Duke, your input is very factual, truthful and does faithfully represent a complete picture of the double-faced gangs in Mogadisho. Thanks for ur analysis.

Galgala is also considered to be a farming town in Bari region.

Originally posted by Faarax-Brawn: Anyway, What is so special about this town? I found a piece of useful info written by a Somaliaonline nomad known as Summaria warrior. This site has a wealthy of info if you go to the search box. If I am not mistaken this is the historic site locally known as the “âœlaba indhoodâ” mountain aka Christ worshiping European vagabonds’ first markings of their presence in rural Somalia - the British first, and then the Italians. What you are looking in the first picture is the face of Christ himself, right in the middle of Galgala, aka Gaal Gala (get it). By the time the Somalis worked out the significance of it, it was deformed, but the marks remain on site to this date. The second picture was intended to be the Cross a part (horizontal portion) of which had been removed soon after it was marked, and only one piece of it remains standing. Rumour has it quire number of Somalis died before the picture on the maintain was defaced and the horizontal portion of the cross was removed leaving the vertical half in place. Legend has it, both had been there well before the European got to Somalia’s heartland. I suppose it shall make a topic of discussion for the historians to devour. Best of luck, Cheers.

To mark the historic Djibouti agreement. Somali baan ahey Ereyadii Siciid Saalax Laxankii Daahir Cali Jimcaale

Dumar kale ma Caashaqin No I would recommend that you marry her if she has the good manners and that she is from a good family.

Dhishiike, unless you are a peacehater, you won't object to this monumental agreement. We thank the United Nations Security Council, the Arab League, the African Union, United States, UK, France and the two Somali parties in conflict for finally coming to this national agreement in light of the humantarian crisis and the 18-year long of anarchy in Somalia.

Aw-Salueyman, you are quite paranoid of my faith and convictions. Instead of setting the rules of what is worthy debating here, you should try to approach the subject in open mindset and avoid strange thoughts that resonate with fear and suspicion in an attempt to close all doors of academic discussion. The gist of the article reflects many Muslim women who daily encounter hardships in their job and school environment and what not to do to overcome the prejudices that wearing the Burqa-Hijabs attracts in a society that one wants to be accepted. Hijab or covering women's body is crucially important to us Muslims but who decides what form of Hijab is religiously acceptable. We have to broaden our understanding of the religious interpretation of hijab or purdah and without overlooking the significance of deeply rooted tradition, civic life and the history of Somali life. RED SEA, It is an amusing article.

RED SEA, http://www.arabsforisrael.com/home.html

It all depends on the background of those who gratuitously rush to transforming their modest ways of life. I have seen Somalis who were born in America yet wear Hijabs and practice their religion the way it is, and others who were just fresh off the boat but adopt wild lifestyles than the host society. The dichotomy between them is just too uniimaginable and makes you wonder that the poor and the uneducatedare the most vulnerable to fall prey to crazy lifestyle.

I came across this article published at Latimes. What do you think of Zeinab's views from strict religious background and to the change in her life right after coming to America and going to Missouri School of Journalism. Me without my hijab Removing my head covering changed how I saw myself and the world. By Zainab Mineeia June 08, 2008 When I came to this country, I took off my hijab. It wasn't an easy decision. I worried at night that God would punish me for it. That's what I had been taught would happen, and it filled me with fear. I was 27, coming from my home country of Iraq to study in California. I hoped that by taking off the hijab I had been wearing for eight years, I would be able to maintain a low profile. In Baghdad, you keep a low profile to stay alive. But in the United States, I merely wanted not to be judged. Still, I was filled with anxiety. As I flew toward the United States, I wondered how I would feel when the moment came to appear with my head uncovered. I knew, of course, that most women in the United States didn't cover their heads. Despite that, I worried that my appearance would draw attention. I was going to stand bare in front of everyone. My neck, my hair, the top of my chest would all be exposed. This might (or might not) go unnoticed by others, but I would be keenly aware of it. I didn't know if I was ready to handle this feeling. When I arrived at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, at the end of the first leg of my journey, my head was still covered. I let my hair out briefly, but then I covered it again, unsure of myself. I packed the hijab away for good when I arrived at Denver International Airport. I had talked with my parents about the fact that I might take off the hijab upon my arrival in the States; fortunately they were supportive of the idea. In fact, just a few days before leaving Iraq, I was sitting in the living room with my father. "My daughter, when you arrive at the Jordanian airport, take your hijab off and fold it in your bag. There is no need to wear it anymore," he said while smoking his cigarette. I did not comment, nor did I look him in the eye. I was embarrassed and did not want to talk about the subject with him or my mother. I was not used to talking to them about such sensitive, personal subjects. But his words meant a lot to me. Having his blessing was important. Coming from Iraq, a conservative society in which Islam is the main religion, the hijab was something I had always known. Muslim women begin wearing the hijab at different ages -- some start as young as 8; others start later. Some never wear it at all. We wear it because we are told that it would be a sin not to cover ourselves -- and because we need to be without sin in order to get close to God. Women, we're told, are a source of enticement to men, and we need to be covered so that men won't desire us. I made the decision to cover my head willingly and without any pressure from my family. My mother and sisters wore it, which made my choice easier. I was 19, and I was becoming more religious in those days and had begun to pray more frequently. I was convinced that it was the right thing to do. The night before I first wore it to school, I stayed up most of the night. None of my friends knew what I was going to do. I expected it would surprise a lot of people. I was a girl who loved styling my hair and wearing nice things; my friends (many of whom were already wearing the hijab) would know how much I had to give up to wear it. On the street, I felt a rush of mixed feelings: happiness and shyness, as well as fear that I would regret my decision in the future. But I never thought that taking it off would be an option. Once women wear the hijab, they are not likely to take it off. These days, the hijab is a controversial subject. Some Muslims argue that it is a must for women, though others think it is not. My friend Dahlia Lamy, for instance, an Iraqi woman I knew in Baghdad who is now studying at Boston University, argues that no verse in the Koran clearly makes the hijab an obligation for women. Lamy is a practicing Muslim, but she believes that most women who wear the hijab have been forced to do so by their fathers and brothers. "I've never worn the hijab, nor do I intend to," she told me. In Turkey -- and even in France -- culture wars have raged over the wearing of the hijab in schools and other places. The hijab takes different forms. In Iraq, it can be a chest-length veil that is placed around the head and sometimes can connect to a niqab, a cloth that covers the mouth and nose. The wearing of the niqab is not common in Iraq. In Iran and other Persian Gulf countries, women wear an abaya. An abaya is a long black gown that covers the entire body. My hijab helped me during the rough days after the war began in 2003. It was like a shield, an invisible suit that I always had on when I went out, the suit that kept away the evil eye. It enabled me to keep that all-important low profile. But even as the hijab kept me safe, it became a burden for many others. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, there was a dramatic increase in the number of women wearing the hijab. Since then, as religious groups have gained more power, it has become dangerous to be spotted without one -- so much so that even Christian women now wear the hijab when they go out. To me, that signified that something was wrong with my country. The reason I came to the United States was to spend a semester at UC Davis before starting a master's degree program in journalism. I arrived on the flight from Denver in September 2006. It was late at night, and I went immediately to sleep. The next day was my first to go out without the hijab. That morning, I stood in front of the mirror and instead of straightening my hijab, I straightened my hair. It worried me, but I also felt happy. At first, I looked behind me a lot as I walked down the street, wondering who was looking at me and what they were thinking. But over time, I got used to it. My conscience stopped bothering me, and I became accustomed to being without the hijab in the middle of the day. I remember early on when a woman sipping coffee on her porch said "Good morning" and smiled at me, as if I looked completely normal. That was a peaceful feeling. For a while, I lived in Davis with another Iraqi woman, who had been wearing the hijab since 2002. When I told her that I had taken off my hijab when I came to the U.S., she was surprised and gave me the look. The look telling me that I had done something wrong. We discussed the issue many times; I felt guilty again and had second thoughts. After some months, though, she moved to Massachusetts. One day, she called me, and we talked again about her hijab. This time she talked about the discomfort and sometimes even hostility that people seemed to feel when they met her and saw how she was dressed. "They try to hide it, but it's obvious," she said. She said that although real estate agents were positive over the phone, no one would rent her an apartment once they saw her in person. She explained that a woman from the student housing office had had the audacity to explain to her the way toilets are flushed, "As if my hijab was an anti-intelligence sign," she said. "I spent two days crying." She called me again at the end of December and told me that she too had taken off the hijab. After the conversation ended, I felt a bit relieved; I had apparently made a wise decision and spared myself pain from the start. At the same time, I was disappointed. We shouldn't have to hide the fact that we're Muslims in order to be treated like everyone else. In some ways, it's as bad to feel pressure to take off the hijab in the United States as it is to be pressured to keep it on in Baghdad. It's sad that people here do not always accept you for who you are. For myself, I'm comfortable with my decision. But even today, I sometimes take my hijab out of the closet and place it over my head. It feels strange, not unlike the feeling I had when I was preparing to stop wearing it. At the same time, when I put it on, I feel at home, as if I wasn't far away. It makes me miss the days when I used to match the color of my hijab with my clothes. The hijab was a part of my identity, a part of who I was, and those memories can't be erased. Zainab Mineeia worked as a translator and reporter for The Times in Iraq in 2005 and 2006. She is now a graduate student at the Missouri School of Journalism. Source: LATimes

Originally posted by Peace Action: If you do not believe the news from the locals i.e Laasqoray and even reuters then you are welcome to make your own news. Reuters said "Westerners" but it is the locals' news that confirmed their identity and other international news have subsequently picked up from there, for instance, the French News Agency, AFP. It is sad though that people loyal to Somaliland have infiltrated our territory to successfuly perform this undercover operation.

Yesterday News. Somalia: Two hired foreigners kidnapped in undercover operation Laasqoray, June 07, (DhaharOnline)- Reports coming from the historic coastal town of Sanaag region , Laasqoray, confirm the two men kidnapped at the outskirts of this city were taken to eastern side of Erigavo, where the secessionists control. It is not entirely clear why the two foreigners identified to be Yemeni and Chinese nationals, surreptitiously came to the Sanag region, but reliable sources confirm that they were agents of 4 Somali men who are reported to have entered agreement with the separatist region of Somalia for this purpose. The 4 Somali men are from Qandala and Qardho towns in Bari region, Puntland according to local sources. Other local reports confirm that two foreigners are not affiliated with Australian owned Range Resources Inc, and the Canadian-based Africa Oil. The mayor of Laasqoray, Jama Hersi Farah, told DhaharOnline that he received a phone call from Erigavo that the foreigners were neither experts of mineral exploration nor engineers working for a major company. "I was told that they are ordinary men hired from Dubai to perform this operation which is intended to destabilize the region and undermine the Las Qorey port project, "the major said. "We are shocked to find out this rare incident in a recovery region like Sanaag," he continued. Clan elders are now involved in the release and extradition of these men to Maakhir administration for further inquiry, but the Somaliland administration are reluctant to hand over these two foreigners. Source: Dhahar.com

Nice one. Keep it up

General Cabdilhi continues his election campaign and appeals to the people of Puntland to unite as they continue to face difficult times. London Wefti Balaaran oo uu Hugaaminaaya Musharaxa Koowaad ee Jagada Madaxtinimada London Wefti Balaaran oo uu Hugaaminaaye Masharax Koowaad ee Jagada Madaxtinimada Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland ee Somaliyeed Genaral C/laahi ILKo Jiir oo Kusoo Wajahan Magaalada London ee Dalka England. Qaban Qaabo Xoogan Ayaa Kasocota Magaalada London Taas oo Loogu Diyaar Garoobaayo Soodhoweynta Musharax Mudane Gen C/laahi ILKo Jiir oo Ah Musaharaxa Koowaad ee UTaagan Jagada Madaxtinimada Dowlad Goboledka Puntland Sanadka 2009ka Genaraal C/laahi ILko Jiir Ayaa Kulamo Waaweyni oo uu Kula Kulmaayo Jaaliyada Somaliyeed ee Puntland Ayaa Diyaar Garowgoodii Xusulduun Loogu Jiraa Iyadoo Magaalada London Siweyni Jaaliyada Somaliyeed Uga Dareentay Imaatinka Musharax Mudane C/laahi ILko Jiir oo Maalmaha Soosocda Kusoo Wajahan Magaalada London ee Cariga Ingiriiska. Wararka Ayaa Intaasi Kudaraaya In uu Genaraalku Kulamo Gaar Ah halkaasi Kula Qaadan Doono Jaaliyada Beesha Warsangeli ee Kudhaqan Cariga Ingiriiska. Genaraal C/laahi Ilko Jiir Ayaa Waxa Safarkiisa Kuweheliya Saraakiil Sar sare Iyo Diblumaasiyiin Gaara ilaa 20 Ruux Kuwaasi oo Lasheegay In Ay Wacyi Gelin Iyo Qaban qaabo ahaan ula socdaan Masharaxa Qabandoona Jagada Madaxweynaha Puntland. Genaraal C/laahi Ilko Jiir Ayaa Dhowaan Northamerica xaflado kala duwan Kuqabtay Kuwaas Oo uu Ku Muujinayey in uu Yahay Musharaxa Koowaad ee Jagada Madaxweynaha puntland oo uu Isu Soo Taagay In Uuqabto Madaxweynaha Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland ee Somaliyeed. Kudhawaaqida Musharaxnimada Genaraal Ilko Jiir Ayaa Waxa Soodhoweyey Kumaan Ruux oo Kula Dhaqan Dunida Dacaladeeda Kuwaasi oo Shucuurtooda Sidhab Ah Ugu Muujiyey Taageerada Ay Uhayaan Genaraal Ilko Jiir. Badhanonline.com

This is a detailed analysis on the Kidnapping of the two foreigners in LasQorey by bandits from Somaliland. Reuters as usual falsified on the identity of the two foreiners they reported or whatever the Secessionist administration conveys to them in regards to the region of Sanaag. The two foreigners' are not Westerners but are reportedly identified as from China and Yemen. They have no connection with either Range Resources, or the Canadian based Mining Company that Reuters said in its careless and partisan news coverage. The secessionists is still pursuing its mission of destabilizing the Sanaag region and Puntland. Faah faahin ku saab san Gaari Saaka laga afduubey Duleedka Magaalada Laasqoray iyo Warar Dheraada oo ka soo baxaya Laasqoray-Warar Dheeraada oo ka soo baxay magaalada Laasqoray ee Gobolka Sanaag ayaa Waxa ay soo Xaqiijinyaan in Gaari saaka lugu qabtay duleedka magaalada laasqoray ay saarnayeen 3nin oo ajnebiya iyo tiro kale oo aan badnayn waxaana la sheegay in dadka cadaanka ah ay u kala dhasheen Wadamada China,iyo Carab waxaana la geeyey Dadkaasi Meel 20Km u jirta Magaalada Ceerigaabo ee Xarunta Gobolkaasi Sanaag. Wararku Waxay sheegayaan In Kooxda Wadatey gaariga la Qafaashay ay ahayeen kooxo ka soo jeeda Degaanka Magaalada Bosaso ee Xarunta Gobolka Bari Waxaana la Sheegay Inay ahyeen Dad Si Qarsoodi ah ku baaranaya Macdanta iyo khayraadka Dhulka Sanaag ku aasan iyagoo aan aan Cidina ka Warqabin arinta Qarsoodida ah ee ay Ku guda Jireen. Waxaan ka Cudur Daaranaynaa Inaan Saaka Warkayaga ku sheegnay Shirkada Macdanbaaritsta ee Reanch Source iyadoo ay yihiin Qolyaha Saaka laga afduubay Duleedka Magaalada Laasqoray Qolyo ka Madaxbanaan Shirkadasi Shidaal qodista balse iyaga laf ahaantoodu ay ahaayeen Kooxo Si sharci daro ah uga quudanayey Agagarka Degmada Laasqoray. Waxaa Ka Baxay magaalada Bosaso ku dhowaad 4tigniko ah oo ay Saaranyihiin Ciidamada Bileyka Maamulka Puntland oo Haatan ku sugan Meel wax yar dhinaca Galbeed kaga beegan Degmada Laasqoray ee Gobolkaasi Sanaag Waxaana lugu soo Waramayaa Inaanay ilaa iminka la Hayn Wax talaabo ah oo ay ku raadinayaan arintaasi. Gudoomiyaha Degmadaasi ee Dhinaca Golaha Shacabka Mudane Yuusuf aya ka Gaabsaday Inuu Saxaafada uga Waramo Xaalada ka Dhacday Duleedka Degmada Laasqoray isgoo Sheegay Inaanay arintaasi ahayn Mid uu Saxaafada u gubinkaro. Waxaa Ciidamada Maamul Goboleedka Puntland ee ku sugan Degmada Laasqoray ay soo shegayaan Inaaney arintaas wax Xog ka Hayn oo aysan Kooxsaasi Werar ku qaadi karin balse ay Si Walaaltinimo ah Wax kaga Doobnayaan ,Ma kala Cada ilaa iminka Jawaabta ay ka Bixin Donaan Kooxda Haysata 3 Ruuc ee ajnebiga ah Waxaa Degmada Laasqoray ee Gobolka Sanaag Suuqyadeeda loogu arkayaa Dadbadan oo iswaydiinaya arintaasi Saaka ka soo Cusboonaatay. Odayaal Dhaqameed Magaalada Laasqoray ayaa Wada Qorshayaan iyo Dedaalo ay ku baadi gobayaan sidii loo Heli lahaa Xal macquul ku ah Xaaladaasi iyo Deganaansha Degaanka Welina ma jiraan wax hadalo ah oo ay wada yesheen xubanah Maamulka puntland iyo Waxgaradka Odayaal dhaqameedka ka soo jeeda degaanka Gobolka Sanaag.

This is a propaganda campaign intended to challenge General Ilkajiir's run for presidency in Puntland. The Inan-Gumeeds have to resort to false reporting and lies through their convenient channel Reuters, which has an office in Hargeesa.

You wlc. HOL's coverage of this important event. http://hiiraan.com/news2/2008/jun/puntland_election_general_abdullahi_ahmed_jama_ilkajiir_for_puntla nd_president.aspx

Despite the rhetoric of Jerusalem, Obama has rejected to support a Senate Resolution bill that called for the designation of the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. According to NY Times, he called the bill as "unnecessarily belligerent and overboard". I think Mr. Obama understands the nature of Israeli-American historic and political relations and he has to reassure the Jews state, which enjoys 71% of public support in the U.S. that their government should militarily and financially aid the state of Israel overcome existential threats in a very volatile region. Yet, he is still willing to sit down and negotiate with America's adversaries without jeopardizing the country's interest. Many eminent foreign policy experts hail this as a bold step to restoring America's global leadership and calming the region’s tension. The Democratic presumptive nominee knows what is at stake and important goals that he has accomplish if he were to win the next White/Black House. There is an enormous public support for three items for the upcoming presidential election: ending the war in Iraq, reversing the worst economic slump America has faced since the Bush Sr. administration, and restoring the loss of civil liberties. The odds are heavily against him especially if keeping U.S. troops in Iraq is secretly high on the agenda. Obama understands this as he explicitly said in his St. Paul speech that "we should carefully withdraw from Iraq as we carelessly entered".

Isseh, your family must be well known in Garisa. Do you know Tawakal. I remember his business partnership with Aw-Yusuf family when they established Warsan Airlines back in the early 90s. I don't know whatever happened to that partnership and how easily it vanished.

Al-Shabaab in Somalia May 31, 2008 Al-Arabiya Television at 1940 gmt on 27 May carries within its daily "Panorama" programme an interview with Hasan Abu-Haniyah, researcher in the Islamist groups affairs, via satellite from Amman; and Dr Azzah Kurayyim, teacher of sociology in the Egyptian National Research Centre for Social and Criminal Affairs, via satellite from Cairo, by anchorwoman Muntaha al-Ramahi. Anchorwoman Al-Ramahi begins by saying: "Al-Qa'idah's policy of recruiting children to carry out suicide bombings raises several question marks. The first is how Al-Qa'idah officials convince children of killing themselves in suicide bombings against civilians in Iraq. The second is over whether the Iraqi Government and the US forces in Iraq have been able to break the Al-Qa'idah's backbone and dismantle it as an organization in Iraq. If this is true, then Al-Qa'idah has no choice but to resort to this option. The third is over the fate of the so-called Arab mujahidin, who were carrying out such operations." TV correspondent Majid Hamid adds: "Children under 15 carry arms, hide their faces with masks, and chant God is great, signalling the establishment of a new Al-Qa'idah organization called: The Young Men of Paradise. The goal of the organization is to carry out bombing operations against the prominent leaders of the Awakening Council. The new organization has recently carried out the so-called Al-Tarimiyah operation. This strategy came two years after the organization left its former strongholds, including the Al-Anbar Governorate. The organization has succeeded in assassinating the founder of the Awakening Council, Shaykh Abd-al-Sattar Abu-Rishah, late in 2007 in a suicide attack. The new organization consists of groups of children, with each group including five children between 11 and 13. Information indicates that their leaders take refuge in remote fields, like Al-Taji and Al-Tarimiyah, for training purposes. They also conduct activities in the troubled Governorate of Diyala and the city of Mosul but have recently deployed in the Al-Amiriyah and Al-A'zamiyah areas. The Young Men of Paradise have joined the convoy of women suicide bombers, who have stepped up their operations over the past three months, especially in the Diyala and Baghdad governorates. The best example is the recent suicide bombings in the Al-Ghazl market in Baghdad. Observers believe that Al-Qa'idah uses children because they are not known to the security apparatuses and can reach their targets unnoticed. The tribal norms in Iraq do not allow the search of women." Analyst Sa'd al-Hadithi is seen telling the TV correspondent that "armed groups recruit children easily because of their lack of cultural and intellectual immunity." The correspondent also says: "The Al-Qa'idah Organization has reportedly established a battalion of children suicide bombers called the Al-Qa'idah Cubs in 2006 to make up for the shortage of foreign fighters in the Arab Al-Jubur and Al-Dura areas south of Baghdad. The battalion is under the command of Abu-Hamzah al-Iraqi, who has replaced Abu-Anas al-Shami. This shows that women and children in the calculations of Al-Qa'idah are the latest group of its fighters and that the Al-Qa'idah's leaders are preparing for a new stage with a different form and substance." Asked how a 15-year-old child can be persuaded to carry out a suicide bombing, Kurayyim says that "children can be persuaded easily to carry out such operations." Asked if these children are persuaded by their relatives in the Al-Qa'idah Organization, Kurayyim says that "this may be true," but that "any one can persuade them that they are recruited to perform heroic deeds in the service of the homeland and religion." Asked on whether poverty is one reason behind the easy recruitment of children, Kurayyim says that "even a non-poor child can be tempted and persuaded that such operations are considered heroic deeds." Asked if these children have no families, Kurayyim says that "the families of many children lack awareness and the ability to protect their children." Asked why Al-Qa'idah uses children in this way, Abu-Haniyah says that "it is not unusual for Al-Qa'idah and most of the other movements revolving round it, such as Taleban and the Salafi jihadist movements in Somalia or Sudan, to recruit children." He says that "what is new is that Al-Qa'idah has recently begun recruiting large numbers of children in Iraq probably because of a shortage of men as a result of the recent operations to tighten the noose on it." He also says that "violence, poverty, unemployment, and the government's inability to do its duty towards the children and the society have produced this phenomenon" and that "more than 50 per cent of Iraq's children do not go to school." Therefore, "the atmosphere of panic, death, and arrests has also contributed to this issue," he says, adding that "the US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are holding more than 1,500 children in prison," and that "Al-Qa'idah is expected to recruit more and more children." Asked on whether Al-Qa'idah recruits children because of a shortage of men or wants to expand itself, Abu-Haniyah says that "Al-Qa'idah and similar organizations are now recruiting Iraqi children, who have been deprived of their cultural, civil, political, and social rights." Asked how Al-Qa'idah can persuade a child to carry out a suicide bombing operation and kill himself, Abu-Haniyah says that "children have been brought up in an atmosphere of violence and war," that "there are more than 4 million orphans in Iraq," and that "members of the families of numerous children in Iraq are also being held in prison." As a result, "a child can be easily persuaded," he says, adding that "the situation in Iraq is open to violence as a result of the government's failure to do its duty towards children." Asked how Al-Qa'idah can be prevented from recruiting children in Iraq, Kurayyim says that "children admire men, who defend the homeland and perform heroic deeds." Source: Al-Arabiya TV, Dubai, in Arabic 1940 gmt 27 May 08

Tents erected for the workers

Puntland will be the Dubai of Horn of Africa.

^What about Djibouti. Isn't this tiny state the cat's paw of US, France and Ethiopia, all having sound military and financial footing in there. Djibouti has become to resemble the old Zayla when it was used as the main source of Abyssinia's import of huge quantities of arms. Somalis were banned of receiving firearms to protect themselves. Despite all of this, Djibouti remains a very poor country that is dependent on foreign powers at the expense of its sister country. It is also considered one of the countries with shocking human rights record. JB, Djibouti aids the sustainability of our weak position in the region. For instance, it is well known fact that its current president who was born in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, have contributed to the destabilization Somalia's stable pockets. Subsequent to its formation, areas of relative stability and self-governing regions became victims of a destabilization campaign waged by the TNG. Guelleh and the Islamist dominated TNG coalesced for the purpose of implementing a coordinated strategy aimed at undermining the prevailing relative stability and functioning governance in Puntland and Somaliland entities. Through concerted persuasive engagements and pressure tactics, the shared strategy was to force these entities to join the TNG, or to effectively destabilize and make them crumble from within. Source:

*Hayat* Yes Garisa is in Kenya and 99% of the people are Somali.

^He particularly underlines how ancient cultural beliefs contradict with Islamic values, yet many non-Muslims confuse such deep-rooted norms as though they're endorsed in Islam. For instance, FGM, honor killing, etc. However, I don't know why Ayan goes into intricate detail of the mistreatment of women in Somalia. Somali women have always been treated as equal with men (In front of Allah) and they travel independently, even in the past. Look at this quote by the historian and anthropologist Andrzejewski (1978) It must be observed at this point that the lot of Somali women, even before this time, was probably somewhat better in many other male-dominated societies, and their difficulties arose more from abuse of the system than from cruelties inherent in it. For instance, women did not have to be veiled, except by tradition among members of a small number of families in some of the towns, and everywhere they had considerable freedom of movement, as can be seen from the women in the novel are traveling independently from Aden to Somalia . Somali men usually feel great reverence and affection for their mothers, and consequently many women of ability and character had a strong influence on family matters and even, by manipulating their menfolk, on public affairs. Marriages were normally arranged by the families concerned, but often enough after the young people had already met and initiated the process, and the custom did not necessarily present any problems.