After all this time and bad experience that nomad confidence and sometimes arrogance has been shaken. So much mistrust, so much grievance against each other so much family squables and so much trust on foreigners either neighbors or far off ones has really taken its toll. Most Somalis would rather talk about Russia and America intelligently than Mogadishu or Djibouti or Jigjiga where all that intelligence and free mindedness of the nomad disappears. Its very sad even in kililka when you see a Somali talking about other peoples and forgets that the Somali exists, has a role, has a place and is a player.

Not so fast my friend. I would have expected you to at very least recognize what was quoted by our friend here is fake. At the very least why A. Yusuf was arrested. I assume anyone that knows that A. Yusuf was arrested by Mengistu knows why he was jailed. I know you always are inclined to prove that Puntland was pro Ethiopia, but at least dry facts are dry facts.

lol Thanks to cheap hard disk and computers the internet is carrying white lies, manufactured fakes under titles that sounds "credible" especially for emotional people that just want to see what they have already in their head. Even child knows A. Yusuf was arrested by Ethiopia because he told them "This is territory of Somalia, you need to remove your flag from here". That was the incident, but had always have had conflict and suspicion with Ethiopians. The only reason they kept working with him was militarily he was most likely to make an impact on Barre regime, But no matter how much you dislike someone, or how much you relatively look and feel small, white lies should not be permissible culture.

