^lol

Awoowe xiinoow maanta oo kale waa maalintii ishaafalato iyo qunyarsocodku guulaysan jiray. ICU looks more to me as ultra-nationalists itching for a war they neither have the resources nor the man power to win. When one section of this political divide is in collusion with the enemy you want to boot out of Somali soil, it is apparent that this kinda war is unwinnable. The only sure outcome is humongous loss of lives and defastation of one volnureble Somali region - interrevierine if that is a word. Awoowe since you are in the mood of fighting and kicking ethio's behind (the latter is a cause I sincerely support but would like to employ different tac) I suggest you put urself in the shoes of folks in Saakoow, Diinsoor, Qansax Dheere...the families who have only their little jibaal to farm and don't wish to flee to despicable Kenyan camps. From their prespective UIC's jingiosim is a non-issue at this moment of time in history. Awoowe don't have time to take up the subject but let me say this: What is happening now on the ground is a civil war with monumental implication in the region. I dare say this is unnecessary, untimely, and uncalled for. I have been hard on the old man and my posts speak to that point loud and clear. However the other side, despite their superior moral and political aspirations have let Somalis down. They concentrated more on securing control over the southern corner of the country. They haven't given a serious consideration to the peace process. Since you cited poems to amke a point, let me end this rampling with this one: Waqtigii yimaadaba xilligu waayo soo curiye, Walbahaarku waa ii egyahay inaan walaacaaye, Kol hadaan wabigaa fatahay, waabin kari heynin, Oo aan waaxyaha kabeyn cududahaa wiiqmey, Nafta waxaan ku maaweeliyaa samirkii taag waaye, Mar haduu wadajirkeedii lumoo, wacadkii beenoobey, Oo geedka kii waab la yidhi, weel ku kala qeybshay, Wadaantaan nin-tooxsiga ah, iyo waa kumaa darane, Waji baa far lagu meyrayaa, beesha wadi meyso!

I haven't thought about the subject but it would do a world of good to families with limited income if public schools allocate share of the total budgets to extracurriculum activities. Gifted kids can sure make use of these resources without resorting to segregation based on talents.

^I agree that was a touching story. @ Baashing. Creative eh. Shez, can't argue with Azmaya. What if she really knows what she is talking about and literally has dated with 100 Somali men and found that only 10 can make the cut as far as fatherhood is concerned huh? Sheeko xariiro ma laga akhriyay meesha? Can you guys share sheeko xariirooyinka with oldies...I kinda run out of ammunition. Juxa, does any1 have this in Somali version? If you do plz share how I can get hold of it. Off to fadhi-ku-dirir where big men sip tea...and pass few minutes on matters of larger concern

AlxamduLilaah. Awoowe waa runtaa. North and Hayam these are really good suggestions. Funny it never occured to me that there are these options out there...silly of me. Awoowe ma anaa miyir qaba maanta Alxamdililaah. Still I can't get over the parental pride thang. I'm sure my colleagues here at work heard enough of this...I'v been showing off his pic all day long to any1 who passes through my cubicle. But in general, should public school offer gifted kids a calss of their own?

What to do with them if they are way ahead of the kids in their class (in terms of the school work and what not). I'm feeling big...way big actually. I'm brimming with parental pride. Forgive me fellas if I come across as too proud a father. My boy has just made my day! His teacher, very experienced and well mannered old lady (too bad they don't pay her well) has just informed my xaajiyo that our boy is exceptional kid and in her assessment doesn't belong to her class.

Got no time akhyaarta. I'll come back to this thread Insha'Allah...one of these days. Biz report is in order. I'll write up one based on lil I found out about biz prospects on that trip Insha'Allah.

It takes a courage to stand up to the Jewish power in the states. Carter has balls to tell it as it is. The real question: can he put up with what is in the pipe? Kudos to the man.

Can't opened it.

