Investments and foreign investment in particular is always good to have invested in your neck of the wood. I would just caution that we put our magnifying glasses on and read the fine prints before we sign these deals. Tony Hayward is an old hand and he is alpha wolf in Oil industry. It pains me to see that the competency level of our side of the aisle is not up to par.

Let them vote. I have been trying to decipher this political saga. I have heard through the grapevine that the whip is a Damul-Jadiid original and has completely dropped his garb. He’s offering inducements (benjamins and in bundles, appointed positions, cabinet posts, ambassaorships, etc) and threatens punishments for MPs to ensure that they vote according to Villa Somalia’s wishes. Talking heads and pundits are interested in the final tally. It would be interesting to see how the clan alliances shift and to what direction.

Oodweyne;986864 wrote: ^^^ Mooge , But, at the end of the day, everyone knows (most certainly the Brits knows) that this is a "semantics play" intended to cover (or insulate) the British against any accusation of encouraging internal division within the Somali Republic, by the ever enfeeble outfit that is based in Mogadishu, which, surprisingly passes itself off as a government of Somalia. All in all, see to it to learn the "double-language" of diplomacy and how it's especially useful in situation like this. True. "Northern Somalia" is euphemism for Separatist enclave. It is a doublespeak as you correctly pointed out. Ahem:) Awoowe isn't what the UK government doing just that -- encouraging internal division within Somali Republic? Ain't this the same old colonial deception employed to promote some subjects to butler status whilst condemning others to harsh labor? You know the drill Awoowe any power that have vested interest in that corner would break Somalis into small junks that's easier to subdue and manage. Not out of kindness but out of self interest. In all fairness they Somalis are the ones doing all the dividing. Brits on thier part are encouraging thier former colony to keep the faith. Awoowe innagu aan isu danbeynee bal Kulmiye la tali oo waxaad tiraahdaa si wanaagsan u akhriya heshiisyada kheyraadka gobolka lagu bixinayo inta aydaan qallinka ku duugin

Kudos to you then. Don't be defensive awoowe. I have lived Kenya in 8 months in 1991 and I have to say I have not seen bold Somalis demanding equal treatment under the law. I once ventured out to refugee camps in 2004 and I was taken aback by what I saw. We were stopped by Somali-Kenyan in full military fatigue and they wouldn't let us go if it were not the commanding officer who happened to be ethnic Kenyan. We were legit and had all the papers but the Somalis at the bridge crossing were insisting on that we're illegals. There are social and economic disparities in NFD that's visible to the naked eye and you are pretty defensive when folks point that simple facts. Don't be.

There are millions of Arabs out there awoowe. You posted couple of vids. These deviants are bad apples and do not represent Arabs. I could find couple of stories and even vids of your sub-clan behaving badly and draw a hasty conclusion from that and say they are animals.

Awoowe disenfrenchisement of Somalis in Kenya is real. I have seen it with my own eyes. My fellow Somali-Kenyan's have been disenfrenchised. The territories Somalis populate are under quasi-marshal law if not under full blown Marshal law. The Somali-Kenyans' movement within Kenya is restricted. The state does not invest in the territories Somalis reside as it does with other districts. They are deprived of the right to have access to basic healthcare and education that's at par with other provincial districs such as Nakuru. The NFD infrastructure is 20 to 30 years behind compared to other parts of the state. The grievances against the state is real. Do not wage violent resistance against the state but do demand equal treatment under the law. Demand access to the basic healthcare and education.

One more reason why Somaliweyn platform makes perfect sense. Insha'Allah there will be a time in the near future when the Somali state play its historic role of championing the rights of all Somalis in the region wherever they are. I believe Somalia have a compelling and vested interest in the wellbeing of Somalis in Ethiopia and Kenya. Not to mention economic (water) and security interest in the territories they occupy.