THE LOVE- HATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MENGISTU HAILE-MARIAM AND ABDULLAHI YUSUF: DECLASSIFIED May 13, 2015 By Ismail Warsame The mutual love-hate working relations between Abdullahi Yusuf, the late President of Somalia, a former leader of now defunct Ethiopia-based exile Somali armed opposition front, the SSDF, to the Military Dictatorship of Siyad Barre, and Mengistu Haile-Mariam of Ethiopia, the Late Chairman of the Derg, the leader of Marxist oriented Military Junta that overthrew Emperor Haile-Selassie in 1974, represent and historically characterize the antagonistic-admiration relationships between the two neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa. Late President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed On the one hand, Ethiopians despise the bold and prompt decision-making character of the Somalis, while admiring their creative, adventurous and entrepreneurial spirit, on the other hand. Somalis can’t stand the passivity, tolerance of servile and ever-delaying attitude to personal decision-making, lack of taking action and individual responsibilities of the Ethiopians, while admiring the extreme patience and deliberative character of the Ethiopians. There is a school of thought, among them, that the merger and diffusion of the two characteristics would give these countries in the Horn an advantage over other African countries to provide the competent leadership the rest of the continent needs so badly. Col.Mengistu and Ethiopian Army Generals of the time were quite impressed by Col. Yusuf’s records of Somali Military victory in defending Somali sovereignty and territorial integrity against Ethiopian military provocations at frontiers. They wanted to learn what made him tick. Col. Abdullahi Yusuf, exceedingly politically ambitious as he was, was understandingly mesmerized by the improbable seizure of power by Mengistu, who came from very humble origins even in Ethiopian standards, to lead one of the most important countries in Africa by deposing the king of Kings, the Lion of Judah, and Emperor Haile-Selassie 1st. The first uncomfortable realization by the two men of their incompatibility to work together showed up when then Col. Abdullahi Yusuf, among Somali Army Officers, came to Addis Ababa early in 1978 through the facilitation of Somali Democratic Action Front (SODAF) and under the invitation of Col. Mengistu immediately after the failure of the April coup d’é·tat against the Regime of Siyad Barre. SODAF, an exile political opposition of politicians and intellectuals failed to secure popular support among Somalis, thus giving way to the formation of the Somali Salvation Front (SOSAF). SODAF later transformed itself into the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) with the merger of other smaller opposition organizations. Post-Red Terror Ethiopia was a police state fully under the absolute control of the Derg with the uncompromising and paranoid command of the Mengistu Haile Mariam. There was a permanent night time curfew and emergency laws in force in all urban centres of the Ethiopia throughout the years of the Derg Administration. No one, foreigners, in particular, could move from one location to another without the “Pass-paper” issued by the Derg offices. SSDF leadership found this internal policy of the Regime difficult to operate under, where decisions, communication, movement of men and logistics were needed quickly and timely to meet the requirements of the frontline SSDF fighters. Former Ethiopian president Mengistu Haile-Mariam The 2nd clash between the two Colonels came when SSDF secured significant military and financial support from rich, radical and leftist Arab regimes that enabled SSDF to achieve impressive battlefield victories over demoralized and badly commanded Siyad Barre’s Army. Yusuf wanted to depose Siyad Barre. Mengistu wanted to destroy Somalia. They started to measure up each other, each one suspicious of the other’s political motive. SSDF became so strong that it was an apparent state within Ethiopia with many Generals of the Ethiopian Army under the indirect influence of Col. Abdullahi Yusuf, now armed with military charisma, modern military hardware and money from Qaddafi of Libya. Mengistu felt threat coming from his military.Tigrinya and Eritrean movements stepped up military pressure on the Derg Regime from the North. Mengistu transferred top military brass from Addis Ababa to the frontlines to resist the Ethiopian rebellion, thus to try eliminate the possibility of military take-over in Addis Ababa. The 3rd confrontation came when Mengistu and his Derg members, aware of the military expertise of Col. Yusuf, sought his advice on crushing the Ethiopian rebellion. Yusuf declined to help. The 4th and most serious confrontation between Yusuf and Mengistu was when the former signed a Military Pact with Arab Steadfastness Confrontation Front of 1977 to oppose the new Egyptian Policy on rapprochement with Israel and the U.S. sponsored Israeli-Egypt Camp David Accords of 1978 without notifying Ethiopia. In a separate understanding between Yusuf and Qaddafi, SSDF was to quit Ethiopia as a base in-exile and Qaddafi was to provide the logistics and training of SSDF guerrilla fighters inside Somalia, using bases to be established in the North-East. Mengistu got mad and his Foreign Minister, Goshu Wolde, claimed districts of Goldogob and Balambale as Ethiopian territories in 1985. Yusuf denounced the Ethiopian false and provocative claim. Mengistu thus moved to eliminate Yusuf, cripple SSDF, divide the Somali opposition and encourage the Issak clan-dominated Somali National Movement (SNM) to partition Somalia. President Ahmed Silanyo of Somaliland Before the detention of Col. Abdullahi Yusuf in October 1985, secret service agents of Mengistu tried an assassination attempt on the life of Yusuf. According to the intercepted paper trails obtained by SSDF intelligence officers at the time that I had the opportunity to see, indicated that some Somalis were involved in the plot. These included the then-Chairman of SNM, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud (Silaanyo) and Amina Nur Godane, the wife of Late Mr. Abdirahman Aidid, an SSDF top-ranking leftist politician, among others. The plot failed. Mengistu ordered the detention of Yusuf, who walked out of that Officers’ Corp Prison in Addis Ababa in 1991 as the Derg Regime collapsed and Prison Warders fled the premise. Abdullahi Fash, the former and one-time Somali Minister of Information during the Regime of Siyad Barre, who also defected to join SSDF and later became an Executive Member of the organization, died in detention in the same Addis Ababa prison in suspicious circumstances. Abdirahman Aidid and Abukar Haji Mohamed Hussein were murdered in Dire Dawa in 1984. Derg Regime refused to conduct an investigation and inquiries into these mysterious assassinations.

Who was in Mengistu Jail? And why Bixi, Aidiid, A. Yusuf take your pick. lol Does it make sense to you and do you now understand why Ethiopia would never choose before 1991 to ally more with SSDF than SNM and USC. Here is the order of preference of Ethiopia then 1. USC, 2. SNM 3. COUP DE ETAT, ...last SSDF. After 1994 and even after the Bay Bakool situation 1992 All the players changed and the game changed completely. Kililka changed and that changed the relationship between Somalia and Ethiopia. If you say Ethiopia favoured SSDF after 1992 you are correct. The reason is simple Nothing complicated: SNM was not dedicated to rule Somalia, USC was determined to rule Somalia, but with total disregard to most parts of Somalia and in some cases the Ethiopian freedom fighters/soldiers had gotten into battles against USC due to Bay Bakool situation. SSDF was the only one who can organize a conference where most Somalis would come comfortably.