Originally posted by Azmaya: A much needed seminar, the fadhi ku dirir show? Don’t chew on it. Fatherhood demands manhood, and raagnimo is found in 10 out of 100, too kind on my part yeah . ninmanka somaliiiyed badana wa doqano, bal anigu waxaan la yaabey nagahan aroosaya nacaso. Uff. :rolleyes: Outch!

Awoowe iyaggaan la hayaa e nimanku waa i qalbi jabiyeen . Xiinoow awoowe UIC’s stated objective is what? To see united Somalia under the Shari'a law and governed by enlightened Islamists. Is it not? That’s all good. I'm all for it. I'm not just sure if the current course is the way to go. To get the finishing line, as you are well aware of, they have to overcome many challenges that lay await in the way. Are they up to the task? You have TFG as a challenger. The leadership in recovery zones up in the North have already felt the heat and are back to the drwaing board in order to find a way to exploit the clan sensibilities of the communities they preside. Ethiopia sees Islamists as a security nightmare and a lethal threat as well to its survival as a multi-ethnic federal state. And then you have paranoid Uncle Sam who finds empowered Islamists in the Horn as undesirable outcome and threat to his interests in the region. Preoccupied with Iraq, Uncle Sam doesn’t mind today if Ethiopia does the dirty work of getting rid off this emerging problem in the region. Finally, they got the pretext they’ve been waiting for. So much so they are confident enough to declare their readiness for “defensive” war. The top of all that you have suspicious Somalis - a community cultured in the tribal politics whereby the slightest perceived bias can shift their allegiance to the opposite side. Given the current situation and the prospect of devastating civil war that might draw regional players on the TFG side, the onus is on the UIC leadership to diffuse the situation. The last thing UIC would want to do in this predicament is to isolate itself. You would think they would divide their enemies by talking to TFG, by assuring Ethiopia that they respect its borders, by convincing the recovering zones' leadership that they are not going to destablize their domain, by empowering its friends like Egypt by listening its advice or taking part the conferences it organizes. Such political moves have the potential of tying the hands of its enemies. Playing the game this way might have convinced both EU and US that encouraging dialogue between the parties is the way to go as Arab League has been arguing. As Ngonge implied sometimes tolerating undesirable events like TFG having their knights in an isolated city is acceptable casualty considering the alternative which is all out civil war that might render the bread basket of the country a proxy war theatre. Allah forbid, can you fathom what that means to the weary and tired Somalis in the area? Awoowe remember retreat doesn’t mean defeat if forces (political) against you are numerous. Tactically, it is part of the war to change your posture. Tactical maneuvering…that’s all am asking. Hek I’m all for running if that’s what is required to reach our ultimate objective. Bob Marley’s “He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day” wisdom is in order! True UIC recognized TFG and invited to the national seat: Mogadishu. How do you work out the details though if the parties in dispute are not talking to each other? The very reason Arab League invited the two sides to the table is to hammer out the mechanism that would spell out how to integrate militias, share power, and define a grace period in which Inna Yussuf’s security would have been guaranteed by Yemenese or other Arab nation or perhaps Ugandan security forces as trust building gesture. Remember behind the doors, UIC has gaven their word to the Arab mediators that they would negotiate with TFG. Arabs in turn held the fort and assured EU and US that deal is in the pipe. Unpredictable Hassan Dahir pulled the rug under Egypt. What a let down awoowe!! The result? Ethiopia scored big time. Not only they scored big but its war will be financed by the powers that be not to mention the diplomatic covers they will got for their blatant aggression. A great equalizer has been lost and now balance is tilted to our neighbor big time. In the history of warfare, contestants have always played their enemies against each other, when and if opportunity present itself, so they would remain strong enough to defeat them one by one. What is this “me against the world” attitude the UIC is adopting? Don’t get me started awoowe. Somalia has been thrown to the wolves! And UIC has played a big role in this. By now you've noticed I guess that I’m not blaming TFG for they are in a pitiful position so much so that all those forces who don’t wish to see Islamic republic in the region are scrambling to its assistance trying to pass resolution they so adamantly opposed few months back. Had UIC exercized the foresight to understand what the clever Egyptians were trying to do which was Somalis to own the process, the agenda of the other side would not have succeeded so easily. As to people making out Ethiopia something it ain’t! At least you would agree that Ethiopia, unlike UIC, is an organized polity with hierarchical order and discipline that can move battalions of its military and air force with single order no question asked!!! Not to mention logistical support in the way of makeshift hospitals, fuel, armaments, transportation, etc. For crying out loud they defeated Somalia at its pinnacle waabe ayadoo is cunaysa oo is gacan bidixeynaysa. Don't tell me Soviets and Cubans cuz in time of war anything is a fair game and what matters at the end is the final outcome. UIC is not there yet. They need to publish a declared political platform that addresses the core issues. They also need to build institutional capacity sxb. To do that you need a break from the costly wars that suck the energy and resource out of any nation that undertakes such a task. Absence of unity of Somalis and the fresh animosity that’s brewing beneath the skin plus the recent memories of violent tribal wars, UIC waging Jihad on its Somali opponents and its Ethiopian kingmakers and backers can back fire. Therefore it stands to reason that UIC is better off to buy time and strike deal with TFG and convince the recovery zones that they are not for destabilizing Somalia and hence deny Ethiopia an opportunity to exploit political differences of Somali factions and assure Islamists a chance to shape Somalia’s future in the crucial post-conflict era.

