They are demanding for what they calling " the third gender" and bathroom wars which Obama spent the last two years pushing against everyone. People are saying enough of this. A black president, a women president and then who knows , maybe a transgender one. Obama, After 2012, decided to play save and rule by committee. He neglected millions of blue color people in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. The democrats and Obama were pushing a new religion called climate change, while eliminating energy , coal miming and industrial jobs. It is an angry political populism rejecting republican wars, left wing culture and anti immigration. The 20% deplorable s, racists or tribalists always exited in any society regardless of color, but this time , the working class joined and rejected the liberal elites who are more concerned with climate change , transgender issues and Obama's indecisiveness in foreign policy. Obama was sensible leader who atoned the crimes that George Bush committed and showed the gentle side of the country, but his dithering leadership style created chaos and never ending wars in the middle east. Rather than face military issues, he deploys drones while using mercenaries as foot soldiers--Kurds, Amisom soldiers, Sunni tribal militia, and others. It is also the repudiation of the media and their all know attitude. Would be Trump voters did not respond to surveys, and they were likely the new voters who did not vote for decades. Hilary Clinton was one of the most qualified candidates in the American election , but years of right wing media bashing and the constant smear of corruption made her an old guard that is incapable of change. My only fear is that during the campaign he acted as a bully, and bullies always target the weak and those who ca not defend. They rarely face tough opponents, or powerful targets , and as of lately , the lowest hanging fruit for both crazy right wings nuts and sensational media is Islam and Muslims. God forbid if some kind of terror bombing happens, Trump may forget all those trade, NATO and other issue and victimize innocent American Muslims. On that note Muslims must organize and use the American constitution and laws to defend against the excess of Trump. Here in Alberta some Somalis I did talk said that Trump presidency might boost oil energy and jobs which will keep the Somali unemployment very law. " waar waynu cashayn ninkani hadii uu yimaado". One more thing, I am An Erdogan guy so, I hope Turkey will also fare better under Trump than Obama, which in turn might help Somalia stand up with their feet. As you can see, there are many conflicting interest of both for and against Trump. Also, America and the west must accept when other countries elect their own leaders regardless of how they feel about his policies, faith or culture, especially the Muslim world. If a loud moth swindler who never paid taxes, or never showed any temperament can lead the most powerful country in the world, then we must accept whom ever the people of middle east and Africa choose as a leader. No panic, in these days, the calendar year became so quick. Four years will be over soon, besides, if the Trump camp would have lost the election, things could have gotten ugly. So let the deplorable's have the keys to the palace and see how they fare in the complicated American system with it's balances and checks. If I get some time will right a longer version of my argument.

While there are some technical issues that must be resolved in due course, the time has come to conclude this election on time in November 30,2016. The Hiiraan issue is resolved and that tough stubborn Ugaas Hassan was silenced and the loud microphone has been taken way from him, yet the biggest culprit to drag this election for months is no other than president Hassan Sheekh. In order to achieve his return, he even orchestrated a phony war in Gaalkacayo. Rather than build the Somali army, he expanded the Amisom forces to the peaceful regions of the country. Gaalkacayo, does not need Amisom, it needs Somali brothers and neighbors resolving their problems without foreign interference. Now, let us finish this long topic. For the last few weeks, the campaign scene has been very quite, other than few noisy pretenders , not much is happening in the open . That does not mean the campaigning is over. In these kind of indirect elections, every thing is done under the water. It is a lesson we all learned from Hassan Sheikh, who acted as under achieving school teacher , charming and smiling to everyone, while quietly signing binding financial contracts from the members of parliament and sending emissaries door to door. Cumar C. Sharmaarke. In October 15, 1969, after the murder of president C/rashiid Sharmaarke, Somalia changed forever politically and the nation lost the age of innocence and entered a new age of uncertainty. Before the assassins bullet took away the beloved president, no blood was shed in the Somalia of sixties for political reasons , other than for the defense of the country. . In the war of 1964, which was happening during the election period, then prime minister C/rashiid Sharmaarke said , " we will vote with one hand and will fight with the other". Unlike the Siilaanyo government of today, where elections are delayed regularly with no apparent reason, that election was concluded without delay, and that same prime minister was replaced by another after the election, when he lost a vote of confidence in the parliament. He did not complain , but regrouped and won the presidency in 1967. In that era of democracy and rule of law, Both presidents and prime ministers were changed peacefully and the country was progressing slowly. The end did not justify the means. Those who lost , regrouped and competed again. The 1969 revolution jump started the dormant Somali nationalism , introduced socialist ideas of nation building and revived the Somali culture. It built roads, the military and the education. Regardless of what good or bad the Somali military revolution did , they lacked good foundation, balance and democracy. Unlike the civilian government, they were always paranoid and had the fear of loosing power, and when they were challenged by the opposition groups , they could not handle the pressure, yet the most powerful government Somalis ever known was the military government of the seventies and eighties. A Somali playwright who feared the destruction of the system and the rule of law , composed a song in the late sixties, warning the consequences of the agitators. Abwaan Hassan Sheikh Muumin said: Dalaal nimada diintiyo Dastuurka iyo xeerka haddii dabool la saaro Dawo bukootay weeye He said , the medicine itself , who supposed to cure people, will become sick if you discard the rule of law and the faith of the nation. Discarding the rule of law was the beginning of the destruction, followed by the introduction of Wahabi ideology and extremism of today. For more than forty years, Somalis were trying to find their way back to that age of innocence were people debated , voted and co-existed peacefully. Faith in Allah and Islam was clear and simple, while beauty and the pride of Somalis were felt by both friends and strangers. If you do not believe me, just read the speech the late American president John F. Kennedy gave in November, 1962, at the reception of late Somali Prime minister C/rashiid C. Sharmaarke. Kennedy said: "Many years ago, Sir Richard Burton, the great explorer, described the people of Somalia as the Irish of Africa. He was speaking of their extraordinary beauty of person, vigor, intelligence, and general uniqueness among the surrounding people. We understand that, Prime Minister, and