I have respect for the man for his persistence and also fairly staying within same group and ideals. Be economical with that Mandela thing. I have seen Ethiopians anoint so many of their politicians as "our Mandella" only to condemn them worst kind in a matter of months. Its good to be economical with both the anointing and disgracing of anyone involved in politics.

Reconciliation in Somalia will have to be different than one in South Africa or what is happening in a half hazard way in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia is just a cover for alliance. The new government needs some help from Mengistu groups, a big help from Oromo groups, so under reconciliation is easiest and best way to do it. No body cares now that Mengistu was accused of crime against humanity for which there cannot be reconciliation, but legal process only and there can only be pardon after that. South Africa is between government and people at end of the day. In Somalia its all kinds. Government and people, Some organizations like USC and people, Other organizations like Itihad and people (this mostly happened in kililka so can be ignored, kililka has given the payback and got even and won no need to talk no issue to resolve, has been solved by force over Aweys and co.) The SFG should be responsible for what government did in Somaliland and Puntland (many of us don't think how bad this conflict was and how terrible the measures were), over officers in more than one occasion, on intellectuals and elders..There might even be documents unless USC has destroyed. This should be only area of SFG in the reconciliation. The Bay and Bakool issue should have a commission just for that case. All crimes committed there by any organization should come out in the open. Anyone who participated unless clearly and in detail confesses and asks for forgiveness should never ever be allowed to participate in politics, social position, in education of any kind, community status. Before investigation is done all clans regions should sign that they will not allow anyone in their community to any participation if found participated and not fogiven.

You still don't get it do you? Our intelligent. What is the point of Ethiopia fighting a D-Block in Ethiopia and bringing a D-Block to power in Somalia? Would you do it If you had the authority in Ethiopia and if you were an intelligent policy maker in Ethiopia? Why would Ethiopia go out of its way send officials to India to meet Aidiid, support his groups which united under him later and almost bring him to power, except Mengistu himself lost power before Aidiid can get one. Most Somalis except the ones who think it through would bet their nomadic fields to tell me that A. Yusuf was favourite of Ethiopia and not USC "most nationalist" or SNM another Somali super nationalist. We are only talking here SSDF was least favored and even much obstructed movement by Ethiopia. I hope you have known that SSDF is also contains Communist party of Somalia, Workers Party of Somalia, Progressive officers of Somalia, etc. Dahireeto, Thank you.

There is something fishy and he may even be part of it. That may sound too conspiratorial or delusion on my part, but where he becomes active after this will confirm one way or another. BTW if somebody important wanted him gone, could have been gone anywhere in almost every place he has been in this trip, including in Mogadishu.

" Ethiopia even managed in this period to woo Gen. Mohamed Farah Aidid, the future leader of the United Somalia Congress (USC), predominantly of the Mogadishu Clan clan, from his ambassadorial post in New Delhi in late 1988."

The fact that you called yourself intelligent, tells me there is no discussion and you don't want to be confused by facts. You rely enough that you are intelligent you don't need facts, you don't need to think. That is good. I don't want to reduce your intelligence by documented facts found in the archives of Mengistu about USC, SNM, SSDF...

Then that is really bad at this time. Any other time would have been gift. Then this conflict will last.

Is this Caare guy still there? Wow. Pretty soon he will become star player in UAE Qatari staff or America China staff. Why not? If there is Oil where he is staying, will become star even in Facebook. All it takes is few pages some fake youtube videos..and he will have made it.

Money talks. Both Ethiopia and Eritrea are "kissing each other" and shows its fake. Sanctions have not been lifted from Eritrea, that takes time, peace have not been signed between both, that takes time. They each have opposition of the other in their country, that takes time. UAE cannot wait for all this shenanigan, they need Eritrea in a hurry for Yemen and Djibouti. No time.

Why this this even news or idea for talking? Che, You can disagree how and where these soldiers will be used, but basically every enclave every country needs special units. Can not do without them. The regular soldier now cannot even fight nomads let alone Shabab and others or other countries. The training is tougher than anythingyou might have knwon before, psychologically, technologically and physical fitness. You cannot be thinking of fighting with Ethiopia, Kenya or Djibouti by lining up hundreds of thousands soldiers. That is too old fashioned and too costly in life, limb and wealth. Ethiopia has only 162,000 in its total armed forces. Think about it.