Northerner I know i should have called you. My friends were too busy to lend me a hand. However, I lost ur digits. Moving to Dubai. Yes with right offer. In other words, yes but only if I get a family status. The weather was phenomenal. It is not like that in all seasons I was told. Yeah no one can miss the Athaan. Man! even the mall has a masjid...what a place.

Inna Hawo is a famous man and I'm surprised that you, all of nomads, don't know this highly regarded man. Degdheer is a just a nick...testament to his talent. He hears the whishpers of closed door gatherings especially the political gatherings. His ever presence in the tea sipping sessions where the latest news of nomad account of Somali politiking is dissected, is unmistakenably large and dominating... In short the man is the epitome of fadhi-ku-dirrir or more accurately cyber-ku-dirrir and SOL politics section is a natural home to his likes. Now you have all the clues I expect you good Notherner to figure him out and give him a deserving nick... Where would we be without Oodweyne, OLOL, Il Generale, and the company. Inna Hawo is their distant cousin to all of them

Blame this on UIC By Dheg-dheer ina Hawo Waxa-la-Yiri low down Arab brothers tried their best to convince the UIC leadership to support a dialogue with TFG. Arab League led by Egypt understood very well that if they don’t reign in the UIC, it will lose influence on Somali question in the US administration power halls. Egypt has played a crucial role in preventing Washington to support Ethiopia’s security plans which envisaged an unrestricted border crossing a la preemptive doctrine, a doctrine Bush so fervently promoted. Losing influence on the regions policy-making in Bush White House meant Egypt will lose the geopolitical tug of war to the regional power Ethiopia. This was a lapse of judgment on UIC’s leadership part. Drunk with victory and overwhelmed with the popular support they received from all Somalis regardless of their clan affiliation blinded them to see the need to drop the conditions they set for the meeting: Ethiopian withdrawal from all Somalia territories. Ironically, Ethiopia was “invited” to the Somali soil by the Transitional Government, an entity UIC has already endorsed! What Egypt has asked UIC to do was to “negotiate” a reasonable settlement that can prevent all out civil war. The UIC have no institutional capacity to manage a costly war with Ethiopia supported by the African Union and the West. Eritrea can help so is Sudan but they won’t do that openly. The UIC doesn’t posses logistical armaments that can withstand aerial bombardment. Yet they declared a “holly” Jihad on a sovereign state. In a way they provided perfect pretext for Ethiopia to “defend” its borders and not wait for UIC until it acquires the means to harm Ethiopia. Ethiopia should not be meddling with the Somalia’s internal affairs. But that’s exactly what it is doing. And it will continue doing so until the opposing political camps reach fair and desirable resolution on core Somali problems. Once the forces fighting over control of the government get on the same page, Ethiopian influence will diminish to tolerable level. UIC got this equation backwards and shunned the only means to hammer out such understanding. The very reason Ethiopia managed to play such a crucial role in Somali politics is the fact that we have yet to resolve the core issues. Having only two players narrows the field and makes the task lil bit manageable. All objective and informed people know that Ethiopia’s aim is to install a satellite or “friendly” regime that would respect its sovereignty particularly over the eastern regions. That much is known. What is expected of UIC was to put an end to this practice by luring the TFG to a dignified exit which is having Benadir under its auspices. In return TFG agrees to share power, revises the constitution, and prepares the country through the transitional period for real and permanent government elected by the public. The most important victory in all of this chess game is that Islamists