this has increased the warmth of our welcome to you". "We were very fortunate in the generosity of nature here. But in his country, lacking water, lacking a good many means for sustaining their population, the Prime Minister is building his country, maintaining its freedoms, its sovereignty, and attempting to make it possible for his people to enjoy a more fruitful life. This is an extraordinary adventure for any nation. We are particularly pleased to have one of the architects of this adventure, the Prime Minister, who played such an important part in its fight for independence, in the development of the constitution, in the maintenance of freedom, and now in the efforts to produce a more fruitful existence for his citizens". Yes , we are a unique people who have a distinct color, culture and language. The key word here is also "maintaining freedom and sovereignty". Somalis , that has been always the character of the Somalis whether they were in Hargeisa, Nugaal, Ceelbuur or Jubba. The free willing nomad rooming the peninsula without interference. The great poet Yam Yam said: The moving times The successive days Reflect over the seasons If you are a learned person Go back to the annals of history Who is Somali? I am on equal footing with equality Not allow a single soul to be superior to me I don’t employ deception and confer them as gifts I am Somali! That is why it is heart breaking to see Somali leaders competing who could give away more of the freedom and the sovereignty of the Somali nomad. Compare Hassan Sheikh Mohamuud to that long gone generation of proud Somalis. The current prime minister, Cumar Sharmaarke hails from that grand tradition of his father. He may not have the character of his father , but he should have the history and tradition to lift his people from division, anarchy and hopelessness. By becoming the president of the third republic ( 1960 was the first, 1969 second and 2017, the third republic) he could remind the Somali people about that long gone era of normalcy. Since he is a man of few words and moves , it is hard to judge about his character and intentions, at the same time , he does not appear to have warmth and energy. While addressing the media when he declared his candidacy, he said, " in this term , I was dealing with all the acrimonious issues of regional states, election and security issues". It seems he has done nothing to increase the security issues of the country. When you talk to the insiders who are well aware of the deep seated problems of Somalia , you would certainly prioritize your future outlook of the country differently. They would remind you the long way Somalia came from at this point in time and how it is important not only to find a decent leader, but one that could hold together the competing and rival tribes of Somalia. Cumar Sharmaarke may not be a tough president who could defeat the enemies of Somalia, but he could definitely be a leader who could symbolizes harmony , peace and unity. In this nation , every thing is measured by tribal rivalry and the fear of domination from the wrong tribe who controls the state power. If you are seen as the enemy of their tribe, you could be doomed before you even start to implement your national agenda. Mogadishu -- as the hot bed of insurgency, anarchy and criminal profiteering -- is the typical place any leaders agenda is undermined by different coalitions with competing interests( Waa meesha lagu fashiliyo dawladaha burburkii ka dib). Unlike many residents of Mogadishu --who would claim that the city belong to them because of some tribal lineage--Mr. Sharmaarke is born and raised in Mogadishu. In fact, his own father settled in the city as a boy and attended Quraanic schools in the city in the early thirties. If Somalis were non tribal society, he could have been considered a native son of that town since his family spend there over 80 years there. Even by judging in the Somali standred, he can claim both Puntland and Mogadishu. In southern Somalia, if you exclude the military coup of 1969, the political class came from those two regions of the country. Mr. Sharmaarke could bridge the gap between the competing tribes of the "D' block and the communities of USC. These two groups have undermined the national progression of any credible government institution. Some are louder then the others. This current prime minister is neither loud nor tribal. Both Somalis, and the international communities are looking a real change in Somalia. Insurgency is growing in the country side , towns are changing hands in every week and the Somali army is no where to be seen. The smiling president gave away every thing to the foreign forces including famous Somali bases that the Somali army needed badly for training and logistics. He gave away Hallane base, Balidoogle base and jaziira corridor. He was a yes man, yet those same guys he gave the shop, want to kick him out of Villaa-Somalia. It is the typical religious movements claiming to be pious while mixing corruption, power and tribal loyalties. Somalia needs a clean break from Al-shabaaab, Al-Itihaad, Ahlu Sunnah, and Al-islaah. I said in these pages many times that we Somalis are not sophisticated enough to navigate all these foreign centered Islamic movements and their agents. The old saying of the western business community, with the slogan of " you build , they will come", is true to the Wahabi movements and others. The American military does not mind chasing these wild dogs throughout the world. The former architects of the war on terrorism would like these global campaigns to continue regardless of the outcome. Of course , because of what happened in 911, security threat posed by extremists does exist, and the American nation want to confront them around the globe, but that threat could be defeated in intelligent and coordinated manner. On the other hand, the Wahabi wild dogs who defy logic and humanity could be found easily every where. In America , Those who profiteer from the war of terror are determined to keep their campaign as long as possible, leaving behind a trail of destruction in the process. Here in Canada, the third safest country in the world according to global ratings , was almost made fearful by the former conservative government in order to win elections. Rather showcase their economic achievements and other strengths to campaign , they chose to victimize the peaceful Muslim community of Canada and the Syrian refugees who were helpless. In the western hemisphere no current refugee was ever committed any terror, yet the public was made to be fearful. The African command center based in Djibouti has conducted over six hundred mission across the region in 2015. Drones, the best weapon of the Obama administration, is flying constantly to target these groups every day. While they were chasing Al-qaeda in Yemen from the skies through drones, The Huthies-- a sectarian militia tied with Iran-- took over Yemen without notice. . Rather than strengthen the nation state and build local armies, they are satisfied about the drone kill of a terrorist leader and his company. In Somalia , former president Shariif Ahmed-- one of the leaders of the Alla Sheikh Islamic movements--could neither suck the air out of the insurgency nor resolve the problem of Al-shabaab after he was made a president of Somalia. His presence only emboldened the terrorists. This kind of actors would never have a chance in peaceful Somali politics. So, the time has come to throw all these ideologies from the Somali political discourse. By eliminating these groups , you will also keep out the enterprising foreign armies from around the globe. Do you believe a Sawahili Kenyan from central