Having local control of the basic services is the ultimate desire of every Somali. By nature, we Somalis are fiercely independent almost to the borderline of anarchism. At the moment , the Somali regions are not interested about federal system or even delegation of power to towns and cities. Federalism would force them to allow the locals to manage their affairs and collect taxes. Might even force direct taxation from the federal government, they will be no longer able to print money, build regional armies and have their own foreign policy. They have neglected their basic duties of set up local administration according to the federal system. I do not blame them for some of the shortcomings since they have to fend off themselves and take care of their own security by creating local militia, but peaceful regions like Puntland should have moved to the next level. I hope in the near future that the federal government doesn't need to interfere the elections and politicians of the regions as long as they abide by the charter and constitution. At the moment, it is the duty of the federal government to eliminate those who are serving the interest of the neighbors who are fighting us both in the international arena and within Somalia through proxy forces. Direct democracy and real delegation of power is a threat to the regional leaders and to many Somali tribes. It has been 15 years since Somaliland held parliamentary elections and Puntalnd doesn't even have any elections in the cards after 21 years. How can they blame the national government for incompetence while keeping the status quo for themselves, especially Puntalnd without implementing any direct democracy and delegation of power. By nature Somali tribes are greedy and unjust. The idea of tribes coming together and forging a national charter without no one enforcing these agreements is a folly that exists only in Somalia. Peace is achieved through strength. Al-shabaab might be defeated one day, but the dysfunction of the regions and throat cut tribal competition inherited for the last 30 years, would stay with as for a long time. If we let them to design their own narrow interest for the nation, they will use the typical Geeljire methods of winners taking all. Yet, despite the hubris of these tribes, each one of them is venerable. They might celebrate a short victory , but history has shown that no tribe is invincible in the nation of the nomads. Just look at Tukaraq and other places. THese entities are fighting to dominate and control people who should be free to choose their own destiny --Sool and Sanaag. The same goes with those ridding the Kenyan tanks. They have no interest of people voting or agreeing with a fair charter. The idea of tribes accepting and being honest to each other is impossible. Gari laba nin kama wada qosliso. Ninka qaadiga ahi (The judge) markuu xukumayo gacan ku dhiiglaha ma ahan in uu la ooyo ama ka naxo. Also, history has shown that tribes do not judge or even adjudicate justice.. When was the last time you seen a real court dispensing justice and convicting anyone among the tribal homelands?. We must have a just arpiter who has the ultimate legitimacy to right the wrongs and that should be the national government and the national army represented by every villager. . So, we can't let tribes dictate, national destiny. Besides, tribes are narrow minded, some even think that the wealth of the nation might not be enough to divide among the people. Xataa garan maayaan in dalku ina wada deeqayo.That is why they taking as much as they can when they get power. I wish tribes would vote for their own interest, yet they even fail those basic things. These so called fear of dictatorship is a political maneuverings of the opposition. The era of dictatorship is gone and it is not going to come back. Few years ago, around 2014, I asked a local professor about prospect of a national government being achieved in the coming years. He said , it will take 25 to 30 years, it might be slow but is the nature of democracy. No one should wait another 30 years to have a national government. Even democracy has due dates and ways to pass unpopular bills regardless of the opposition. A national leader must accommodate the regions, yet at the same time , he must understand that the overriding responsibility of fulfilling his national duties of securing the nation must be paramount despite the constant grumbling of the opposition. Personally, I favour a benevolent authoritarian leader who would pacify the nation first and then deal the internal housekeeping issues later. I bet if these maneuvers were done by Hassan Sheikh or others these smear campaign of dictatorship wouldn't have been used. Our Islamic tradition teaches us the the power or the " Chair" is in the heavens and Allah the almighty bestows it whom he wishes. It is the will of Allah that a slow speaking and reclusive man from Ansalooti, Banadir to become the head of the state and many of our compatriots are up in arms. Some guys in Hargeisa, Gaalkacayo and Mogadishu are probably terrified of anything led by the Kacaan community. Since most of the Al-shabaab and and the threat to security emanates from the land of the two rivers, the federal government has a duty to interfere both politically and militarily. Puntalnd should not have to worry for now. But, if they keep mixing up with bad actors in Jubba , and the gulf, then the national army might land in Galdogob and slowly move to Boosaaso and kick the fat Arabs from the country which is the legitimate right of the federal army to secure ports and points of entry. I know it is a long way from that scenario, and I hope the separatists and their brethren in Puntalnd should not lose any sleep for now. I do not know about tomorrow. WE must allow those who have mandate to govern to implement their agenda . If they fail , throw them out office next time. despite the talk of dictatorship, I haven't seen anyone accuse Farmaajo of tribalism. In fact, there is no one from Gedo even working inside the office of the president. Waar waxa meesha ka talinaya Madaxweyne aan qabiil lahayn. Madaxweyne aan cidna ilaa hadda ku eedeyn in uu lacag dhacay. Daara ma dhisan sidii kii ka horeeyey. Anyway, we do not oppose a fair and democracy based federal system. in conclusion, Our friend Deni has to make his mind. If he joins the national agenda and oppose Kenya, UAE and others we will welcome him and help his efforts to bring prosperity to Puntland, but if he joins the axis of evil and those who are our current enemies, may Allah help, because we might get him.