will have become a part and parcel of Somali politicking, secure a lasting seat at the table, and enjoy a popular support from the citizens. They will also have time to teach the populace about Islam and what it entails before applying the full force of the law to uneducated masses who don’t know how to cross the t and dot the i. The emotional wing of the Islamic movement, however, mixed our aspirations to have Islamic Republic with an uncalled and untimely nationalism and jingoism. As it stands today, TFG seems to have secured UN, US, IGAD, and AU support. The Chinese have already thrown its support to TFG coffins. That means diplomatic support at regional and international levels. It also means material support and even military support to TFG. Not to mention financial support it will receive to bid the wish of Ethiopian and Americans to rid off the region of any perceived Islamic influence on the Somali politics. I put the blame on UIC's door for they didn't see eye to eye to what Egypt was trying to do which was preventing an international consensus to form and throw its support behind the TFG. The other dangerous thing is the clan perception in all of this political maneuvering performed by both sides. The majority of the UIC foot soldiers are from one single tribe. If and when regional and international forces gang up on this group with the help of “Puntlanders” and other coalition tribes, it will evoke clannish emotions that might translate to a full blown tribal wars which now linger just below the surface. The real losers will of course be the farming communities in the area who produce the little we Somalis produce. Not to mention the ripple effect it will have on other provinces of the country. Starvation, displacements of local residents, renewed and deepening mistrust and animosity between clans, the list of setbacks this nationalistic fervor entails is long. All of this, for what? Some of us have already given up the TFG. Our hopes and longing to have stable, just, and functioning government was pinned on the UIC success to end the conflict without compromising their core principles - a doable task considering where the TFG was at couple of months ago: divided house that lacked outside support. It looks like the UIC leadership blew it! Another sad prospect is waiting for the poor residents in the south who thought they have finally arrived. What a disappointment! Still, all is not lost. In principle, UIC has a good vision. In practice, some of its benevolent rule has come to fruition. Mogadishu is peaceful. Lower Shabelle is gradually handing back properties to their right owners, Lower Juba has gotten rid off the "Coalition of Convienace" and today the locals have a say over the port income and how that gets distributed. Sure they had their down moments but who doesn’t have one! What the UIC need to realize is that weary and poor Somalis deserve a break from wars. They need time to rest. What they also need to realize is the TFG is weak and will strike a deal if given a dignified way out and not cornered or humiliated. It is also high time to underscore the residual tribalism within UIC ranks. Indhacade is a tainted man who has blood on his hand. Most of Somalis remember the days when he fought alongside the warlords. If he has repented, more power to him. However he does not deserve a leadership position. Getting rid off him enhances UIC credibility and dispels doubts about the intentions of the UIC. All of this requires competent and credible leadership who are in a position to tackle the real issues. Leadership that has the forseight to look around the corners before they leap forward… To be continued….

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar: And Arlaadi people care less what you think of them "least privileged." If the looting, xaaraan kunool, ku naax, senseless blood wars, uncivilized and animalistic behaviours, bilaa xishood la'aan norms and other xaaraan nature is considered, from your standpoint, as the "most privileged" in "power," sure then. Bull's eye.

^Here you go...