Kenya or a poor Djiboutins who hides in their bases will pacify Somalia?, I do not think so. Bring together those gun tooting Somalis, from Mudug, Hiiraan, Bay and Gedo , who parade their useless technicals against their own brothers, while avoiding Al-shabaab and their cohorts. Pay the Somali army to do the job. Otherwise, Just like the egg and the chicken, first the Wahabi shows up , and then the foreign army follows. For the last ten years, people around the world became familiar with the whistle blowing cite called Wikileaks, who publish classified secrets of the nations and their leaders around the world. What almost every Somali and many people around the world missed is that one of the first secret cables of Wikileaks was the interception of foreign governments about the order former leader of Al-shabaab and AliIthaad Sheekh Hassan Dahir Aweys made in 2006. He ordered his movement to use criminals and other anarchists to use for the killing and assassinations of the government leaders. As you can see because of the Wahabi presence of our country, we became the eye of the storm. The prime minister is not a member of these movement as far as I am concerned, and will represent the original moderate, benevolent, merciful, and traditional Islam that we all grew up. When their was a calamity we all went to the Imams to sooth and reassure the people, and the pious people who were the custodians of the religion were always respected. They neither took part or fought the tribal wars or political ones. Everyone wished his daughter to be married to a religious man even if he were the poorest among the people. It could be difficult to turn the clock back , but we want to get rid of today's movements for the sake of our own survival. It was almost close to fifthy years that our country changed after the assassination of the dully and legally elected government. As I said , his election will remind all of us that era of peace and harmony is in our sight. In order to hold on to power, president Hassan started a tribal campaigns that incites and revives all wounds of tribal conflicts. Also some useless websites , run by warlords, are crying foul by pitting tribes against one another. They are even claiming that foreign nations like Turkey---who has done a lot for Somalia--- or UAE have their favorite tribes. One thing is a fact, that every Somali, regardless of his tribe, has a right to run and rule this country( Reer hebel Xukunka ha laga Illaliyo ma shaqaynayso). in the late nineties, I was cab driver in one of the big American cities in the south west, and in that scene met hundreds of Somalis from different part of the country. We spent hours sitting in a huge airport parking lot waiting for fares. Everyone had his own ways to kill time, and in those days, there were no smart phones or advanced electronic equipment to spend time with other than reading books. For me, I approuched the Somalis whom I thought to be intelligent, educated and politically oriented. I did not spent much time with Awdalites or those from Hargeisa, because , I was seeking someone who could tell me something I do not know or had a different perspective of Somalia. That was when I met the "Reer Mudug, Baidoa, Burco, Boosaaso , central Somalia and Mogadishu". I remember the Reer Mudug from Puntland and Galmudug were always at the same table debating, and liked each others company regardless of their disagreements. I met guys from Baidoa who were insisting talking " Af Maay" language. I told them for trade reasons , progress and cohesiveness of the people , it is our best interest to speak one language, having seen the power of the English language in America. On that contest , I met many Puntlanders who opposed the Carta conference of Djibouti and the whole project of establishing a Somali state in Mogadishu. Way back in early 1999, they were campaigning for decentralized federal state and always feared a strong state led by someone from south central Somalia. I was a fervent supporter of the Carta conference and the TNG led by C/qasim Salaad. When I confronted these Puntlanders seriously about their antagonism of the TNG, and what I assumed to be their anti Somali agenda, they explained with conviction about their reluctance to join the bandwagon. One of them, his own father died in the liberation movements of NFD in Kenya in late sixties , and he was raised by family members. Another one told me that his own brother was executed in Hargeisa in 1978, by political reasons, while others had abandoned their homes and businesses after the collapse of the state in Mogadishu. One older gentleman who was not interested in politics, but understood the consequences of power and Somali politics said , " you know what , my only goal in a peaceful Somalia is , to open my own small business, have some tea with my friends, and after the Maqrib prayers , go home without the fear of the security forces coming after me in the middle of the night, because of what i said or did". When I listened to these stories, my holier than yours attitude of Somali nationalist talk was subdued. The same thing could be said about the people of the SNM community who were rounded up in Jaziira beech and murdered because of which tribe they belonged. Some were even belonged to other tribes but, spoke a northern accent. It is one of those issues a united Somalia must address during the union negotiations. After that conversations, I confided with one of my friends who came from a prominent family from the Jubba area. He was from "Reer Raffle Guuled", whose uncle was a very prominent minister of the Somali government in the hey days of the Kacaan. I told him that these Puntlanders should be accommodated and should not be pushed out since we already have the Somalilanders mulling for separation( Waar nimakan waa in la soo dhaweeya, waa dad macquula oo raba in dood laga galo mustaqbalka Soomaalida). He laughed and as we walked around the yard, we approached Some others sitting in a table and as we sat , he said, " Did you guys heard what Signor Galbeedi said today? ( Waar ninkii galbeedi ahaa waxa uu maanta la shir yimid ma maqsheen?, waxuu socdaba nimankii Dhabayaco ee in la soo qabqabto la rabay ayuu yidhi ha la soo dhaweeysto). Most of them not only disagreed with my statement, but others mocked me as naive and out of touch by welcoming the Puntlanders. Somalis always like to be negative. If I framed the question in the opposite direction and said , " why don't we round up these trouble makers from Puntland, many could have agreed with me, even though most of them don't mean what they were saying". Just a few months ago in this town , we hosted the first Somali Canadian to become a member of parliament . Mr. ahmed Husein was a well versed and qualified Somali who spoke well about all the necessary issues Canadian Somalis were facing in terms of jobs, security and foreign aid to Somalia. Rather than share their needs, many of the attendants went out of the topic and made the meting awkward. Some fast talking Sheikh even claimed that Mr. Husein did not get any vote from the Somalis for one reason or other, but Mr, Ahmed himself contradicted them by telling them that without the Somali vote , he could not have won the primaries. Other so called community members said, " if we Somalis voted for those us running for the last municipal elections , we could had at-least elected one city counsel". I was amazed how these people were not only out of touch, but were ignorant of their surrounding environments. In the municipal election the city is divided by wards or zones. To win , you must get the prularity of the votes. There were two Somalis running for counsel seats. One was a 22 