One might argue that both Puntland and Somaliland might have served the people well during the warlord and antachy times, but if they do not move to join the nation state, the civil war would come back to these parts. In Somaliland, tribal quarrell is getting ugly and the only way to resolve is to look higher ideals like joining the federal government. Any tribal " Xadhig isu Dhiib" will not fix the system.You can't bribe tribes for the small meagres that supposed to build schools. A national government might cure some of these illnesses.

Che, When Puntland was formed some twenty years ago, the hope was that these bottom up approach would reach everyone and a decentralized federal government would take shape. Which was noble idea. Yet, Puntland must understand that if the instability of the South Central Somalia continues, it will eventually affect the cohesiveness of the system. in Puntland. If you can't advance to the second stage, the chances are you might regress and move backward..The new generation and the young doesn't care what happened 40 years ago.

I read this article from the beginning and found some interesting responses , especially from Mr. Abtigiis who showed a well versed knowledge of the situation. This writer seeking Puntland sovereignty must have got the attention of many Somalis by his bold declaration, yet it doesn't really surprise me because some twenty years ago during the Carta, Djibouti process, I have met some Puntlanders who were advocating for secession. Also, unlike many Somalis, most Puntlandes do not even consider the elusive Somaliland separation seriously. Not because they are indifferent about the breakup of the country, but they see either the " Ictiraaf Raadis" thing as a game or political maneuvering of a clan seeking to gain something they do not deserve or just a process and stage Somalis must go through. They just do not worry that much about it.Even a some told me that , " Somaliland Mashruuceeda waxaan soo xidhnay maalintii aanu maakhaayada Puntland ka ag furanay".In other words, by incorporating Sool and SAnaag , Puntland has dismantled any notion of Somaliland separating. Yet, I can assure you that if one single Somali entity separates, Puntland will be next. for certain generations of Somalis who have studied history in the diaspora, it is difficult for them to grasp the real history of the country without quoting some distant foreigner with ulterior motives. This writer is also throwing around the so called Northern Sultanates without distinguishing the Maakhir Sultanate of the Sanaag and Bari from the Osmania Sultanate of Hobyo and North East. One was under British while the other was under Italian rule. He is faulting the Puntlanders who participated the SYL movement. Well, just like those from Ceerigaabo, Borama and Zaylac had to go to Hargeisa for the power transfers from the British, Mogadishu was the main Italian headquarters , and since the north easterners were part of the Italian Somaliland, they had no choice but to go to the main city and join these movements. Yet, Mr. Ahmed, the writer should probably point out the biggest mistake the SYL and the North Easterners made in late nineteen forties was rejecting the British to administer all the Somali territories until independence which would have given the Somalis an opportunity to gain as much land as possible at once , rather than fragment the land. Instead , they opted to be under the defeated Italian administration. Also his idea of lambing Puntland , Somaliland and Jubbland is another partisan maneuver to make them the opposition front against the federal government. Furthermore, Somaliland doesn't favour the so called federal system or even decentralized power sharing following the federal system. They oppose the idea of Hie-Shabeele, Puntaland and Galmudug.They insist on negotiating to the South Somalia as a whole. They are shocked that everyone is equal just like them. They also afraid that the federal caravan would reach them and give everyone its own place under the sun. Jubbaland is one city state at the moment with the occupation of Kenya. While Somaliland and Puntland are stable at the moment, all these three are different entities. Also, by declaring that a unified Somali state whether its federal or centralized as a threat to the nations of the horn, the writer had showed the colonial arguments advanced by certain neighbors of Somalia. If a Somali who enjoys the multicultural nature of the nations states of the west and other nations can't accept the desire of the mere 15 million Somalis who share unique cultural ties under one flag, he is certainly a man of backward looking person arguing on tribal viewpoint. While one must point out the buying of regional leaders by the federal government as grave danger or abuse of power, they must not be advocating for the dismantling of the state. I consider these arguments as part of certain pressure groups who are out of the power at this juncture. As I said, these voices become louder when Puntlanders are out of the power structure just as in twenty years ago. This fear of centralized dictatorship is a red herring. On the other hand , it is the duty of every national government to keep its nation together. Furthermore, with political brinkmanship of Kenya and others, only the federal government can stop the dismantling of the nation. People should not assume that the NGO sponsored meetings between these entities to go on for decades. Puntalnd has done its part to keep the country together by blocking Somaliland, now it must help the federal government to pacify South Central Somalia to stop Kenya and others from curving out Jubbaland. Farmaajo and Khayre are both outsiders according to the old guards, yet these groups like SAnbaloolshe and others had the opportunity to affect real changes but failed. If Farmaajo succeeds to pacify South Central Somalia , the opposition voices could get louder.