First leg of the trip: I got stuck in Reykjavik hotel (two nights) due to strong gusts. That was nobody’s fault. From the get go, the whole plan was in tatters. I was going to meet with my wife in Amsterdam Airport and board the same plane to Dubai with her. It didn’t work out that way. Missy had to improvise and deal with the situation on her own. She doesn’t speak Arabic. Her mobile was no use!!! Spring, damn you! Unlike the rest of the world, we don’t normally use sim (small chip that allows ur cell to connect to the local mobile carrier) cards in the states. I couldn’t call her, she couldn’t call me nor could she call her friends and relatives. Long story short she took a cab and went straight to the hotel. I arrived in the next day. The plan was to rent a car but after I assessed driving habits of locals and the terrible traffic jam Dubai experiences, I decided to use the cab instead. I won’t mention how expensive that city is. Two week hotel stay costs a fortune. I had plenty of cash enough for the whole stay. But my wife with her infinite wisdom spent all on dahab!! The vendors she was dealing with don’t take cards she said. I started using my plastic. But somehow for some reason unknown to me all six of my credit cards declined!!!!!!!! I had two check cards full of cash and after the first withdrawal they started to decline. Wait! That’s not it. I bought a calling card, called the bank, and get stuck with alternating automated instructions and elevator music. Before I get to the teller, I ran out of minutes! I’m a patient man and I sat there scratching my head thinking what to do before I call my siblings in the states for help. My beloved wife oblivious to what is happening to me came back from outside and wanted to go back to that darn Gold market. I was this close to explode but held my breath. She also tried her plastic which is same (joint one) as one of the cards I have already tried to no avail. Later that evening I had to meet with my former colleagues who kindly invited us to a dinner. Since I didn’t have a cell phone with me, I gave them the Hotel’s phone number and my room extension number. To call them I had to have a calling card…I didn’t have one. Somehow the clerk didn’t let the call from my former boss through. To make the matter worse my wife had this conspiracy theory that there are forces that are working against me and they are the ones who froze my accounts. I was in Sharjah. So I went to this mall called Mega Mall and tried one of the HSBC ATM machines and bingo! The check card worked with this particular vendor and the machine spit all it had in its belly out. Things worked out pretty good from there on. Still my plastics were no use. We had a blast from there on. I didn’t like Dubai. It’s too noisy, too crowded, and too metropolitan for me. In a way it is a city under construction. There is a gap, I thought, between the ongoing projects which are impressive by any account, and the transportation infrastructure. The city doesn’t have a car pool lane or for that mass transit lane. Once you get into the highway particularly the one that connects Sharjah to Dubai, you are at the mercy of the pace of the traffic. I haven’t seen any bypass lane that can take some of the traffic congestion off the main one. Since we were kinda short for cash we didn’t do many of the things that we had planned to do. We wanted to go to Sohar, Oman. I put that in the backburner. But I managed to go to Abu Dubai. The contrast between the two cities could not have been more pronounced at least to me. Abu Dubai is cleaner, less traffic, and overall much calmer. I find Ujman and a city located in the outskirts of Abu Dubai to be less developed. They reminded me Somalia: dusty, garbage outside, and some places the plumbing is well pretty gross. The upside of this trip was I got much needed encouragement from the business nomads in Dubai. I met old friends who made it big (by nomad standards). I like what I saw and find them to be risky takers numero uno. It is amazing how these folks do what they do in a country where there is no safety net whatsoever. They pay the school fee, healthcare, etc with no help from the State. They rely on themselves and that’s a big plus. Overall UAE Somali community are more self-reliant bunch than the folks in my neck of the wood. I took lot of pictures and the best ones are the pics of the boats hauling goods to Somalia. Insha’Allah I will post them in due time. I wanted to meet the nomads in Dubai especially Northerner who was so kind to give me his digits. Unfortunately, I lost his contact numbers. He could have come to our rescue the day we got lost in Sharjah. Speaking of that day briefly I took a cab from the Gold market in Dubai to Sharjah. The traffic was so bad that I asked the cab driver to take the first exit and drop me to the bus station. The little I know the country doesn’t have a lane for the busses. First we waited standing for about 45 minutes all the while the busses were just sitting there and bus driver chitchatting with the locals. And then this bus pulled off and all the passengers rushed to it. We asked a bystander if this was one is heading to Sharjah since it didn’t have any markings indicating its destination. They were kind enough to ask ladies first and since I was with my wife they let me in too. The bus dropped us in Rotana Square. I pulled the map thinking that it will help. Long story short we got lost. Excuse the rampling….didn’t have time to reread what I wrote up there. One more thing. The first thing my wife and I noticed is the Athan. The masjids are everywhere literally every block or so it seems.

