CRIME Why so many Somali-Canadians who go west end up dead JOSH WINGROVE AND KIM MACKRAEL FORT McMURRAY, ALTA. and MINNEAPOLIS — The Globe and Mail Published Friday, Jun. 22 2012, 11:31 PM EDT Last updated Monday, Jun. 25 2012, 10:36 AM EDT 1216 comments They are called the ciyaal baraf, or the children of the snow. The kids of a generation who fled blood-stained Somalia two decades ago. MORE RELATED TO THIS STORY Mourners bid farewell to Eaton Centre shooting victim as toll from gang violence mounts Eaton Centre shooting victim mourned as ‘good person’ Summit on Somalia sees no quick route to saving a failed state Their parents sought refuge across the world in a mass exodus from civil war. Many settled in Canada, mostly in Toronto, where they raised their children, often in poverty. And, as the children came of age and branched out across the country, a new kind of grief emerged. Since 2005, dozens of young men from Canada’s Somali community have been killed, most of them casualties along a cocaine-dusted corridor between the housing projects of Toronto and the oil patch in Alberta. Most cases remain unsolved. The latest slaying was among the most brazen. Ahmed Hassan, a 24-year-old who’d been charged with dealing drugs in Alberta, was gunned down in Toronto’s Eaton Centre. His public death has nudged this grief into the spotlight and renewed calls from Somali community leaders for governments to help stop the bloodshed. Ultimately, the shooting has forced the country to confront the vexing question of why so many of these young men who go west end up dead. Western dream a nightmare The Somali-Canadian community may be rooted in Toronto, but the source of its grief is in Alberta, where at least 23 young men have died in the past seven years. There are about 3,000 Somalis who live in or near the oil-sands city of Fort McMurray. Their community is clustered in a series of low-rise apartments tucked between a grocery store, a mall and a graveyard. They come here dreaming of well-paying jobs, hoping to send money back home and end two decades of poverty. But many lack recognized skills and end up chronically underemployed, driving cabs or working as hotel housekeepers; or they’re unemployed, as is the case with more than 300 Somalis in Fort McMurray today. “We’re called the lost generation,” explained Warsame Adam, a 29-year-old facility manager at the Fort McMurray mosque. “We’re hit from every direction, Somalis. It’s like we don’t belong anywhere.” Mr. Adam found meaningful work out west. Others, however, heeded a different, persistent call – that of the drug trade. “I don’t think anybody goes there saying, ‘You know what, I’m going to go over there and become a drug dealer,’ ” said Ali Abdullahi, who runs youth programs for Somalis in Toronto and knew at least one of the men killed in Alberta. “It’s a lot of young men who go over there, look for work, and some of them may not have all the qualifications to find a job.” But they still need to make money, said Hukun Hurur, a Somali leader in Fort McMurray. “And then they turn to other things.” Cocaine use thrives in Alberta’s oil patch, driven by those who did find well-paying jobs. In 2010, Fort McMurray RCMP laid five cocaine-trafficking charges for every marijuana charge. It’s a brisk trade. High-level dealers can quickly gross $5,000 a day selling crack and cocaine, making $12-per-hour labour jobs seem laughable. “We don’t get a job. So the only option is to get money, to sell drugs,” said one young Somali-Canadian in Fort McMurray, who calls himself M.J. “There’s something wrong with this city,” he said. Civil war Most of these children of the snow can trace their roots to strife-torn Somalia. In 1991, armed opposition groups overthrew the ruling military government, thrusting the country into a brutal and protracted civil war. As the conflict worsened, migrants poured into Toronto, along with other cities in the United States and Britain. Many arrived with limited English skills and few resources. In places like Toronto, where there was no existing Somali community to join, families were left to fend for themselves. Rima Berns-McGown, a University of Toronto professor who has studied the Somali diaspora in Canada and Britain, said many parents who brought their children abroad were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder – yet another challenge for young families adapting to life on a new continent. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=latest%20news%20from%20somalia&source=newssearch&cd=3&ved=0CDoQqQIwAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theglobeandmail.com%2Fnews%2Fnational%2Fwhy-so-many-somali-canadians-who-go-west-end-up-dead%2Farticle4365992%2F&ei=MxDpT_TXHqay0AHV6-yjDQ&usg=AFQjCNE0AxNVfRFwb3yQ8j43S2E3nnfrBA

^^ good analysis.

go along on 4th july..

God bless america.

they were needed in Mogadishu at that time,those ICU were threat to everyone,just like shabab; remember they killed 2 guys watching football in Dmareeb,remember Awais going on radio & TV every otha day on how they will invade ethiopia & implement Islamic state in the horn etcetra.Actually the ICU brought on thmslvs to large extent. How the war was carried out in mogadishu is anotha thing but don't think ethiopians had much of leeway,any invading force would have same problem.,look back at americans in 94..It's sad so many people died but would've been much worse had meles not been there...under tyranny of shabab from corner to corner.