Its good saying from wisdom. The family hopefully will be preserved, at least to have a chance another day.

You see. Exactly what I am saying. Propaganda and what really happened are totally different and sometimes the opposite. When Eritrea and Ethiopia got to war there were Ethiopian opposition that left Eritrea and Eritrean opposition that left Ethiopia. Its incumbant on any nationalist to ask, do I fight my country siding with another country or I go back to my country and struggle from inside. The same choice ONLF was faced in kililka. Let me ask you one simple question: Can you list all the organizations 1 to...what ever you want to list, as no.1 most Somali nationalist to last one total tool of foreign interest? BTW if what they finished is waht they started USC should have abondoned what they started. You don't break a country unless you have a means to put it together. If you knowingly broke it knowing full well you have no alternative then you should be the last one to be called nationalist. The Tigray in Ethiopia gathered 200 organizations (7 of them Somali) to set up transitional government, draft a constitution and stand the country on its feet in a totally new way and structure etc.

Actually that is the whole thing. Would you put on a table 1 billion dollars no prior explanation no prior warm diplomacy? I don't think so. Such coming together of foreign interest is never seen before. America will remove China, will punish Djibouti. Absolutely. Well what can you do? Hopefully Ghelleh will stay under radar and weather the storm without any death and destruction in the horn of Africa. Hopefully also the Afar and Somali groups in Djibouti will see this fake artificial propaganda and stay calm and not be tools trying to address their grievance on Ghelleh, trying to take advantage of somebody's aim and interest which is opposite to what the people's interest is

That is a place that stays under radar only to reappear at some opportune conditions for OLF. Almost 20 years like that. But now the place may stay under radar. The Oromo feel that at some point they may need guaranteed access and think Kenya way. But everywhere they go there is this bloody Somali. Can't get away from him. It will be funny by the time Lamu is so invested and the Somali are half the Kenya government.

The bad thing is Turkey is not impressed. By now Somalia should have moved into rebuilding roads, schools, start some mining companies, started industrial agriculture to feed Arabs and particularly Qatar who is now relying from Turkey, Iran.. Nothing has materialized. Almost same conditions.

If there is anyone that can compromise half of an organization at one go, then that organizaton should not have existed. There is nothing to decieve, buy with money...here. Its simply the reality. If you can achieve what you want in the long run while developing and improving life of the people, wouldn't you prefer that rather than killing and maiming each other?

He has conflicting assignments. America wants him to include the Amhara who have big lobby in US to do this he has to rely on what our galbeedi calls Amharized Oromo. Most Oromos want to only replace the Tigray but keep everything the way it is. At the moment this works better for the Somali in maintaining the autonomy and developing the kilil as a small country with everything that is needed to make it complete autonomy ready for anything. Abiy is caught in between since his vocal support is from Amharized Oromo and Amhara who are against autonomy even small autonomy. They don't have force yet to implement anything but some slogans are being seen in center of country. So far the debate against Ethnic federalism is coming from Eritrea TV Radio ...as presenting federalism as Weyannie method to divide and rule and not wish of any peoples. Take for example demonstrations that were done last week and flags displayed: South, Somali, Afar, Tigray displayed Kilil flag and Ethnic Federal official flag Amhara cities displayed Old pre-Ethnic Federal flag only you would be threatened if anything else Oromia displayed only their own kilil and organizations flag That was very telling.

That is what happens when the history has no clear chapters or did not get into any significant breaks. Everyone goes back and modifies it to fit to today. People don't have commonly accepted break points.

Cubano, WSLF is just a general term or name. The leadership was at those times in different organizations. UWSLF for example is from WSLF influence so is ONLF and others.

WSLF was in so many directions then on its own. We only say WSLF because of the personalities involved. And because most WSLF people had contacts with Ethiopian rebels from different parts, would be difficult for SNM to work with them. BTW SSDF also had contacts with Ethiopian rebels, that was one factor Mengistu was hating them.