years old running in our ward. Somalis are less than 5% of the people who reside the ward, and to win you need almost 15,000. He got only 1,500 votes including all most all the Somalis. Before he ran for office, he never had any prior job ecpereince . He was a young man who just finished school. It was a good experiment not a race. The other one moved from Winnipeg just three years before the election. He did not even live in the city for five years, never had any history , house or business in the city. Neither of them could not get even 10%, yet we have been bamed for their loss. To make the story short, one man even rejected the idea of lobbying foreign aid to Somalia and add the list of specific countries Canada want to help. Waxa uu yidhi Roob hadaan ahaan lahaa Somalia kuma da'een. Sorry for the long winding road I traveled to make the case and let us go back to the story. As the talk progressed, one of the Puntlanders who were a former intelligence officer of Somalia jokingly said, " Since the military government dethroned us from power and made as a pariah that should be hunted, Somalis were still suffering just like us , and these suffering will continue just like the children of Israel who wondered in the desert for many decades" , he continued, " for the stability and peace, we should be put back where we belong and be in charge again"( Waxa uu yidhi Ehlul baytkii ayaanu, nahee Ragoow meeshii Nagu soo celiya, si aad nabad iyo barwaaqo u heshaan). On that note , I believe this son of Mogadishu and Puntland must be made the gate keeper of Somalia. The time has come for Somalis to put aside the tribal pride and the jealousy and welcome back these Puntlanders to be in charge again . As I stated , Mr. Cumar Sharmaarke does not need to be tough or loud. He needs a tough prime minister to kick things and manage the daily business of the government. The president needs to be confident, calm and patriotic. He must build a system of government that meant to last for years to come. As I was chatting a local businessman last week, I mentioned the need for a strong leader in Somalia, and he said , " brother, we need a strong system". He need to reassure the Somali people and the world while avoiding corrupt practices that destroy the credibility of the nation . Mr. cumar also must abandon the illegal tribal alliance the Puntlanders made with Mogadishu area community of Ali Mahdi and company , and find new strategy of pacifying the south central Somalia. The Community of president Hassan and Shariif has ruled enough both as presidents and prime miniters , and the time has come for a change. The Galmudug community of south and central Somalia must be part of the solutions for the future stability and leadership of Somalia. They have been in the opposition long enough, and they should not be kept out anymore. Not only they reside in central Somalia, but have a large presece in Hiiraan, Mogadishu and Lower Shabeelle. They are probably the main forces fueling the insurgency to undermine the Mogadishu leadership. Bring them in . They are tough and they could probably act differently as insiders than outsiders. I do belive C/rahman C.shakur Warsame , Yusuf Garaad or Mohamuud M. Culusow--former central bank governor of Somalia---could be appointed as the next prime minister who could make the new team with president Cumar Sharmaarke. Before we all agree for change of leadership and the campaign of Cumar Sharmaarke, , there are few hurdles that must be crossed. As we speak, the most shrewd and gifted Somali politician of our era, Shariif Hassan Sheekh Aadan, just declared his intention to run for president. This announcement must shake everyone's strategy, as Mr Shariif Hassan controls the largest block of parliament in the country. He must sign the nomination papers of at least 69 members of parliament from South West, that means he is controlling a third of the parliament before he even starts the campaign. My sources tells me that he does not want the parliament speaker position for his region any more, a post held by Baidoa politicians since the formation of Carta government in 2000. He want someone from the "D" block or USC community to take that position in order for him to be president. The fact is no one could become a president or prime minister without the support of Shariif Hassan. Shariif Hassan was a former Khat trader who knows how to gamble , and he is known to be very generous. Any way, this candidacy of Shariif Hassan could change every thing we have been saying for the last few months, including this peace that I just wrote about the prime minister. Finally , I would have loved to finish this topic, but it is only fair to discuss the prospect of Mohamed C. Farmaajo before we conclude. Last week, his party , The Rajo Party, held a well attended meeting in Toronto, Canada. The notables in that conference were some star powers like Amiin Camir and Usur Abraar. The talented cartoonist and the anti corruption crusader and former central bank governor stole the show. We all love Amin Camir and Usur because they are talented and self made Somalis, but the question is, Can they win? Be patent , will try to conclude the next segment and Farmaajo.

He is good man and should be brought back to the party. Mr.Seed is a native of Borama and have strong support in the city. Xaafadiisu waa kuwa noogu ilbaxsan reer Awdal.

Dhagax-Tuur is right , they will never be persecuted. Western capitals and cities not only attract , but encourage looted foreign capital in to their markets, especially housing market. The west coast Canadian city of Vancouver is becoming the most expensive place to live. Local residents are unable to buy houses due to Chinese money. A three bed room condo is selling $2million or more. Wealthy Chinese who either stealing money or avoiding government market regulation are parking their money in the real state. Students with Zero income or retires who declared less than $30,000 in their tax return are buying these houses. Even the Chinese premier who visited Canada this month was asking Canada to sign an extradition treaty to get back the looters. London is probably the premier city for looted money whether it is from Africa, Russia or the gulf. This is seriaes. What you need is to appoint an asset recovery lawyer to investigate all Soomaali leaders, from C/qasim, Rayaale, Siilaanyo and family, and the prime ministers who took the job for the last 12 years.

I agree, Mr. Seed should have read the writing on the wall. Insiders say , the change in headship was apparent many months ago. I do not know when the parties will learn. Party politics is a messy business , but central committees are easy to create and control. Any way, the election will be postponed six more months or even a full year. Siilaanyo has to bow down to the donors and both house and presidency must be held at the same time. Also, the dysfunction of UCID must be resolved. At the same time , if the ruling party tries to take advantage of the Wadani problems and pushes the issues to court, that may take a time to resolve. In any case expect delayed election. That will make the Kulmiye rule eight years or two terms. They just keep postponing the inevitable defeat.

Nasir, I do not know if you are aware, but bitcoin was in trouble few years ago. Like half billion coins disappeared. Zaad service is good and fast , but--there is always a but---our governments and towns could not make any tax revenue from these transactions. Also, it fuels wars, because of the unanimous way of sending money. It is the favorite tools of Al-shbaab. I do not know much about these things. Any way keeping working and let us talk after few years. good luck.