Raamsade;845320 wrote: And Burco is also full of boor and untill reer cagoboorleey arrintaa talaabo ka qaadaan cidna kuma hooyan doonto hoteladaas. cagaboorleeydaa seexan.

ethiopia is good friend.

Less than one % can play with their key board.There's nothing you can change on the ground..words like somaliweyn doesn't mean nothing to even those in mogadishu & down south,your game is known to them.....you will neva be satisfied even if the whole gov't put in your hands cos you neva agree or come to terms with what you see your enemy having their own.your lot arguing day in/out somaliland can't go and yet wana be given what you denying others on silver plate. khatumo bite the dust, so now fictitious names r order of the day...you forgot reer ceebla in the triangle fighting for their rights:D

@Narniah...what you think if move my family ova there,have 4 young kids....

somali way,guess:D

this could happen anywhere, it sad if true,if not this guy should be banned with immediate effect.

jubouti ma dan dhaqaala qasabtay...don't even know how to trust these guys,their problem is Berbera..

abtigiis the commander has his southern front about to land somaliland coast collapsed.

[somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said the constitutional is only provisional until Somali citizens can vote on it. The country's security situation doesn't yet allow for such a nation-wide vote.] no one will be given the chance to vote or it be manipulated,,that's gona be there for a life time whether good or bad. it's easier to approve but much harder to alter.Good luck... @marksman...somalia is already secular country except few enclaves run by shabab.I don't think anyone would be able to change that...just look at puntland & somaliland,same as we were for millenia.

waan keeni doona= I will bring waan keeni doona=we will bring , but here stree is on (k ,n(keeni)& d) like kk,nn or dd you can only tell between the above 2 in speaking or context of a sentence. also , waanu keeni doona=we will bring. you can also say: waan keeni= I will bring waanu keeni=we will bring ( here u after waan is a must)

is there LL rr mm nn .How many letters can be doubled beside the vowels.