Oday gooni Afkaasi mid nin weyn ma ahan. Do not generalize people. Siday wax kaa noqdeen. Sanbaloolshe is looking for a job.

My friend , The world has changed. No region should deny the federal government to land on its own airports. The Airport might belong to the regions physically, but all movements must be controlled by the federal government. If Farmaajo is listening , here is another directive from the minister of aviation: Effective mediately, all airports within the republic must be under the control of the federal governments . No one can enter the country without the approval of the national border control units. Anyone who refuses this directive will be denied airplanes to land in that region. We are entering a new era my friend.

By the way, all those Tigray generals who dealt with the arms trade were arrested. Abiy is trying to get back the cash which is very difficult.

OO, UAE already left Djibouti and doesn't care if it is close to Puntalnd. Do you have to throw Djibouti in every thread?. Remember, the UAE is becoming the chaos and mischief manufacturer of the horn and the Red Sea. Who knows, they might try to ignite more wars between Puntalnd and Somaliland. Or even push Deni to clash with Galmudug and derail the Hobyo project. Both of these regions have scares inventory of weapons since Abiy Ahmed stopped the arms dealing of the TPLF in these regions. The Tigray generals made millions of dollars from these transactions. It was a well known open secret. Metel, the Ethiopian government owned public company who also manufactures tanks and other weapons were the main principle. From top leadership to the law level clerks were all Tigray . There were reports about another mysterious planes circling north of Hargeisa. They could both delivering black market weapons. Where is the so called air control units who must know these flights?

Suldaanka, Bal noo jilci. Sawirku muxuu sheegaya?

I do not think the UK is willing to join among the spoilers and lose its standing. The UAE is going down the drain. Everyone is waiting just one missile from Houthis or other players to hit Dubai and they will be history. Who knows a war may break out between the corrupt crown prince Mohamed.Bin Zayed of Abu Dabi who is the architect of the gulf quagmire and the man who lost almost all his family and soon his business, Mohamed Bin Maktoum of Dubai. . Xaaf, Fiqi, Faroole and others have nothing to lose, but Cabdulahi Deni should be very careful. The last spokesman of the regional governments was Xaaf and he is done like a dinner. Be careful who you break the bread with these days. Just expect Xaaf and Faroole , two 80 years old men making the dance floor.

Tilamook, Joking aside, You know domestic flights within the republic can fly to Kismaayo . We are targeting only the Kenyans.

Tilamook, I have already spilled the beans, I should have kept quiet. The Feds might have redirected to Xamar the plane who might be carrying Faysal Waraabe and company in their way to KIsmaayo. Damn we could have even captured the loud mouth Waraabe. One thing I know is Tillamook Is the most ardent federalist among the SOLers or even in the diaspora. I am also a federalist. I want small manageable federalism.

OO, That is a very wise statement. It was bad for human loss , but politically it did help the ONLF . They were allowed to open political offices in Canada, USA , UK and Australia.The CIA rewarded them .