Abbaas;984770 wrote: Yaa ii'sheegi kara halka aan ka heli/akhrisan karo, taariikh nololeedkiisa oo dhamaystiran, Mahadsanid. Check the city website. I am sure they will post a brief bio of each council women or man.

Very nice of him to keep Saed in his thoughts. Larry overlooked one important social background about Saed. Had Larry known what subclan Saed belonged to, we could have helped him find his old friend Now Larry think hard lil bit and see if you could remember where in Somalia Saed called his hometown and which sub-sub-clan he hailed from. This detail is extremely important in tribal society. With that said, I am gonna do my share and go through all the Saed and Amal coubles I or my friends know of.

Hambalyo to Abdi Warsame. Somalis in Minneapolis have shown that they do count and they want to be represented in the city hall by one of their own who understands their needs. Abdi showed the way and Insha'Allah others will follow suit. That's how to run and win campaigns. Well done.

Nice. Peace is in the air. My beloved Kismayo is tasting lil normalcy. Hope it lasts long enough. Kismayo and their residents are loyal citizens of the state. They were on board all along. President Hassan though he could make appointment from Benadir. He was shown that's not gonna fly. He seems to accept things as they really were.

Haatu;983754 wrote: Morgan, the Butcherer of Hargeysa. He should be killed. By who? Mob? Is that a vigilante justice?

Oodweyne;983725 wrote: Baashi ,.. :D All in all, I think we done this particular thread to dearth; and with that I think it’s best to give it a decent send-off into the netherworld. Good call Agreed.

Xaashaa. No insults awoowe. None is given or intended. Af lagaado xaal ina rag ma aha. Your posts are dotted with occasional outthrusts that are clearly delusional and could only be penned by someone who have the disorder. Objective and informed folks would admit however biased they may be that Somali civil war had reached an impasse or stalemate if you will. Facts would cooperate with that statement and they could point out with ease that resolution to this tragic conflict between Somali clans seemed difficult and actually IS without foreign intervention. But to you there are imaginary facts and parallel realities only you are privy to where the civil war is over and the contest is won by one side. And the other variation to this delusional outburst is the folks who populate Mogadishu think that way. Now you are shifting gears and you are in the mood to latch on yet another false scenario. You seem to be saying that federal system in which Hassan admin draws his legitimacy from is not a binding constitutional article. Or they, folks in Benadir, have the majority of the votes (yet unfounded argument) to alter the constitution in order to annul federal articles. Get a grip bud. Using Mark Twain’s exhortation, Baashi is telling you “it ain’t so” Awoowe we are not getting far on this -- and come to think of it I would go farther and say we are not even having a debate here. You’re repeating yourself and adding new unfounded emphasis with your old tirade. I am keep on reading posts that could only be written by either someone who is not aware of the actualities on the ground or someone who is completely out of his mind. If you haven’t noticed we are talking past each other 

Mintid Farayar;983570 wrote: Speaking of parallel universes, it was because of desertification(according to our friends above) that Somali charcoal was banned by the Security Council, as well as the U.S. government. Here's an excerpt from Reuters: 'The Security Council banned the export of charcoal from Somalia in February 2012 to cut off one of the main sources of income for al Shabaab, which has been fighting for control of Somalia for years and enforces a strict version of sharia law in the areas it occupies.' http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/14/us-somalia-charcoal-un-idUSBRE96D01A20130714 Meanwhile, the U.S. government piled on with this: 'President Barack Obama has targeted the export of charcoal from war-torn Somalia, the sales of which help finance an al Qaeda-affiliated group, the State Department said Friday.' http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/20/obama-moves-on-charcoal-ban-from-somalia/ But good old Baashe would have us believe it's because of environmental concern that the world has become so concerned with Somalia's charcoal industry. I wonder who's spinning, or maybe smoking what P.S. It's interesting to see some still nursing the 'wounds' from the forgotten (till now) charcoal debate. Stiffen that spine, gentlemen , ..... Tomorrow is a brand new day ^ Charcoal might not banned due to decertification but it has nothing to do with the emergence of JL. You are not out of the woods yet bud That said, I relied on recollection there.