Few months ago in these pages, I did warn C/raxman Cirro, the chairman of the Wadani party in Somaliland , not to mess up the selection of the vice presidential candidate in his party. While most of the blame should go to the so called Awdalites---who have nothing else to do other than run for vice president--- the way chairman Cirro handled this issue showed incompetence and disorganization. I had an extensive discussion to one of the brothers of the vice presidential candidates who hails from the diaspora. He pointed out some important points. First, Mr. Ahmed M. Seed, was one of the founders and the longest serving vice president for five years in the Wadani party, and he was one of the toughest opponents of the ruling Kulmiye party during those years. He was not known as a sectarian or tribal person within the Awdalites, in fact when Suldaan Wabar went to the mountains to challenge Siiialaanyo and company, he did not attack or bad mouth the Suldaan. He blamed the actions and policies of the Siilaanyo government to be the main reason of the armed insurgency. Despite his hard work and long tenure in the party Mr. Muumin Seed was unable to attract prominent members of his community to the party. He was unable to add any heavy weights in the central committee of the party. Mohamed Cali who is less prominent than Seed , added around eight members in the central committee with less than a year. In fact , C/raxman Dahir Aadan--- a charismatic young man who joined the party about four years ago, and subsequently become the chairman of the Minnesota state branch---added more members and media attention to the party. When Chairman Cirro and his delegation were welcomed in America and Canada, they were welcomed like rock stars both in Ottawa and Minneapolis, thanks to the work of A/raxman Daahir. Having said that, if you look the three Awdalites running for the position, Mr. mohamed Cali seem to be the weakest person in terms of toughness and internal political dynamics of the region. May be Mr. Cirro was looking "Caano Madaadshe", just like vice president Rayaalle was selected by then president Cigaal to be just like that. While that is probably my biased view, some people who know both Cirro and Mohaned Cali say that the men have been friends for forty years since their school years and also served together as diplomats. In the end it could be that Mr. Cirro chose his old friend over Muumin Seed. They may be right because, the conventional wisdom says that the president should feel comfortable with the personality of his deputy. Mr. Muumin seed's weakness to attract members were also due to the typical campaign of the Kuimiye party to put wedges between politicians and their communities. People who were close family allies of Muumin Seed were appointed ministers, governors, directors and other prominent positions in the government in order to side line Mr. Seed. His own Suldaan is reported to be one of the close allies of the Siilaanyo palace. These and many other issues forced the party to look another alternative which emboldened the other Awdalites who were vying for the post. Before the the party convention was postponed, Mr. Seed had a meeting with party operatives to discuss the coming competition. According to this gentleman , who was in Hargeisa in that period, Mr. Seed was told explicitly that in order to energize the party and bring new members, the party operatives, hiding behind Mr. Cirro, told him to give up the vice president position and in exchange , he will be one of the most powerful ministers should the party wins the next election, and his sub clan community will hold it's position in the party. With the presence of some prominent elders from Awdal in the meeting , they both accepted the new formula. Mr. Seed did not like the idea of vacating his long held position, but accepted with presence of elders and party operatives. If that is the case, then what changed?. Well, that is where businessman Mohamed Aw said comes to play. Known by most people as Ina Aw Said , this Djibouti based businessman is one of the most successful business people in the region. His Somcable LTD. , subsidiary of Somcable SAS was awarded an exclusive 25 year license to deploy fiber optic cable between Djibouti and Somaliland. In 2009, when Dahir Rayaale refused to award the license, he created a campaign to not only defeat him in the next election, but started a campaign of chaos and blood letting. His allies in the Kulmiye party , started the Ceel Bardaale case which eventually led to the murder of the travelers between Dilla-Borama road. Suddenly , the whole Hargeisa west community rebelled and fought against Rayaale administration. Finally Rayaale changed his mind and allowed his deal over the others submitted by other competitors. Some People may think that Mr. Aw Said is motivated by tribal loyalty to his sub clan and that could be the main reason he is financing the election of Muuse Biixi, but the truth his, most business people are motivated by more important clan which is the green clan--the Money. For him the most crucial thing for his business is to preserve and keep the fiber optic cable monopoly throughout Somaliland. He does not want any other telecom company or competition in this market. In order to keep this monoply, he will do any thing regardless of the consequences. He believes that by funding and controlling Kulmiye, and eventually taking power through Muuse Biixi , will keep his cable monopoly for many years to come. He started that strategy last year by deploying Faysal Waraabe to sideline Gamaal Cali Huseen by destroying the UCID party which could have taken some vote away from Ina Biixi. After finishing off UCID, now he embarked the next stage of his campaign. Early this year Omantel, the Sultanate’s leading provider of integrated telecommunication services, has joined in a consortium with several East African telecommunications providers to lay the Gulf to Africa (G2A) undersea fiber-optic cable, which is set to revolutionize connectivity from Oman to East Africa. A consortium of companies from the region joined in hand to bring the cable through Somaliland. A local group based in Hargeisa joined the partnership and got the necessary licenses to operate in Somaliland. The Somaliland ministry of post and telecommunications approved the first agreements of the deal and proceeded ahead to implement. Ina Aw said of SomCable, immediately cried foul in order to preserve his 25 year monopoly. The citizens who were members of the partnership pushed against the Siilaanyo governments reluctance to fully implement the deployment of the cable from Oman, saying " are we not Somaliland citizens trying to make a living in this business?" Since he had no any legitimate reason to refuse, he gave the impression of allowing the business venture to proceed. Since there were no objections, the minister of telecommunications arranged the Omanis to come to Hargeisa and sign the final deal, while a technical expert group landed in Berbera and proceeded to the coastal regions of Awdal and Saaxil. On the day of the signing, a hastily written letter came from the presidents office and demanded that the deal to be scrubbed. Having went though all the legal hurdles and with knowledge of the government throughout the process, minister Mohamed J. Abgaal, could not comprehend the reason to stop the deal in the eleventh hour , and as expected, signed the deal. The next day in April 29, 2016, Mr, Siilaanyo fired the minister and the man who escorted the telecom workers to the coastal region, Admiral Mohamed H. Hiirane. Here is the press release: " president Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo relieved from duties the Somaliland coast guard commander admiral Mohamed Hussein Hirane and the post and Telecommunication minister Mohamed Jama Abgal with immediate effect from 29th April 2016". "According to the Somaliland presidency the two senior public officials were ordered to hand over to the deputies with immediately as per the statement which did not named replacements The Somaliland head of state justified the removal of the two officers from duties due to ignorance of mandate given to them to serve the Somaliland public. Since a change of government is in the works , Mr. Aw said is panicking. Two or more cable, phone and internet companies are good for the market and the people. A healthy business environment is where competition is allowed among companies. When there is competition, the public wins. We are all familiar with the contract killings in Mogadishu where certain business interests eliminate their rivals by blowing them up or shooting and then blaming the crime to the evil Al-shabaab. Thank God Somaliland did not reach that stage at the moment, but if you allow a greedy businessman to meddle the political system in a way that not only undermines the process , but creates animosity among the communities, bad things could happen. This oligarch must not be allowed to control the market just for himself. While Mr. Cirro has showed calm and due diligence throughout the years, I am not sure if he is tough enough to enforce the law and stand up to the vocal interest groups and oligarchs. Mr. Aw Said did not expect Wadani to replace UCID and become a force to be reckoned. He has been watching the growth of Wadani, especially after the an influential wing of the Kulmiye party , including Hirsi H. Hassan, joined Wadani. Now, he is trying to undermine Wadani by using disgruntled members and sawing disagreements among Awdal communities. Thousands of Dollars are spent to organize opposition groups who may have a bone to pick against Wadani. Unfortunately, that campaign is not working. Many members of Muumin Seed Community would like to resolve the problem and reconcile with the party. On Thursday night, about 18 elders of that community had met to resolve the issue. When the word got out about that meeting , the police showed up and arrested some of those who organized the meeting. It is the typical Kulmiye, pitting communities against one another in order to gain vote. According to reliable sources, Mr. Aw said gave Mr. Seed the $50,000 deposit needed for the vice presidential election, and convinced him to change his mind about abandoning the race. As we speak, the Wadani negotiating team met Mr. Seed and promised to give back his deposit and another fifty for compensation while holding his vice chair seat. The incompetence of Wadani was their failure to write the agreements reached with Mr. Seed earlier and put in a signed document. You can not operate as oral society while discussing crucial issues pertaining about the future of the party. Also, the fact that Mr. Muumin Seed being one of the oldest members of the party , this issue should have been handled earlier with dignity and grace. Any way, it is the interest of the Awdal community to bring both Mohamed Cali And Ahmed Seed to the party, because if these two communities coordinate no one can defeat them.