OO, The Saudis and UAE will lose big time in any military or adventure in the middle east. When Cali Cabdalla Salah was overthrown, the logical government were supposed to be the Islah party which dominated the parliament.Since Islah was a moderate Islamic oriented party, the Saudis begun to arm and finance both the Houthis and the C.A Salah controlled military. THe same Saudis were fighting the Houthis in Saada province for ages. THey revived Cali Salah and the Houthis while weakening the Cabdel Rabo Mansour government. Neither Obama nor Saudis targeted the Houthis while marching to the capital. Last weak when the UAE separatist armies took over Aden, the Yemeni tribes in the South had decided to team up and throw out the mercenaries. Since the overwhelming of the Yemenis reject the UAE and its mercenaries, Islah and the tribes might change the direction of the war soon. Since UAE is anti democratic and anti MUslim, they will create a chaos. In Somalia we had the same UAE mercenaries who were paid and controlled by them. THank God we threw them out of our last year while many corrupt regional governments were crying for UAE. The stars are alligned for Somalia. Our enemies are going down one by one. In Soomaalidu Tiihii iyo dhibtii ka baxayso waxa u daliila ah kuwii cadawgeena ahaa oo dhamaantood daciifay ama masiibo ku timid. Agoontii Imaaraadka iyo Tigreegu ka tagay waan u soo soconaaye Ilaahayow noo gargaar.

People must understand that while the regional government should have local administrative authorities, like policing, education and local taxation, none of their powers should never deny the federal government the power to enter those regions and lead the overall security. For years, the regional governments and others used to point out the weakness of the national government for an excuse to deny her legitimacy or recognition. We all pointed out about the Ugandan army guarding the president. Finally, the national government is flexing its muscle. The national army had taken over Bariire, Aw Dhiigle and other crucial villages in lower Shebeele without Amison army. Sheikh Cali Dheere, who took over the job of former Al-Shabaab spokesman Mukhtaar Roobow--the man the former UN envoy wanted to be governor of SWS---has been mortally wounded. The 30 years old dysfunction of central Somalia (Galmudug) might be fixed with presence of the national army. The foreign policy success of Somalia is bearing fruits. The international community had enough of throwing money to regional governments which has refused time and again to build any credible institutions. Finally , they decided that while it is useful to help the Somali people within the regions, they realized that Without a national government, the Somali quagmire will not end. Well Madoobe and Kenya had refused the federal government to come to KIsmaayo, and now they have been prescribed the same medicine. Waxa ay cashar u tahay kuwii dhihi jiray, dawlada taagta daran ee Xamar dhaafi la'. Hadaba Xamar way soo dhaaftay oo way soo socotaaye ka hor dhaqaaqa. In the next few days, we will be all witnessing the last dance of the weak regional governments in KIsmaayo to celebrate the wedding of Ahmed Madoobe. Guests will be coming from Garoowe and Hargeisa. Dhag dheer dhimatoo dhulkii waa nabad.

OO, 40 to 50 years ago sea access wasn't that important. International trade was mostly based western Europe, North America and Japan and few Asian tigers. India, China, and Brazil were not even the top 25. The USA was the only Trillion dollar economy. Today, China is hitting 20 trillion and the world economy is 70 trillion. Thanks to international trade, economic growth , and sea access is going to be huge.Imagine if Japan was landlocked, Thousands of trains and trucks could not have handled their export cargo. Afghanistan is full of rare earth elements.Even Trump complained about not getting those elements while CHina is planning to get in without firing a shot. On the other hand , good climate, easy access to sea , and abundant resources make certain nations lazy and complacent. One thing I know is that if Somalis ever rise from these ashes, we would be unstoppable. the Ethiopians will probably work for us like Mexicans in America. OO, remember, many nations in the Arab world and Africa have yet to go through what we through, and there is zero chances for many to survive like us.

REports indicate Hafter of Libya has large number of blacks both from Sudan, Chad and Mali. Yet in Sudan , they seem to be losing in Sudan lately. They tried couple of failed coups against the current leader. A few thousands Somali nomads would have crushed the Houthis with few billions of dollars for the rebuilding of Somalia. If the Saudis were smart , rather than worry Egypt and other places, they could give $10 billions to Somalia and Yemen will be save within a short time. We are tougher than the Janjaweed.

OO, I did miss that one really. Since when Ethiopia joined the security council. I saw in the news Djibouti trying to a spot at the table competing against Kenya. Abiy Ahmed should be voting with us or else....

Che, Thanks for watching the house for all us. You are really making a difference. Abuukar Baale is doing a great job.