Mintid, Cafe Calaacal has healing properties:) I guess that's why you have acquired taste for the qaxwe served in these joints Awoowe the lions are neither down nor out yet. They are pretty much in the ring Oodweyne, As much as I like pushing your hot buttons I am gonna give it a rest this time as I am tired of us talking past each other. I decided to post for the benefit of the silent readers so they are at least in a position to see both sides of the coin and in the process learn what makes folks tick. Xiin, I’ve been scratching my head and I was like what the hell makes Oodweyne and et al go over the cliff with this incessant and over-the-top deep desire in imagining the demise of the opposing clans. Sure, I have my share of hurling stones over the fences and actually enjoyed talking clan politics over cup of earl grey tea with friends of opposing clans. But never felt strongly or believed seriously about any of the clannish crab folks spew here or at the café. I’ve been wondering about how determined and serious some folks are about the clan issue. It is not he suddenly changed his color but I guess I am out of the loop and when I come visit here it hits me a fresh. Mintid, LANDER and Oodweyne are quintessential hardcore clan secessionist. They somehow convinced themselves that their clan nemesis had lost the war and has all but been reduced to the margins of Somali clan hierarchy. Awoowe these folks and others who share that view are absolutely convinced of this “truth” so much so that even in the face of twenty odd years of stalemate with no end in sight does not make them hesitate a bit. Go figure! Oodweyne pretenses and delusional grandiose he peddles in this forum is the stuff Hollywood make-believe is made of! When he gets excited and it doesn’t take much to get him going he goes to a lala land where secessionist enclave up north is a sovereign and the other recovery area in the same locality with similar rudimentary capabilities is a pirate-invested village content with its historical Sultanate status. This is the same nomad who informed the SOL gallery that Senegal has decided to recognize Somaliland and its president will issue official statement upon the arrival of Riyale – this was circa 2005-7:) Of course – it was a case of mixing what one likes to see with what actually is happening! In medical journals the condition has a name  As Mintid often claims he passes himself of as an insider privy to top secret information and when he sensed folks in the forum have their doubts about his claims, he decided to make some of that inside information available to the forum. It was the charcoal issue discussed in the UN in the context of desertification of the region. As it turned out it was nothing of the sort and had nothing to do with imminent failure of the outing of the nascent JL state. It was the charcoal issue discussed in the UN in the context of desertification of the region. Nevertheless he tried to spin it out of proportion. I don’t know if the rest of the forum sympathizes with our friends’ delusional outbursts! Consider these points -- Much hoped and hyped SL recognition never came. The inter-clan jockeying of Habraha never went away. D block residents who supposed to be partners with the Habraha never completely bought off the SL project in unison. Mogadishu never attained the much desired outcome Oodweyne in his heart of hearts would like them to achieve and actually “finish off” the remnants of the former regime at once. The reality gets on their way every time and I must admit -- it is a pretty frustrating thing to be in their position. There must be some explanation of what compels our secessionist friends to go out their way and construct a parallel reality where they give events that are yet to occur [i.e. marginalization and disenfranchisement of large segment of Somali population] additional significance. Consider the fact that the tragedy that has befallen to the Somali race has only achieved one and only one thing: it destroyed Somali state, humiliated its proud and resilient citizens and made its territory a proxy playground where Somali neighbors train their soldiers and collect western handouts in the name of fighting homegrown terrorism. The fact that a Somali citizen would see such an outcome as being the desired outcome as long as some folks actually lose the sway they once have over others is very telling!! Wait – add this to what I outlined above in order to understand the amplitude of Oodweyne’s frustrations. The current system of government that gives legitimacy to Hassan’s government owes its origins and implementation to the very folks Oodweyne et al would like to think of as being the ones relegated to the dust bin of history. That must be a helluva frustrating state to be. The founding of Puntland injected a lethal dose of skepticism to the Ethiopian’s and other sympathetic powers’ thinking of how to deal with two recovery areas with relative peace and rudimentary administration but have overlapping borders. Chew that! Put yourself in Oodweyne’s shoes! A clan warrior, full of grievances thinking finally that tables are turned to his clan’s favor and things will go according to the clan’s plans! Today – after twenty odd years -- Oodweyne pens a lengthy and not-so-insightful analysis on the state of D block’s demise. Yeah! As far as he is concerned they were finished off years ago but still he predicts yet another imminent vanquishing! The newsmakers? ahem -- yes D-block groupings on Kenyan tanks on one side and FG financed and supported warlord on the other side pushing each other to lay claim of one of the most priced region in whole Somalia. The topic? Federalism – an idea championed by one of the defeated clan as voices Oodweyne is hearing would have him to believe. Where does IC stand on the issue? That I do not know but it is entirely possible that Federal Government is prepared to swallow its pride and accept JL as principal federal state. It is sad to see Somalia gone to the wolves. What’s even sadder is to see clannish secessionists reducing this tragedy to which clan lost the contest and which one won the spoils.