I could be wrong. C/weli too was probably helped by Damujadiid to defeat C/raxman Faroole. The power now rests with small group of Islaax clerics working quietly for forty years in business and Dacwa to gain power. They are " The Sheekh family". They do not have the support of the people and without Amisom, the insurgents would probably take over villa Somalia, By the way , as you said the Ethiopian army is in danger, because the conscripts are mostly Oromo and Ahmara while the officers are TPLF. The war with Eriteria in 2000, where tens of thousands of soldiers died, forced the TPLf to recruit poor Oromo's and others. Also, for the large Oromo under class, the army was the stepping stone for employment. Officially the Ethiopia army is around 200, 000 soldiers., who knows how many are Oromo?.

Malister, this community must stand down and transfer the power peacefully without delay. It is not healthy for democracy for one single group to rule in three different terms .

This president supposed to replace the foreign troops in Mogadishu and surrounding region, yet he did the unthinkable by increasing their presence. in central Somalia. This faction of Islaax have fragmented Somalia through the leadership of Small influential group financed by the gulf.

The Mudug brothers need peace and harmony. This war was engineered ( waxa laga soo staadhay) from Villa Somalia. Hassan Sheekh single handily picked the leaders of Galmudug, South West, and Hiiraan/Shabeelle , while the Kenyans installed Ahmed Maoobe of Jubba land. That means Puntland is the only administration that was selected by their own people. These Mudug communities ( Puntland and Galmudug) should make a united front and defeat the Al-shabaab and other anarchists together. The Galmudug administration should concentrate to clean the internal groups in Galmudug denying their legitimacy and leadership. There is Ehlu Sunnah Wal Jameeca -a non state anarchist militia claiming to represent central Somalia while occupying Dhuusamareeb and other places. Al-shabaab is not only active , but took over couple of villages for the last few weeks. By most accounts, the Galmudug region is growing in terms of business and trade . What is missing is law and order. Still, both the Cadaado , Caabudwaaq and Dhuusamareeb communities hold their arms and men separately. While Senator Cabdi Qaybdiid openly transferred his arms and militia to the new Galmudug leadership, all other communities have their own militia. Mr. C/kariim guuleed, the Damujadiid stooge should try to be independent and find peace with his neighbors and reject the schemes from Damujadiid. So, Mr.Guuleed has a lot fish to fry than worry about Puntland, he must bring other anarchists in the region under his control. Rather than spend their energy to fight their brothers in Gallakacayo and force thousands of citizens to flee this useless conflict, they must work hard to build their nascent state and bring law and order in central Somalia. The Puntlanders also must sit down with their brethren in MUdug and work out solutions without the useless guarantees of Ethiopia or Villa Somalia. Why would a Somali leader want to spread instability in the peaceful regions of the country?. Few months ago hundreds of Al-shabaab landed in Puntland and Mudug in order to take hold in the cities and coastal area. Fortunately , they were defeated and the unnecessary help of Amisom was not needed. I did mention last month the intentions of Hassan Sheekh to bring Amisom to Puntalnd and other places. For him, since he can not control these regions, he rather give the control to Amisom and others. He want to destroy the idea of some Somalis running their affairs without the presence of foreign army. Well, thanks to Hassan Sheekh, by 2017, South Central Somalia is totally occupied by Amisom.

Last week I did mention how fluid is the situation about the prospect of the candidates running for president . By now , those who have any political weight have already declared their intentions and the list of possible winners is shrinking. This was the list of credible heavy weights last week: Hassan Sheekh Mohamuud Shariif Sheekh Ahmed Cumar Abdirashid Sharmaarke. C/weli Sheekh Ahmed Mohamed Adbilahi Farmaajo Abdirahman Mohamed Faroole Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame Faadumo Dayib As we speak , the chances of many players have already diminished. He might be making a lot of noises in the media, but C/raxman Faroole is no longer among those expected to make the final list. As I said before in this pages, Mr.Faroole is not liked by most Somalis and especially those in the southern part of the country consider him as a " Red Neck". I have no intention of explaining what that means in the Somali political arena, but let us just say that he could be considered as someone who is more than eager to advance the interest of his kin more than the others. Also, the latest news from Garowe indicate that C/raxman Foroole is trying to take a seat from the higher chamber (Senate). That is a logical path for him and those who may only spoil the chances of others. When Cumar C. Sharmaarke declared his intentions , I knew Faroole had conceded and stood down for the prime minister. A well versed senior from Puntland told me that all politicians from that region including C/weli agreed to back the prime minister. There are also rumors that say the Puntland president might be a Damujadiid closet who favors Hassan Sheekh to win the seat. In 2012, C/weli Gaas and many other opposition members backed Hassan Sheekh against president Shariif Ahmed which in turn helped Hassan to get power. That vote from Gaas's backers was a conditional which guaranteed him for a prime minister. Actually , Mr. Gaas was not the only politician betrayed by president Hassan Sheekh. Conventional wisdom says that if Hassan wins re-election , his would be prime minister will be Mr. C/weli Gaas himself. In the light of these reports, we should revise the list one more time. President Hassan Sheekh Mohamuud Prime minister Cumar C. Sharmaarke President Sheekh Sharrif Sh. Ahmed Mohamed C. Farmaajo A/rahman C/shakur Warsame As I said in the first part, being the most qualifies or the best candidate for the future of Somalia does not guarantee one to be president. I really do believe a guy like Mahamuud Nur Tarsan could be a good president and able leader who could fix some of the security problems of the country. He is the only candidate that addresses the issue of corruption and nepotism in the state bureaucracy and security. He was raised by the Somali state ( in orphanage) and has no tribal loyalty or allegiance, other than the Somali state and people. I wish him well. Having said that , it is very difficult for Tarsan to overtake two presidents from Mogadishu like him. No one can ignore that President Hassan Sheekh has created a lot of distrust among the Somali public on the direction of the country. His actions or inaction has created a weak country flooded by foreign intelligence and NGO's coupled with criminal oligarchs. He does not want to tackle the issues that strengthen the state and the nation. Everyone is talking about the booming business of Mogadishu and all the high rise buildings that cover the landscape. Crime, contact killing and daily extremist insurgency are all cohabiting in the nations capital. That kind of environment or state should not be taken as normal or progress. In the early eighties and nineties , there were countries in Latin America undermined by drug dealers and local insurgents. Assassinations, drug killings and crime became the daily life of those countries. They were not failed states but functioning countries