Interesting read

Check it out. You can download them. The site uses Rabidshare.

Lander chick, thanks for the remainder. I respect that. K-Didi, is that right? How so? Fill me in K-Didi Dabshid many thanks for the info. Hayam, my wife who is with me on this trip thinks that it is great place for families with kids. We'll see. My man BOB, Lawaashaa aw xasan hatay diwaay. Na'igga am sakaayo xawaad SA uk ra'agtay. Xamaa sheema laaya xaasiiboow. Jabaqaa? Ar saak leem sakta aw xuubaaye si'aga oos gat sheema ramaxyahow Brother xamaa riti bagar racab ha' aa? What ya kno Foqtayda aa gi'u fakhiikhtay Lawaahi rooq gisaaro naa daaci ha'ayn aa la gi'u yahaa. Tami, definitely...count on that. Waryee Libaax, I will get the pics. I am amateur though when it comes to photography plus my camera is a cheap *** Northerner, you are where? man! Now I gotta get time for a cup of tea with you buddy. I was in Egland last June (only four days) but I couldn't meet up with any nomads (time was so tight). Insha'allah this time around I will meet new folks. No I'm not coming for an interview. I'm not looking for a job either. I called my former boss because I was trying to find a decent and affordable hotel and at the end of the convo he started bragging about the pay, the perks, how Arabs and Indians are polite and respectful... The other thing is the company I'm with has been rewarded with a new contract and I can get transferred to Abu Dubai (not Dubai) but that depends on the family status. I guess I'm gonna start sucking up to the managers so that I can get a family status in Abu Dubai. In any case I'm not leaving my company. Hayam, Dabshid, and Northerner I will drop you a pm Insha'Allah.

BOB sxb the feeling is mutual. Glad to see that you are still kicking and alive. The negative news coming from SA led me to believe that you are somehow in danger. BOB bro watch your back and make sure you got a concealed gun or something. The place ain't safe according to the news. What is that make locals target Somalis? Bilis-Qooqaane is a two word name. Bilis = timo jilicsan (read that as being woman). Qooqaani = this is ur homework buddy . Ain't no palce I would rather be than Sikmaayo. Oh! how I missed that place. Hey try Google maps, put it in the G-force pilot and fly over South of the city along the beach...it will bring back memories. Make sure you have a good connection though. I'm still here buddy. My man Libaax knows the situation I'm in. Too much work, less time, and enough problems that compel you to take them with you to home and work from home without pay...blve me it happens sometimes.

Hambalyo P4F. You did it Qallanjo. All SOL nomads are proud of you. How many dhuubo dhex yar can pull this off...not that many I tel ya. Now I don't know where you live but if you are from the States and have loans subsidized or otherwise make sure you consolidate them while you are in the grace period. If you do that two things will happen: 1) you lock the interest rate at lower level for GOOD. 2) You get discounts probably 2%. Don't get discouraged if you don't secure employement right away. Most new graduates have the same experience. Don't sit around until you get a position in ur field. Again congrats. And your major ahem what can I say...it is added value in sooo many departments if you know what I mean. You didn't ask my grandfatherly advise I know but hey I can't help. Being awoowe that I am, this sort of unsolicited exhortation is expected of me.