Trying to edit this thing and I got this blank entry box everytime.

Okay. Xiin inform me and the folks like me who are out of the loop. Where does JL stand? A full federal member state? A federal member state wannabe who may or may not get that status due to parliament and executive redtape? This is new development to me. Looks good though. Kenya needed reassurance that SFG and JL focus on the ball! I gues this is a gift to them.

Oodweyne, That's it...improve your Mandarin and Cantonese Huh! Mogadishu folks think the game is over and international community is on their side! Is that all you got buddy? You just made my point – unknowingly of course. Awoowe there are realities on the ground. Consider it in your argument when making one. Aight  Also Mogadishu our beloved capital city is in need of massive foreign troops. Factor that in your argument – it gives flavor when you keep it real. Furthermore, Hassan admin is toothless and its reach is limited to some parts of the city. That should be weighed against your empty and hollow calls of imminent defeat. Waryee sidii inna rag u kalaam. Golluhu waa gole rujaal waxaana fadhiya rag garta yaqaan Lander, That’s gibberish nonsense. Read it before you post your cantarabaqash. So you spare silent majority who read this boards the headache. The peace caravan has always called for peaceful resolution to Somali conflict irrespective of who was in power or what foreign troop shored up what transitional entity. The case was made and that case is still strong. Absent of decisive victory by one clan or a coalition of clans or entity over all other clans, Somalia will remain in this sad state. The only way to settle this is to have the contestants sit down and come up some sort of understanding, power-sharing scheme that satisfy all the involved parties. If you disagree with this view, go ahead and make a coherent argument against that call. I would be first to admit that to call a grand reconciliation is easy but to execute it to the satisfaction of all sides and then to keep them focused on the ball and have them actually make progress is extremely hard. But then again you are not that bright or capable to pen a reasonable and coherent argument!

Forgiven eh Oh! Thank you then that's very nice of you. Awoowe don't be touchy. I am not good at mud-slinging. I just don't do that. That said awoowe you should consider the Chinese proverb that says "The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right name" instead of this Goodwin Law crab. A bit of Orientalism is good and refreshing. Try it awoowe. I don't know how to describe of someone who makes a call of a contest that's still underway. In pursuant to the Chinese exhortation to call things by their right name I ask you what would you have called of someone who mistakes his deep and unfulfilled desires and the outcome he likes to see in a contest still underway with what is actually happening... Nah! Don't bother. I disagreed with Xiin as he seemed to throw the buste and resigned to the pessimistic view that all is lost. If I read his post correctly he seems to be saying that because of Hassan’s leadership, prospect of bringing this conflict to a close is not possible. This conflict was here before Hassan become president and it may remain unresolved long after he leaves. A lot of folks thought Hassan came in at opportune time and he is different from the ones who came before him but no one expected him to be the savior that ends the conflict. That being the case, it is NOT a naivety to support the only way forward. And the only way forward happen to be convening full reconciliation for all concerned at the dirrin. The peace caravan led the way and Xiin was their loudest supporter. I am making the case that he stay put and keep the faith in the face of defeat and disappointment.