with quasi normal businesses opportunities for those who are involved in these crimes, but in the real world they were called " Narco States". Presidents and local politicians were assassinated, police were used as a death squads and rich business oligarchs controlled the state and the military. I the same parallel in Mogadishu, where business is booming for the oligarchs and those connected politicians , coupled with corrupt gulf money laundered through politicians. Security contractors, NGO's and business oligarchs are all awash with money intended to alleviate poverty. With all that evil added with the killing machine of Al-shabaab , the Somalia that will be emerging from these chaos will be worse than the narco states of of Latin America. If we continue this path, chaos and dirty business money and insurgency will co exist , and the average Somali would have no say of the process of the elections or who should be running the government. Former president Shariif Ahmed and the future. He was the moderate voices of the Islamic court of Mogadishu in 2006. He was president in one of the difficult times of Somalia. For the first time in 15 years, the IC were able to pacify a city that lost law and order after the collapse of the Somali state. Unfortunately they appeared at the scene once a transitional government was selected in Nairobi, Kenya. They were a mix of Wahabi clerics who were hungry for power and small time religious courts formed by locals to fight back against bandits, thieves and warlords during early 2000. In an interview with a New York times reporter, dispatched from Mogadishu in late nineties , showed the future conflicts between Islamic groups led by Aweys and other politicians. In that interview, Aweys openly criticized democratic system of western governments and their advocates in Somalia as unIslamic. In that same interview , former president Cali Mahdi, said " we the politicians and the so called Islamic groups are both seeking to gain the power, they ( Aweys and company) want to you use Islam as a vehicle and we want to get there through elections". I did not even check that quote, it is still in my memory. Those Somalis who were trying to avoid a conflict between the Islamic courts and the legitimate transitional government , wanted to find some kind of resolutions. On one had, you have a group who were able to pacify the nations capital after many years of chaos, but lacked the legitimacy of a recognized government, while the transitional government was the legitimate and recognized entity of Somalia. Those of us who were concerned with the conflict thought that these two entities could compliment each other if they compromise about those issues. A friend who was involved in the Islamic movements said at the time that " if these Islamic Courts make a compromise at this juncture of the Somali political history, they will save their gains and would run the country within ten years. Rather than find common ground with the government, the IC were agitating for conflict and war. They did not realize by removing the Somali government from the scene, the IC will be directly facing the Ethiopian government who were trying to meddle the Somali state. A well known Somali philosopher Dr. Cumar Raabe said , "The actions of the Islamic groups brought foreign intervention to Somalia( Jabhaduhu Dawladii Soomaaliyeed ayey rideen, dagaal oogayaashuna qarankii ayey qaawiyeen oo baabi'iyeen, Wadaadaduna ( Kooxaha Dinta U ehel sheeganaya), shisheeye ayey ku soo hogaamiyeen" ) . As long as there was a Somali government, there were no chance of IC and Ethiopia facing each other inside the country. The unsophisticated and arrogant Islamic courts eventually ended up in the trap set up by Ethiopia. When the first skirmishes started in Baidoa and Hiiraan, I told some of those emotional IC backers that they will be defeated in weeks not months. Defeating warlords and local tribal militia is totally different than engaging organized states. The rest is history. Former president Shariif Ahmed was one the leader who could not control or lead these groups when it was necessary to control. He was a weak leader who could not make the real decisions. He signed the same deal he refused in 2006, three years later after many thousand have died. He and the IC were accusing the government by aligning themselves with Ethiopia, but it was their actions that forced the government to seek help, yet after he became president, he flew to Ethiopia and accepted their help. He was the man who brought Amisom and others in the country. When C/laahi Yusuf was president, Villa-Somalia was guarded by Somali troops, but Shariif Ahmed replaced them with Ugandan troops. He seemed to know his enemies well since they were his former comrades, but was unable to make any peace deals with them. The main reason he replaced the A/laahi Yusuf government was to empower him in order to bring most of the local insurgency under his control, yet , as soon as he was sworn, the insurgency increased and strengthened. He fought against Al-shabaab well during his term and were very proactive in his efforts to pacify the capital. Unlike president Hassan Sheekh, his administration looked like Somalia. His cheif of staff was from Galdogob, his spokesman was from Sool , his intelligence chief was from Galmudug and so on. It is one of the advantages of being in the Islamic movements who usually operate non tribal environment. I would take Shariif Ahmed any day verses Hassan Sheekh, and I will support him if he wins the election, but I do not believe he should be the president of Somalia in 2016. There are many reasons , and the main ones are: 1-The Islamic movements must stand down. There is no doubt the Islamic movements have the biggest advantages of any Somali organizations could dream of. They lack the tribal cancer . While the Somali saying of " religious men do not leave behind their tribe( Fiqi Tolkii kama jano tego) is still true in our country, the Islamic movements has the least of these tribal cancers. The only problem is they have replaced the tribal cancer with another uncompromising zeal of Wahabi doctrine that is more deadly than the tribe. In tribal societies , there is always someone to talk to resolve these issues. While Conflicts do happen , they always have conclusions or end game. In 1993, Claahi Yusuf and Mohamed F. Caydiid, (ahn both of them) signed a peace deal in Gaalkacayo, which lasted more than 20 years. In Somaliland it was the tribal agreement of 1993 in Borama that brought the peace. The SNM boys would tell you that the Burco conference of 1991 was the foundation of the Somaliland, but the truth is that conference brought nothing but wars and conflicts that raged for the next few years. Peace came when Ibrahim Cigaal, a democrat and man respected by his tribe sat down with other tribes and formulated a system that brought people together. Shariif Ahmed might be a moderate cleric but, in the eyes of the Wahabis groups, he is not genuine enough. What I mean is : the time has come for Somalis to dislodge our self from these doctrine and the so called movements from our political landscape. There are two types of movements in these parts of the world: one is Wahabi , fueled by petrol dollars , specifically tailor made for the Saudi feudal monarchy. This sect is a perfect solution for closed and controlled monarchies of gulf, where open societies are threat to the feudal order . Where ever this sect is introduced chaos and mayhem follows. It is the deadly ideology of the Al-shabaab insurgents. The other one is the Muslim brotherhood which is forward looking , but needs organizational and modern skills to thrive. The argument is that they both are foreign elements. In Turkey , they have Islamic oriented parties and government , but they follow their own Islamic traditions, local customs and modern Turkey centered system. You may cal what ever you like, but it is a forward looking , modern and nation building movement that is reviving peacefully it's long history and traditions through democracy and development. Just as you can not copy as a whole the western system of government in to the Somali way of life, you can not import sectarian Islamic movements based either in Saudi Arabia or Egypt. Also, we are not sophisticated enough to incorporate all these competing systems to the independent Somali nomadic life. I conclude by saying that , in order to prosper and live in peace, let us go back to our traditional main stream Islamic ways of moderation, mercy and tolerance . We need the typical Somali Muslim , fulfilling his prayers, understanding our tradition and combining the modern way of governance. So, Shariif Ahmed would never have been at the center of Somali politics without being the vehicle of the Wahabis who were trying to gain power. 