Warya Dalmar, Puntland marka la dhaho miyaad xajiimootaa. This are your neighbors. Try to read carefully before jumping the gun. When I say Mudug, that means Mudug will have its own province as always shared by both the communities of Gaalkacayo, Garacad, Galdogob, Xaradheere and Hobyo. In this scenario there will not be such thing as Galmudug. Galgaduud will be its own province. The era of lamping Somali regions for tribal reasons will be over. You have to learn how to live and share your destiny with your neighbors in North Gaalkacayo and forget about Dhuusamareeb. THe same goes with those in Puntalnd. There are no reasons with those in Qandala, Xaafuun and Qardho to share institutions with the Reer Mudug who are more than a thousand kilometers away. OO, My friend , it seems you didn't get the memo about the future realignment and refining the federal system. God forbid for wishing any ill will to Puntalnd or anyone else. These are some of my internal musingsand growing pains of perfecting the union and providing efficient government service to people. Puntalnd is doing okay at the moment but it could do better. Somalia can't afford to spend way over 90% of its revenue to maintain a top down elite and bureaucracy that is tailored to give the big man a platform and microphone to be heard by rest of us.A man with the revenue of typical small town should not be having red carpets and 200 men entourage will visiting the next door town. It is all about those few resources that should not be wasted for a big fish alone. I am not saying let us dismantle what is working at the moment, but direct democracy, deregulation and bringing services to people is our main goal. Also, in the long run, like any other society, we want to reduce the sectarian attachment of the tribal regions by citizens. We don't want to have Quebec or Scotland. We want our children to love, live and die for their country not for their Maamul. At the same time Somaliland will be either three or four regions. 30 years of Somaliland self rule had produced $200 million budget with 70% unemployment and almost minuscule institutions.. What more examples do you want?. And remember, the Punties are following and even copying Somaliland in many ways. We are not Oromia or Tigray within Ethiopia, we are Somalis within the Somali republic which we all share. Any Somali can settle in Baidhba and run for office. Don't try to copy the clever Tigray formula designed to keep them in power for 27 years and destroy the Amhara hegemony. It was a good fit for Ethiopia which had allowed and facilitated the rise of Oromo and the overthrow of the thousand year old empire, but we do not want to apply that in our country. We want everyone to manage and lead his province but we do not want to create and maintain a small pond with a big fish jumping up and down. Do you want an autonomy? manage your province and share those who are your neighbors. Stop idolizing your tribal cousins miles away. The Garoowe mayor is correct that people and the world will respect and judge us according to the strength and weaknesses of the republic not Puntalnd or Hiiraanland.That is why we should put our efforts to build and strengthen the national government. THat is why Farmaajo must listen to us and build the strength of the national army, national government and our standing at the world stage. More than half of the Ethiopians are living below the poverty line, yet they have a nation and government that is functioning. So, please don't sound the alarm. Me and you both like Djibouti and its people. I swear to Allah the almighty that we might even demand the incorporation of Djibouti to Somalia in the future. Who knows , we might offer Cumar Gheelle an offer he can't refuse. OO, My freind , it looks like you didn't

Usually , there is huge difference between the Puntland public at large and their politicians. The people are well grounded, less emotional and realist than the average Somali. An AWdalie from here visited Puntland last year and he was shocked that 99% of the government officials and the politicians do not chew Qad at all. In Hargeisa and Borama from the mayor to the minister, Qat is the national past time. Yet, these days , I am leaning to the idea of dismantle Puntland in three regions: Bari, Nugaal and Mudug to make the government more accountable to the local people.

Dhagax Tuur, Please do not fall to the trap of the Neocons and haters of Sister Ilhaan Cumar. How many times I say that we Somalis must not serve our enemies indirectly or by default. Kenya is bombing these telecom towers in order to avoid detection by Somali army and the locals. Of course we have some beef with Hormuud, Somtel and others, but we should never take the side of the enemy. THere is nothing wrong for sister Ilhaan to lobby for Somali private business against Kenya. Please choose your battles carefully. Besides, Ilhan is not a hungry nomad . Waar Gabdha inoo Ilaaliya Magaceenii bay wadataye, Cadawgana ha u Jabinina.

He has been on the job for over 20 years. The HY elders who are government allies including Suldaan Mohamed Xirsi Qani were in SAnaag for talks with Caare. Now they decided to abandon their efforts after Tani attacked them.

Somaliland waxay heshay koox kale oo waan go'aynaa leh. Hore ayaan u sheegay qaarna ma joogaan kuwa joogaanaa way maqan yihiin. WE have to call Mr. Gaandhi to clarify few things. Why would he wanted to name Jubbaland Azania? It was just a random name or there were some sinister idea to create his own country.