Stalin once said "how many divisions is under pope's command" and i am paraphrasing him here. It just does not compute for me why this guy is in the news, He is no newsmaker. He doesn't hold any public office nor does he have any following among Somalis. He is a flip-flopper. He was for Somali unity and terretorial integrity of Somalia and he made 180 degree turnaround and he says he supports the balkanization of the Somalia along what region was under colonial control in bygone era.

Faroole should stay at the helm provided he wins fair and square. I for one root for the fingerless man. To change horse at this crucial hour may put the state at disadvantage.

Is it me or the "Edit Post" button is not functional?

It is true that the peace caravans is in distress, limping on and slow in covering a respectable distance in a reasonable time. Your write-up makes sense when read from that perspective. But remember peace party is no match against Kelligii Muslims, Jirri and ********. Couple these characters with the harshness and unforgiving nature of the terrain the caravan must travel through – Ganaane marshlands, Boholaha Xargaga mountain range and Wardhiigley ghetto. And I think I know why Xiin is disappointed with President Hassan. But remember folks Hassan just like Siilaanyo and Faroole has a clan base. He needs their political support to stay in the game. And his base found extremely difficult to watch Puntland and Jubbaland emerge from the long and bloody Somali civil war as the cornerstone of new and reconfigured Somalia. Hassan is asked to preside this new reality where political power is devolved into two tier power arrangement under Federal Somalia. Under this new configuration, huge swaths of Somalia will be under control of the opposition clan. If you recall Faroole’s next move is to question Benadir’s status as the capital of Federal Somalia! Just as Oodweyne and other biased secessionists out there, the clan activists in Benadir who paid precious blood and treasure for the singular reason that they want to alter Somalia’s political power scale, are at loss in how things are shaping up. If the current course is left unchecked or unimpeded all the blood spilled and properties destroyed in order to defeat a large segment of the population would be in vain. To them, Somali civil war and all the destruction it had brought was necessary price to get rid of the clan dictatorship that dominated the political discourse of the nation before and after independence. There is a reason why Oodweyne is living in parallel universe where the conflict has already been settled and one party has emerged victorious and is now calling the shots in the South. Oodweyne’s hallucination is a text book example of folks who exhibit schizophrenia over a desired outcome. Awoowe the peace caravan is on the move. If Hassan failed to promote unbiased settlement between contestants the activists driving the peace caravan will be extremely disappointed but they will keep moving slowly but steadily. Slow and steady at the end wins the race a la sidii diinkii iyo bakeylihii tartamay berri. As to the principles of Somalinimo and the exalted political dream of Somaliweyn yes they are discredited as it’s hard to find adherents to its dictates. But make no mistake Somalinimo and Somaliweyn are tenfold better than sad state of negative tribalism. Anyone who wants to see Somalia that is strong and united will have to enlighten the masses the true meaning of Somaliweyn. The horn of Africa is a tough neighborhood and if elites of Ethiopia and Kenya manage to keep their ethnic collections under one state surely there must be a way to reconcile Somalis and persuade them to put their faith in social contract that draws lessons from all that went wrong. The peace caravan’s mission is to remind folks that there is third way and things can be settled on a dirrin and that Somaliweyn is a national security imperative for Somali people in the region. As Aesop’s fables will have it “United you will be more than a match for your enemies. But if you quarrel and separate, your weakness will put you at the mercy of those who attack you”. Inna Kaadi-Najaasle supporting the Peace Caravan as the better alternative of the clan partisanship masquerading as real politick.

PBS Documentary narrated by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. It will air Tuesdays -- October 22nd to November 26th. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/