2- He could not defeat or bring the extremists to the table. Two days ago mortar shells were directly fired to the residence of former president Shariif Ahmed by Al-shabaab fighters who seemed to be sending a message to his candidacy. He made a name for himself by being the leader who could bridge the gab, but history has shown that he could neither defeat them militarily nor bring them to the table. His former friends are emboldened by his opportunistic moves and would not rest until they take a revenge against him, so we do not want a leader who is playing chicken games against Al-shabaab. He was also well known to tell every one what they liked to hear without taking strong position in some of the crucial issues. In fact, the Kenyans entered Somalia without his permission . When the Kenyans entered Somalia in 2011, his first reaction was to oppose and reject their moves, but later on, he was pushed to backtrack his stand and eventually accepted their presence. Just like Hassan Sheekh , he also believes Somalia as a nation or it's leaders could not stand without others walking them as toddlers learning how to walk. Of course , a country that went through civil war and many other calamities like Somalia, needs as much help as we could get, but the countries priorities must rest with the leadership and the people to dig themselves out. If you read some of the statements regarding former president Shariif Ahmed in the Wikileaks cables, you would be surprised that he is not only incapable leading in to strong direction, but can not even help himself. In his conversation with the under secretary of state for Africa , he is begging the state department to arrange scholarship and living space in one of American university. Here, we have a president who could not even pay or arrange himself a few semesters of English language school without the guidance of a foreign power. . In 2011, he spent in Uganda almost eight days , sleeping and staying in their hotels like some kind of a homeless person. I am not making this staff up, it is how this president behaved in difficult times. Believe me, this generation of Somali leaders have probably came from the same generation of Somalis who have build nothing or had never experienced any thing great about their people and country. Regardless of how ruthless or dictatorial they were , I will take C/yusuf, Caydiid or Siyaad Barre any day against this hapless group of incompetent leaders. A former member of Somali revolutionary counsel, Ahmed Hassan Muuse, who is living a quite life in Burco , Togdheer--narrating his early years of the revolution---said " when foreign embassies or delegates send a telegram to meet us, we just dragged and dragged our feet, which took sometimes months", he continues, " because we knew they always wanted to force their agenda against our throat regardless of how we felt, but we held our ground". He also said we never dealt with NGO's in ministry level. Well, this were the proud Somalis of yesterday. The presidency is not a family affair ( Qori isu dhiib ma ahan). Marna Rashiid marna Risaaq, inta kae ma rootibaa. This poem was proclaimed by Shariif Ahmed's community in the middle of sixties. But the big difference is those men the poem referenced were elected or appointed through direct elections without the presence of foreign powers or extremist insurgents. While it is important for the Mogadishu based communities to play important role in the rebuilding of the nation, the idea of rotating the presidency from Shariif Ahmed To Hasan Sheekh and back to Shariif, means nepotism at it's worst. The idea of keeping the power to Shariif and company at the expense of other Somalis is unacceptable. In 2016, Somalia needs a leader with no packages, whether that is Al-shabaab, Islamic court, Damujadiid or any other names. The new leader should be just a decent Somali who did not create this mess directly or indirectly like Shariif Ahmed. On that and many other reasons , I do not think former president Shariif should be brought back ti fix a mistake he created years ago. Having said that , the Shariif is among those who have a higher chance of winning this election than many others. By the way, that does not mean he is the best candidate. Having eliminated the Shariif and Sheekh Hassan, let us look the other remaining candidates. Cumar C. Sharmaarke C/raxman C/.shakur Warsame Mohamed C. Farmaajo. Since my last post two weeks ago, the chances of C/weli Sheekh Ahmed went down , while those from Farmaajo are growing. We have to wait and see for few weeks how Mr. C/raxman C. Warsame is faring in this battle. I did see one his campaign speeches and he seems to be well versed on issues of governing, accountability and economy. He is a man who have enough education on both world ( Aqoon diineed iyo mid maadi), and he is not related to Shariif and Hassan Sheekh which is very important in this election. Before we discuss the chances of C/raxman Warsame and Farmaajo, I would like to address how our prime minister is faring in this contest. Cumar C. Sharmaarke, the prime minister. While his ancestral homeland is in Puntland, Mr.Sharmaarke was born in Mogadishu which makes him a local boy from the nations capital. Those who know Mr. Sharmaarke consider him to be as cool as cucumber. He does not have some of the weaknesses most Somali espouse in their daily interaction which is quick temper and emotion. One member of parliament describing him said: " Mr. Jawaari, the speaker, may got angry by some of the issues pushed by the government , and suddenly pick up the phone and call the prime minister", he continued , " knowing how the matter is delicate, he would ignore the phones for hours or so and then call him back latter after things cooled down". He seemed to be well versed the Mogadishu game which needs some skill . He hails from a great family. His father was the first prime minister of the independent Somalia in early sixties. He was also the second president of the republic. Before his Assassination by his body guard, Somalia was a beacon hope and peace. The blood spilled by that faithful day of October 15, 1969, was the end of a good beginning for the republic. On the other hand , he seemed to be a man of law energy....................... To be continued. On the next segment we will finish the premier, C.C. Warsame and Mohamed Farmaajo.

Abwaan Sangub is one of the remaining Somali playwright and composers of our time and we wish him good health. The good thing is, he is among his people . Also we salute mr. Coldoon.