Dubai is booming not only biz sector but also in employment sector. Get this: the corporates that are active in the region like consultants, engineering firms, and construction industry are offering 20% uplift top of your salary, free accomodation, and tax waiver. If you are married and get transferred to offices there you get a family status and kids schooling will be paid. Man! it can't get better than that. My former boss and one of my colleagues are working for British company in Abu Dubai. They are making me crazy . The other day I was talking to my former boss and he was like if I were you I wouldn't be in the States. He said if he had known an opp like this existed he could have retired looong time ago in his forties perhaps . So tempting eh! I'm going to Dubai this November to check it out. Insha'Allah I will post a report and pics time permitting of course. This will be my first time Libaax and Xiin expect my calls as I often do when I get excited

Bilis-Qooqaani? any1? Boby take a crack on that one!

Round 12.0 - Sixteen years on Somalia Online Cyber-ku-Dirrir Premier Inna Af-ka-Noole October 29, 2006 *Commentary Political junkies such as SOL cyber warriors are predicting a final and conclusive knockout. In any ordinary boxing match where the rules of the game are observed Round 12.0 is the final round and the last man standing is the winner. Not so in the nomadic "Legdin" matches. Round 12.0 have little significance in the civil wars fueled by foreign interferences and inter-clan rivalries. Imagine if your allies next door can interfere when you are down and can weaken your rival at will on your behalf! As spectators looking in from distance we have seen Round 11.0 like no other. This time around UIC managed to sweep the field with broom. They defeated all the forces they have thus far taken on. The match between forces loyal to UIC and TFG, however, is still in the making. The coming war as many have been predicting has not yet materialized. If and when the "all out war" between the TFG and UIC breaks, there will be no victor. Here is why: The strength of the UIC stems from Benadir the most populous region of the country. Benadir residents are, for the first time, united and motivated. UIC enjoy a sizable grassroots support from this important region. Therefore they are expected to overrun the fragmented and disillusioned TFG militia. However TFG is not counting on its fragmented militia. It's backed by regional states. Fearful of far-reaching consequences of Somalia run by religious leaders who openly call for Jihad against their neighboring states, Ethiopia is openly committed to make use of its Air Forces against UIC threat. Armed with newly acquired F16 jets, Ethiopia can deliver a major blow to UIC's ground forces and its logistical reinforcement on route to the front. Ethiopia can weaken UIC's ability to advance to other regions that are not under its rule but they can not finish UIC off. Where does that leave the TFG? Nowhere! Ethiopia will not arm the TFG forces to the teeth for they have no interest to tilt the balance of power to unreliable and ambitious Inna Yusuf. The only realistic outcome will be the reemergence of the devastating jingoism of the nineties. Inna Yussuf will try his best to make this conflict a clan conflict so he can mobilize his Puntland and Gedo assets. At the end of Round 12.0, the match will look like Round 1.0 Somalia will resemble more like Congo where the neighboring countries in the region arm and support their allies. The ensuing conflict will devastate the shaky economy of the breadbasket region as it disrupts peace. Sizable residents will be uprooted and displaced, and conflict marked with shifting allegiance will continue one way or another. Make no mistake THERE will be NO victor. As much as I applaud UIC gains and its ability to articulate a political platform that's above the fray I'm afraid that their rhetoric is making Ethiopians have their way. That being said, all is not lost. There are other realistic scenario. Having secured the two possible staging area namely Feerfeer gate and Kismayo ports, the UIC have compelling interest to make peace with the TFG. Likewise the TFG's mandate is finite and the leadership will be well served if they consider the lucrative offer the UIC have put on the table. Compromise and concessions are the backbone of the realpolitik. TFG gets recognition and Benadir without firing a bullet. UIC get Islamic constitution and a chance to run the country once the TFG mandate expires. The ordinary Somalis will get lasting peace, law and order, and chance to make a living without watching their back. It may be the case that the final Round will be fought over the peace settlement draft. If that happens this round may very well be the final Round 12.0 This rendition of SOL cyber-ku-dirrir is brought to you by the directors of the much acclaimed drama Dudumo in la dareensado iyo in la dugsado la isuga ma daro.