Somali grammar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Somali is an agglutinative language, using a large number of affixes and particles to determine and alter the meaning of words. As in other related languages, Somali nouns are inflected for gender, number and case. Affixes change according to a number of rules. The definite article is a suffix, with the basic form being -ki or -ka for masculine nouns and -ti or -ta for female nouns. The k or t is the actual article marker, although it can change depending on the preceding consonant, with the following vowel determined by the case of the noun. Articles do not change for singular or plural. [edit]Nouns [edit]Absolutive case The basic form of a Somali noun is in absolutive case. In this case, the article maintains the vowel -a. Somali English buug (a) book buug-ga the book gacan (a) hand gacanta the hand [edit]Nominative case The subject of a sentence takes nominative case. In this case, the article takes the vowel -u. If the subject of the sentence includes multiple nouns, only the last takes the nominative ending for the article. If there is no article, a tonal change signifies nominative case, although this is not represented in the orthography. Some feminine nouns take the suffix -i in nominative case without an article. Somali English nin man nin-ka the man nin-ku... the man... (followed by a verb) nin-ka iyo wiil-ku... the man and the boy... [edit]Genitive case Genitive case is generally indicated through a tonal change. Some feminine nouns take an ending, -eed, -aad or -od depending on the final consonant of the root word. Somali English áf (a) language carab Arab (people) áf carabeed Arabic language (i.e. language of the Arabs) [edit]Vocative case Vocative case is indicated either through a tonal change or with the suffixes -ow (m. sg.), -ohow (m. pl.), -eey/-aay/-ooy (f. sg.) or -yahay (f. pl.). [edit]Gender Gender is not marked in nouns without the definite article. The gender of nouns does not follow any particular rule and is not generally obvious. [edit]Number Nouns form their plural in three ways, including reduplication. Many nouns exhibit gender polarity, whereby they change gender in the plural form, e.g. buug-ga (the book) is masculine in the singular, but buugag-ta (the books) is feminine. [edit]Pronouns There are both subject and object forms for each personal pronoun, with each form further divided into short and emphatic forms. Subject pronouns Object pronouns Person Emphatic Short Emphatic Short 1. Sing. anigu aan aniga i(i) 2. Sing. adigu aad adiga ku(u) 3. Sing. m. isagu uu isaga (u) 3. Sing. f. iyadu ay iyada (u) 1. Pl. (inclusive) innagu aynu innaga ina/inoo 1. Pl. (exclusive) annagu aannu innaga na/noo 2. Pl. idinku aad idinka idin/idiin 3. Pl. iyagu ay iyaga (u) [edit]Verbs Somali verbs consist of a stem to which suffixes are added. Verbs in indicative mood exist in four tenses, present, present continuous, past and past continuous, in addition to a subjunctive mood form for present and future tense. Verbs in Somali conjugate mainly through the addition of suffixes, although a very small number of common verbs maintain an archaic conjugation using prefixes. [edit]Infinitive and verbal nouns The infinitive is created through the suffix -i or -n depending on verb class, e.g. keeni (to bring) and siin (to give). The infinitive is used in present tense only with the modal verb karid (to be able). Verbal nouns are formed with the endings -id, -n and -sho, e.g. keenid (the bringing), siin (the giving) and barasho (the learning) and are used and declined as per normal nouns. [edit]Indicative mood [edit]Present Present tense refers to an action which may or may not be happening at present. It may be used to express something which happens habitually or repeatedly. The present tense conjugation of keen (to bring) follows: Person Present English 1. Sing. keenaa I bring 2. Sing. keentaa you bring 3. Sing. m. keenaa he brings 3. Sing. f. keentaa she brings 1. Pl. keennaa we bring 2. Pl. keentaan you (pl.) bring 3. Pl. keenaan they bring [edit]Past Past tense is used to describe a completed action in the past with a discrete duration. The conjugation of keen (to bring) is: Person Form English 1. Sing. (waan) keenay I brought 2. Sing. (waad) keentay you brought 3. Sing. m. (wuu) keenay he brought 3. Sing. f. (way) keentay she brought 1. Pl. (waan) keennay we brought 2. Pl. (waad) keenteen you (pl.) brought 3. Pl. (way) keeneen they brought nb: The final -ay can also be pronounced and written -ey. [edit]Present continuous The present continuous tense is formed with the infix -ay- / -na- (depending on dialect) and the endings from the present tense. The present continuous forms of keen are: Person Form English 1. Sing. (waan) keenayaa I am bringing 2. Sing. (waad) keenaysaa you are bringing 3. Sing. m. (wuu) keenayaa he is bringing 3. Sing. f. (way) keenaysaa she is bringing 1. Pl. (waan) keenaynaa we are bringing 2. Pl. (waad) keenaysaan you (pl.) are bringing 3. Pl. (way) keenayaan they are bringing [edit]Past continuous Past continuous is formed with the infix -na / -ay and the past tense endings: keen+ay+ey = keenayey = I was bringing. Is it used to describe actions in the past which happened over a period of time: Intuu akhrinayey wargeyska wuu quracanayey. = While he was reading the newspaper, he was eating breakfast. [edit]Future Future tense is formed with the infinitive of the required verb and the present tense of doon (to want): Person Form English 1. Sing. (waan) keeni doonaa I will bring 2. Sing. (waad) keeni doontaa you will bring 3. Sing. m. (wuu) keeni doonaa he will bring 3. Sing. f. (way) keeni doontaa she will bring 1. Pl. (waan) keeni doonaa we will bring 2. Pl. (waad) keeni doontaan you (pl.) will bring 3. Pl. (way) keeni doonaan they will bring [edit]Subjunctive mood The subjunctive is used only in subordinate clauses and certain prepositional phrases. The present subjunctive differs from the indicative only in that the vowel in the endings changes from a to o. Future subjunctive uses the infinitive plus the present subjunctive form of doon. [edit]Syntax Somali has several strategies to indicate where the intention or the interest or the focus is located in the phrase: a topic-comment or focus construction. The words baa, ayaa, and waxaa put the focus on nouns and noun phrases. Example: John baa baxay - John Focus (baa) went out John ayaa baxay - John Focus (ayaa) went out Waxaa baxay John - Focus (waxaa) went out John Thus, the words baa, ayaa, and waxaa unconsciously raise the question of who went out? Therefore the noun. Somali also has the word waa which puts the focus on verbs and verb phrases. Example: John waa baxay - John Focus (waa) went out Waa is different from other previous one we have just seen, because it raises the question of what did John do? Therefore the verb. Sentences in Somali are typically of the order Subject-Object-Verb (SOV). Nouns have different tonal markings for number, gender (masculine and feminine), and case or role in the sentence. [1] [edit]Bibliography Andrzejewski, B.W. The Case System in Somali. London: 1979. Andrzejewski, B.W. The Declensions of Somali Nouns. London: 1964. Bell, C.R.V. The Somali Language. New York: 1969. Kirk, J.W.C. A grammar of the Somali language, with examples in prose and verse, and an account of the ***** and ****** dialects. Cambridge [Eng.]: 1905. Saeed, John I. Somali Reference Grammar. Kensington, Md.: 1993. Saeed, John I. Syntax of Focus & Topic in Somali. Hamburg: 1984. El-Solami-Mewis, Catherine. Lehrbuch des Somali. Leipzig, 1987.

atleast they well fed..no more skins to outside world:D

^^ then confine myself to the living room, iyadoo isxoqeysaa iman aan lacagta ka furan:D

like how ya'll maneuver out of situations..maybe adding smiling sign or some would have changed the tone.....falaadhi gilgilasho kaagama go'do. ok won't embarrass you no more:D

so now they want support from puntland...sii soco,soo soco .Somalia was right

xiinfaniin;843869 wrote: This is professor Abtigis's vision, the convergence of D block emirates from Garowe to Garisa, an strategy that sees Kismayo and Jigjiga an internal part... We spoke too early against Azania, professor Abtigiis exactly knew what he was talking about when are you right MR nationalist:confused: