Abdifatah is a quisling, quintessential rogue character; a political novice with loose morals and a personality sullied by ignominy, who wouldn’t hesitate in prostituting himself for political and material gains. He has the reputation of being a decadent sleazebag who climbed the political ladder fast at the expense of his fellow clansmen and by greasing the hands of corrupt EPRDF officials. He is seen by many as a pathological liar par excellence and unredeemable hypocrite with incurable love for pettiness, intrigue and corruption. Pulled by the strings like a puppet he would not act from his own impulse rather than follow the impulses of his masters. He has neither judgment, opinion, personal integrity, nor respectability of deportment for a political position.

Abdifatah is a quisling, quintessential rogue character; a political novice with loose morals and a personality sullied by ignominy, who wouldn’t hesitate in prostituting himself for political and material gains. He has the reputation of being a decadent sleazebag who climbed the political ladder fast at the expense of his fellow clansmen and by greasing the hands of corrupt EPRDF officials. He is seen by many as a pathological liar par excellence and unredeemable hypocrite with incurable love for pettiness, intrigue and corruption. Pulled by the strings like a puppet he would not act from his own impulse rather than follow the impulses of his masters. He has neither judgment, opinion, personal integrity, nor respectability of deportment for a political position.

Abdifatah Sheikh Abdillahi – the Character Behind the Mask By Mohamed Awale Kahin August 28, 2010 What was the purpose of the U.S. visit of Mr. Abdifatah Sh. Abdillahi, the chairman of the Ethiopian Somali Peoples Democratic Party (ESPDP)? Was the underlying purpose of the visit to rally support among the Diaspora community, or to drive a wedge between the Somali communities in the U.S. on clan lines? These are some of the pertinent, although troubling questions raised by the Somali Diaspora communities in Washington, Minneapolis, San Diego and Seattle, who were baffled by the bizarre behavior of the chairman, Abdifatah Sh. Abdillahi. Getting to know Mr. Abdifatah Abdifatah Sh. Abdillahi Mr. Abdifatah is a political novice who would turn every stone to move up fast in the political ladder or help members of his family accumulate ill-gotten wealth. It is widely believed that a hefty payoff to some corrupt EPRDF’s advisors in the region saved Abdifatah’s political collapse after the latter embezzled over 12 million Ethiopian Birr, which was budgeted for printing of books for primary schools (His deputy at that time is still in prison for crimes that Abdifatah’s name was written all over). When he was the head of Regional Education Bureau, the bulk of contracts for construction of schools were awarded to his own father's (sheikh Abdillahi, aka Sheikh Abdillahi Yare) numerous construction and trading firms, which at times made the charade of competing against one another. For most of the past two decades, Abdifatah was engaged in various conspiratorial machinations and intrigues hatched to harm popular and prominent individuals who excelled him in patriotism as well as in their virtue of fortitude. For quite a long time, he has been engaged by his handlers as a convenient tool for incapacitation of successive governments in the Somali region of Ethiopia as well as the derailment of development enterprises of an entire region inhabited by more than five million people - an act of a calculated disempowerment tantamount to a virtual economic strangulation. He will go down in history as the person instrumental in misinforming the leaders in the region about the unfortunate incident that took place at Mooyaha – in the outskirt of Qabri-Bayah town, where 50 innocent civilians were killed by the security forces, last year. He accused his fellow clansmen who gathered at Mooyaha to discuss some pressing communal affairs to be members of the ****** National Liberation Front (ONLF) and hence plotting assault against the security forces. In a discussion held at the office of the Regional President prior to the security forces foray on the Mooyaha, the paramount chieftain of the Abaskul Clan – the clan from which Mr. Abdifatah hails - Suldan Abdirahman Bade - contradicted the trumped-up story of Mr. Abdifatah and vehemently protested against the planned assault on Mooyaha. The Suldan was eventually forced to resign from the position of the Deputy Speaker of the Regional parliament, a move that precipitated the rise of Mr. Abdifatah to the position of the Chairman of the ruling ESPDP party. Abdifatah also worked and succeeded to exclude several individuals with good standings in the region from standing for re-election in 2010 elections, or holding offices.(1) Many in Jigjiga describe Mr. Abdifatah as extremely daft person with low self-awareness and analytical capacity. They find it difficult to explain the longevity of his political career when it is manifestly apparent he doesn’t have the maturity to lead a decent family life. But it is not so hard to realize to whom his insecurity, immaturity and daftness is a blessing. He is the darling boy of some corrupt officials who have no compunctions in lending their ‘political’ dexterity in exchange for gratifying presents, favours and financial gains. It is clear to all and sundry that Sh. Abdillahi uses his son’s political position to protect his business interests. And very few people associate compassion as a defining trait of the father. With a prayer rosary firmly held in his left hand, and clad in all white cleric attire, you can hardly go past the avuncular Sheikh without wishing to give a warm hug to him. But once you get to know him you will realize that you have been misled by the innocuous appearance. This author met Abdifatah recently in one of the dinners hosted for him by members of the Diaspora community. He was flanked by a young man with a large bulging belly who, as I later learned, was a staff member of the Ethiopian embassy in Washington. The last time I saw Abdifatah was several years ago in his office in Jigjiga. He was then feeling detached, depressed and lonely; his fate was hanging in the balance as he was found of embezzling millions of dollars earmarked for the printing of teaching materials for hundreds of dilapidated schools in the Somali region. At the dinner table, he repeatedly tried to spew out some of the hackneyed rhetoric and party line misinformation that one often hears from the government and its affiliated media. He was, however, incapable of truly articulating anything other than a prescribed set of well-rehearsed clichés. While it may or may not have been the intention of the Federal Government to use his delegation to divide the Diaspora along clan lines, the incitement against a particular clan (******), to a large extent, may have been his own creation. Politics of Vendetta At the dinner, he delighted himself in vilifying some of the past presidents of the Somali Region including Khadar Macalin, Abdirashid Dulane, Abdillahi Lugbur, Abdi Jibril and Daud M. Ali. He tried to use the occasion to preach cheap talking points filled with platitudes, hate and clan division - hate especially towards the ****** clan; but sadly he did not take the opportunity to either give necessary boost to the peace accords that are underway, or give answers to the grieving men and women from his own clan who lost their family members in the Mooyaha killings. Neither did he give any meaningful answers to the questions on the disputed districts (between Somali and Oromia regions). What we all wanted from him was a meaningful engagement and some sort of honest representation of the administration that he represents as well as humility on the mistakes committed. That was not to be. When asked about the fate of Dire Dawa, Babile and the Jinacsane and other districts that were rewarded to the Oromia region without the consent of the inhabiting, owner communities and whether the Somali region intends to reclaim the lost territories, he has snapped his audience and shown callous indifference to the feelings of those who raised the questions. To the chagrin of those in the table, he claimed all concerned districts (inhabited mainly by Geri, ******, Gurgure and Ciise) changed hands in a democratic vote and the outcome reflects the choice of some Somali communities who opted to go with Oromia. This is a white lie. Abdifatah knows how that bogus referendum process was staged more than anyone else to dilute the Geri power vis-a-vis his Jidwaaq conglomerate of clans in the electorate representation of Jigjiga. If any, this undermines the future stability of the region, a phenomenon that we all can’t afford. Perhaps what explains Abdifatah's treachery here is what psychologists in their fondness of wordplay call 'Cognitive Dissonance' which is in layman's terms about denial of facts that one knows well. Frederick Mann calls this the "unreality imperative", in his seminal paper, "the many forms of denial", which he says is the "strong urge to distort or deny aspects of reality - by creating or accepting "unreal beliefs" because confronting them and seeing certain aspects of reality for what they are is considered too "uncomfortable", "threatening" or "painful". Abdifatah knows just how threatening accepting such a fact is to his pursuit of comfort. Mr. Abdifatah has even failed to recognize that the audience in America was the distinguished elites of the society but instead employed the trade he knows best – to whisper clannish talks – which actually put off those who met him and further alienated those who were already on the fence. See the testimony of Mohamed Qalinle. According to other reliable sources, he boasted that he engineered the infamous creation of the so called development centers in Jigjiga in which he claimed that he squeezed the 67 Kebele (Peasant associations) of the Geri tribe into only eight development centers while he made 19 development centers out of the 69 Kabele (peasant organization) on the Jidwaaq side. He claimed that because of his effort, Jigjiga stays in the hands of his clan (each development centre fields three district council members) - what a daft person he is. His clannish agenda has a far reaching negative effect on the people of Jigjiga because the new proposed Jigjiga city council of 75 councilors will again have 10 Geri councilors and 39 Jidwaaq councilors – it is Abdifah’s justice. Whoever engineered this and other similar policies smack justice and fairness in the face and should be revisited by the incoming president and his administration lest peace and development is attainable when justice and equality among clan groups are ensured. It came to the attention of this author that, to bolster his image, he travelled the wrong road to an extent that he claimed that he can, at the stroke of the pen, put any clan on the bad books of the government. While talking to a close relative in Minneapolis, he is quoted as saying, “I single handedly put the Geri tribe on the black list originally reserved for the ******.” In what amounts to a stark volte-face, in separate meetings he held with individuals who hail from Geri, he tried to cajole them to fall behind his long-term political ambitions: he pleaded them to stand shoulder to shoulder with Jidwaaq to collectively “liberate Jigjiga from the ******i clan.” This is the most painful after taste that Abdifaha’s “coming to America” inherited for us. Jigjiga as well as the Diaspora community from the Somali National Regional State deserves a self-confident, honest politician and a civil servant with a desire to serve the public good and engage his constituents on unity and development, two attributes which the region is on the verge of achieving. Whatever his mission’s objectives were, it is clear that he failed to get the support of the Diaspora community from the region who simply did not like the message of division and hatred he marketed with aplomb. Above all, it is his own community from Jigjiga Zone that was the most vociferous in the condemnations against him. He crossed the vast seas and oceans with a message of peace for all of the people from the Somali Region in America and elsewhere. Yet, peace is what he denied to his own clan folks who were slaughtered; some still languish in prisons, and their women are wailing in anguish. A notorious wife-beater cannot be trusted to go as a peace-maker to another house. A killer of next-of-kin cannot preach the gospel of peace to distant relatives. Abdifatah should hear this loud and clear: only when he outgrows his atavistic fixation with the politics of the stomach and repents for his role in the killings of the Mooyaha will he be taken as a real material. Let me invoke that overused cliché for one more function here. Indeed, charity begins at home and only when Abdifatah gives peace to his own clan will he qualify as a messenger of peace in the eyes of the Somali community in the region. It is then and only then that Jigjiga will consider whether to forgive its vindictive kid who had brought so much pain to all communities in the region, mainly to those closest to him. It is only then that he will get a reprieve from the disapproving, incriminatory talk of him being the proverbial donkey that browses the ‘grass fence’ that is closest to it. Mohamed Awale Kahin mohamedawale@ymail.com Minneapolis, MN, USA (1) In the past several years, Abdifatah has destroyed the political career of some of the eminent personalities the city of Jigjiga has produced. He has masterminded the dismissal of two of the prominent mayors the city ever had (Ali Abdi Issa and Ali Yusuf Issa), who enjoyed broad popular support and rejected the temptation to amass wealth through illegal means. He also put some of the regions elites (Abdikarim Qalinle) in what is famously known as “Jeel ********.” Abdifatah also worked and succeeded to exclude the highly respected young scholar, Abdiwasac Abdillahi Bade, a professor of International Relations in Addis Ababa University and former member of the Federal House of Representatives, from standing for re-election in 2010 elections. ”

Abdifatah Sheikh Abdillahi – the Character Behind the Mask By Mohamed Awale Kahin August 28, 2010 What was the purpose of the U.S. visit of Mr. Abdifatah Sh. Abdillahi, the chairman of the Ethiopian Somali Peoples Democratic Party (ESPDP)? Was the underlying purpose of the visit to rally support among the Diaspora community, or to drive a wedge between the Somali communities in the U.S. on clan lines? These are some of the pertinent, although troubling questions raised by the Somali Diaspora communities in Washington, Minneapolis, San Diego and Seattle, who were baffled by the bizarre behavior of the chairman, Abdifatah Sh. Abdillahi. Getting to know Mr. Abdifatah Abdifatah Sh. Abdillahi Mr. Abdifatah is a political novice who would turn every stone to move up fast in the political ladder or help members of his family accumulate ill-gotten wealth. It is widely believed that a hefty payoff to some corrupt EPRDF’s advisors in the region saved Abdifatah’s political collapse after the latter embezzled over 12 million Ethiopian Birr, which was budgeted for printing of books for primary schools (His deputy at that time is still in prison for crimes that Abdifatah’s name was written all over). When he was the head of Regional Education Bureau, the bulk of contracts for construction of schools were awarded to his own father's (sheikh Abdillahi, aka Sheikh Abdillahi Yare) numerous construction and trading firms, which at times made the charade of competing against one another. For most of the past two decades, Abdifatah was engaged in various conspiratorial machinations and intrigues hatched to harm popular and prominent individuals who excelled him in patriotism as well as in their virtue of fortitude. For quite a long time, he has been engaged by his handlers as a convenient tool for incapacitation of successive governments in the Somali region of Ethiopia as well as the derailment of development enterprises of an entire region inhabited by more than five million people - an act of a calculated disempowerment tantamount to a virtual economic strangulation. He will go down in history as the person instrumental in misinforming the leaders in the region about the unfortunate incident that took place at Mooyaha – in the outskirt of Qabri-Bayah town, where 50 innocent civilians were killed by the security forces, last year. He accused his fellow clansmen who gathered at Mooyaha to discuss some pressing communal affairs to be members of the ****** National Liberation Front (ONLF) and hence plotting assault against the security forces. In a discussion held at the office of the Regional President prior to the security forces foray on the Mooyaha, the paramount chieftain of the Abaskul Clan – the clan from which Mr. Abdifatah hails - Suldan Abdirahman Bade - contradicted the trumped-up story of Mr. Abdifatah and vehemently protested against the planned assault on Mooyaha. The Suldan was eventually forced to resign from the position of the Deputy Speaker of the Regional parliament, a move that precipitated the rise of Mr. Abdifatah to the position of the Chairman of the ruling ESPDP party. Abdifatah also worked and succeeded to exclude several individuals with good standings in the region from standing for re-election in 2010 elections, or holding offices.(1) Many in Jigjiga describe Mr. Abdifatah as extremely daft person with low self-awareness and analytical capacity. They find it difficult to explain the longevity of his political career when it is manifestly apparent he doesn’t have the maturity to lead a decent family life. But it is not so hard to realize to whom his insecurity, immaturity and daftness is a blessing. He is the darling boy of some corrupt officials who have no compunctions in lending their ‘political’ dexterity in exchange for gratifying presents, favours and financial gains. It is clear to all and sundry that Sh. Abdillahi uses his son’s political position to protect his business interests. And very few people associate compassion as a defining trait of the father. With a prayer rosary firmly held in his left hand, and clad in all white cleric attire, you can hardly go past the avuncular Sheikh without wishing to give a warm hug to him. But once you get to know him you will realize that you have been misled by the innocuous appearance. This author met Abdifatah recently in one of the dinners hosted for him by members of the Diaspora community. He was flanked by a young man with a large bulging belly who, as I later learned, was a staff member of the Ethiopian embassy in Washington. The last time I saw Abdifatah was several years ago in his office in Jigjiga. He was then feeling detached, depressed and lonely; his fate was hanging in the balance as he was found of embezzling millions of dollars earmarked for the printing of teaching materials for hundreds of dilapidated schools in the Somali region. At the dinner table, he repeatedly tried to spew out some of the hackneyed rhetoric and party line misinformation that one often hears from the government and its affiliated media. He was, however, incapable of truly articulating anything other than a prescribed set of well-rehearsed clichés. While it may or may not have been the intention of the Federal Government to use his delegation to divide the Diaspora along clan lines, the incitement against a particular clan (******), to a large extent, may have been his own creation. Politics of Vendetta At the dinner, he delighted himself in vilifying some of the past presidents of the Somali Region including Khadar Macalin, Abdirashid Dulane, Abdillahi Lugbur, Abdi Jibril and Daud M. Ali. He tried to use the occasion to preach cheap talking points filled with platitudes, hate and clan division - hate especially towards the ****** clan; but sadly he did not take the opportunity to either give necessary boost to the peace accords that are underway, or give answers to the grieving men and women from his own clan who lost their family members in the Mooyaha killings. Neither did he give any meaningful answers to the questions on the disputed districts (between Somali and Oromia regions). What we all wanted from him was a meaningful engagement and some sort of honest representation of the administration that he represents as well as humility on the mistakes committed. That was not to be. When asked about the fate of Dire Dawa, Babile and the Jinacsane and other districts that were rewarded to the Oromia region without the consent of the inhabiting, owner communities and whether the Somali region intends to reclaim the lost territories, he has snapped his audience and shown callous indifference to the feelings of those who raised the questions. To the chagrin of those in the table, he claimed all concerned districts (inhabited mainly by Geri, ******, Gurgure and Ciise) changed hands in a democratic vote and the outcome reflects the choice of some Somali communities who opted to go with Oromia. This is a white lie. Abdifatah knows how that bogus referendum process was staged more than anyone else to dilute the Geri power vis-a-vis his Jidwaaq conglomerate of clans in the electorate representation of Jigjiga. If any, this undermines the future stability of the region, a phenomenon that we all can’t afford. Perhaps what explains Abdifatah's treachery here is what psychologists in their fondness of wordplay call 'Cognitive Dissonance' which is in layman's terms about denial of facts that one knows well. Frederick Mann calls this the "unreality imperative", in his seminal paper, "the many forms of denial", which he says is the "strong urge to distort or deny aspects of reality - by creating or accepting "unreal beliefs" because confronting them and seeing certain aspects of reality for what they are is considered too "uncomfortable", "threatening" or "painful". Abdifatah knows just how threatening accepting such a fact is to his pursuit of comfort. Mr. Abdifatah has even failed to recognize that the audience in America was the distinguished elites of the society but instead employed the trade he knows best – to whisper clannish talks – which actually put off those who met him and further alienated those who were already on the fence. See the testimony of Mohamed Qalinle. According to other reliable sources, he boasted that he engineered the infamous creation of the so called development centers in Jigjiga in which he claimed that he squeezed the 67 Kebele (Peasant associations) of the Geri tribe into only eight development centers while he made 19 development centers out of the 69 Kabele (peasant organization) on the Jidwaaq side. He claimed that because of his effort, Jigjiga stays in the hands of his clan (each development centre fields three district council members) - what a daft person he is. His clannish agenda has a far reaching negative effect on the people of Jigjiga because the new proposed Jigjiga city council of 75 councilors will again have 10 Geri councilors and 39 Jidwaaq councilors – it is Abdifah’s justice. Whoever engineered this and other similar policies smack justice and fairness in the face and should be revisited by the incoming president and his administration lest peace and development is attainable when justice and equality among clan groups are ensured. It came to the attention of this author that, to bolster his image, he travelled the wrong road to an extent that he claimed that he can, at the stroke of the pen, put any clan on the bad books of the government. While talking to a close relative in Minneapolis, he is quoted as saying, “I single handedly put the Geri tribe on the black list originally reserved for the ******.” In what amounts to a stark volte-face, in separate meetings he held with individuals who hail from Geri, he tried to cajole them to fall behind his long-term political ambitions: he pleaded them to stand shoulder to shoulder with Jidwaaq to collectively “liberate Jigjiga from the ******i clan.” This is the most painful after taste that Abdifaha’s “coming to America” inherited for us. Jigjiga as well as the Diaspora community from the Somali National Regional State deserves a self-confident, honest politician and a civil servant with a desire to serve the public good and engage his constituents on unity and development, two attributes which the region is on the verge of achieving. Whatever his mission’s objectives were, it is clear that he failed to get the support of the Diaspora community from the region who simply did not like the message of division and hatred he marketed with aplomb. Above all, it is his own community from Jigjiga Zone that was the most vociferous in the condemnations against him. He crossed the vast seas and oceans with a message of peace for all of the people from the Somali Region in America and elsewhere. Yet, peace is what he denied to his own clan folks who were slaughtered; some still languish in prisons, and their women are wailing in anguish. A notorious wife-beater cannot be trusted to go as a peace-maker to another house. A killer of next-of-kin cannot preach the gospel of peace to distant relatives. Abdifatah should hear this loud and clear: only when he outgrows his atavistic fixation with the politics of the stomach and repents for his role in the killings of the Mooyaha will he be taken as a real material. Let me invoke that overused cliché for one more function here. Indeed, charity begins at home and only when Abdifatah gives peace to his own clan will he qualify as a messenger of peace in the eyes of the Somali community in the region. It is then and only then that Jigjiga will consider whether to forgive its vindictive kid who had brought so much pain to all communities in the region, mainly to those closest to him. It is only then that he will get a reprieve from the disapproving, incriminatory talk of him being the proverbial donkey that browses the ‘grass fence’ that is closest to it. Mohamed Awale Kahin mohamedawale@ymail.com Minneapolis, MN, USA (1) In the past several years, Abdifatah has destroyed the political career of some of the eminent personalities the city of Jigjiga has produced. He has masterminded the dismissal of two of the prominent mayors the city ever had (Ali Abdi Issa and Ali Yusuf Issa), who enjoyed broad popular support and rejected the temptation to amass wealth through illegal means. He also put some of the regions elites (Abdikarim Qalinle) in what is famously known as “Jeel ********.” Abdifatah also worked and succeeded to exclude the highly respected young scholar, Abdiwasac Abdillahi Bade, a professor of International Relations in Addis Ababa University and former member of the Federal House of Representatives, from standing for re-election in 2010 elections. ”

An interesting, thought-provoking, controversial but relevant editorial and perhaps a major departure from Wardheernews’s long-cherished unionist, centralized solution for the defunct Somali state. http://www.wardheernews.com/Editorial/wdn_editorial_62.html

http://www.smh.com.au/business/taxi-range-gets-a-fair-go-in-puntland-20091214-ksc2.html William Booth, the author of In Darkest England, and the Way Out, outlined the need to craft and infuse a new element in man. “To get a man soundly saved is not enough to put on him a pair of new breeches, to give him regular work, or even to give him a University education. These things are all outside a man, and if the inside remains unchanged you have wasted your labor. You must in some way or other graft upon the man’s nature a new nature, which has in it the element of the Divine”, writes Booth. Perhaps our Puntland friends need to take note of the essence of grafting “a new nature” in taming the potty mouth of the gaffe-prone Farole.

Why is the violence so intractable? A clarifying paradigm can be found immediately to the north, in Somaliland. No visual distinction marks the Somalilander from the Somali. But the naked eye detects plenty of differences between the two regions. Somaliland's capital city of Hargeysa is an almighty wreck of sledgehammered streets, ungoverned traffic, litter, and refugee camps, but there are two things there that you will not find in Mogadishu. The first is a construction boom—of hotels, restaurants, business centers. The second are the currency-exchange booths everywhere on the streets, where women sit alongside yard-high stacks of Somaliland shil­lings, unaccompanied by security of any sort. What one almost never sees in Hargeysa is violence.

The Fund for Peace has ranked Somalia number one on its index of failed states for the past two years. That distinction understates the pathos of Somalia. Failure—to deliver security, sustenance, services, or hope—has, for 18 years now, been the house that Somalis call home. And they are leaving their home in droves. The lucky ones migrate outside the conflict zone—on harrowing journeys to refugee camps in Kenya or Yemen, or to Somaliland, the breakaway republic that once formed Somalia's northern swath. Those less fortunate—more than a million of them—have ended up in camps for internally displaced persons. But many choose to remain in Mogadishu, a city that looks, at first glance, like most of its kind in Africa. A crazed tangle of battered automobiles, mule-drawn carts, and untended goats rules the pocked streets. The markets teem with brilliant mangoes and bananas and junk merchandise from the West. Women in Muslim head scarves pass by, as do boys kicking soccer balls and men with cheekfuls of qat. Yet amid the exoskeletons of banks and cathedrals and luxury hotels overlooking a glimmering coastline that once buzzed with pleasure boats, an awful truth dawns. Mogadishu was never like other African cities. Mogadishu was a spectacular city. Even in its disfigurement, the beauty is still there—above all, in ghostly Hamarweyne, where photographer Pascal Maitre and I stand in the empty boulevard and squint out at the sea until a call to prayer from a nearby mosque reminds us it is almost five in the afternoon, after which all outside activity ceases.

Mogadishu is ground zero for the failed state of Somalia, a place where pirates and terrorists rule. Yet to the north, the breakaway region of Somaliland is stable and at peace. What happened? Good read. Here is the link http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/09/somalia/draper-text

A & T, Notwithstanding the blind defense of anything Farole by the PDF and the Diaspora Puntlanders who are either less informed of his malevolence or deluded by the lies and fabrications of his disgraced administration, the silent majority of Puntlanders disapprove Farole’s Machiavellian machinations and the morality that sanction the ill-treatment of fellow kith and kin. Justice and good governance are hard to come by in a land where the rule of law is inadequate, preferential and selective and the wretched population is at the mercy of ruthless, self-serving goons. So is present day Puntland where survival has become the prerogative of a select few returnees from Diaspora who are fleecing the resource-rich lands without having any benefits trickle down to the less fortunate masses. With the tacit approval of the PDF, Farole is making every effort to prop up and evolve his maladministration into a hermetically sealed chamber where banal criticism, political or ethical debate, and humorous newspaper caricatures are forbidden; where extralegal measures that make a mockery of justices is executed fatuously; where the beleaguered peoples human rights are trampled upon with impunity. Simply put, Farole’s despotic and authoritarian character has surfaced and his dictatorial tendencies may prevail with the approval of his completely-oblivious-to-ground-reality Diaspora stooges.

“The reality on the ground reveals that Puntland is in a position where it can not count on anyone else in the region but Ethiopia to survive. Therefore, its unquestioning obedience to the regime in Addis Ababa is justifiable from their perspective. On contrary, it is undeniable fact that the silent majority of Puntland population are against this barbaric act. But unfortunately they don’t have the means to oppose those who run the show in Puntland affairs. Whatever the case is, the civilian population in Puntland should remember that their leaders’ cruel attitude is reflecting badly on them.” http://www.hiiraan.com/op2/2009/dec/puntland_butchers_must_be_brought_to_justice.aspx

We all agree that leaders must be held accountable to their actions. But our followership to any leader must be born out of our judicious cognizance that the leader is doing the right thing. We need to support those that make use of their authority thoughtfully and sensibly and not those that act in a preposterous manner. After all, a leader is not a mouthpiece of Allah. He is not infallible. He is human to err. It sounds to me absurd and ironic when the most learned among us follow a warlord blindly as mere pawns or stooges; when they cannot question his gaffes, when they choose to keep a blind-eye on his monkey business and allow him to gallop on the rough road much travelled by many of African demagogical dictators that held their people as hapless hostages. Those of us who wish to see a prosperous and peaceful Puntland should be wary of Farole’s slip into manipulative and divisive dictatorial tendencies that only serve his inflated, larger-than-life ego and not the beleaguered people of Puntland. Notwithstanding their current status of being holed in a state of blind stupor, the PDF may help stop the making of another dictator.

“To add insult to grievous injury, Mr. 'Faroole' seems to believe he has been bestowed with the authority, here on earth, to legally distinguish between individuals who are Somali nationals and those who may be aliens.” http://www.wardheernews.com/Articles_09/Nov/Ibn_Othmann/26_Disgusting_conduct_of_Faroole.html

Mohsin hit the nail on the head! An entity that claims to host the best minds of Puntlanders had labored days and days just to give birth to a spiteful Manichean opinion. Indeed, with a friend like PDF, one needs to go back to the master lexicon to discern the meaning of the word malevolence. Their sordid, impetuous and blind defense for the indefensible behavior of warlord Farole will certainly haunt them forever. Mediocrity is the best that PDF has begotten thus far. Next time round, let us hope that commonsense prevails.

http://www.biyokulule.com/view_content.php?articleid=2370

Abdirahman Farole, president of Puntland, has been in the news as usual for his egregious violations of fundamental human rights against his native Puntlanders but above all for his abominable crimes against innocent Ogdni residents in his midst. Here is the link for the article. http://www.wardheernews.com/Articles_09/Dec/01_farole_rayale_mohsin.html

http://www.wardheernews.com/Articles_09/Nov/10_farole_puntland_abdikarim.html Rightly or wrongly, Mr. Farole has been consigned lately to the graveyard of disgraced, fallen leaders. Some have gone to the extent of calling him a pitiful guy, fallen from grace. Isn’t too early to write off Farole? Why make him an object of ridicule and derision? The man has yet to consummate his blissful honeymoon!

Source http://kulmiye.org/2 003/a-reality-check- on-rayaales-somalila nd-by-a-duale-siiara g/

I am reposting an old article that merits reflection. A Reality Check on Rayaale A Reality Check on Rayaale’s Somaliland By A. Du’ale Sii’arag The darkness drops again; but now I know Those twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour comes round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? The Second Coming. By W. B. Yeats Greetings from Maan-hadal salon, one of the many happy watering holes in Hargeisa where everything under the sun is discussed and varied topics are skimmed through everyday with no explicit or implicit objectives. Loose, smooth debate and long chats are the inherent features of Maan-hadal. Many spirited conversations grace the eloquence and lively discourse of reasoned arguments and genial discussions that became the hallmark of Maan-hadal. It is sometimes referred to as the incubator of exhilarating and uplifting ideas. A talk-shop and crossfire par excellence! Self-styled political scientists and pundits fiercely exchange diametrically opposed views, with the very help of my beloved catalyst, the Awaday – that lubricates our social gathering and stimulates the intellect. Though vocal, voluble and loquacious in conversations and articulate arguments and discussions plied back and forth, penned expressions were not forthcoming from Maan-hadal, lately. Renowned Maan-hadal physicians and anthropologists, who have been engaged in exhaustive diagnostic assessment of Somaliland’s illnesses, deliberated the need for a reincarnated SNM for the second emancipation of this beleaguered people from the degrading hegemony of the recreated henchman of the notorious Siad Barre’s regime. In this piece, Maan-hadal would briefly ponder the state of health of Rayaale’s tyrannical regime. In 1997, the late Mohamed Ibrahim Egal handpicked Daahir Rayaale Kaahin as his new Vice President – a minion addition to his unwieldy and unpopular cabinet of Prima Donnas and mediocrities. He was sworn as a care-taker president after Egal’s death in South Africa on 3 May 2002. Rayaale won the presidential election held in 14 April 2003 with a margin of mere eighty votes. Rayaale’s election was clearly a protest vote against the Somali National Movement (SNM). As a resistance movement, the SNM had been successful in rallying the support of the populace against the repressive military regime. Notwithstanding its astounding feat in routing the unruly marauding forces of Siad Bare’s regime, the SNM tragically failed to come up with a viable political program to steer Somaliland towards the road to peace and recovery or to constitute a cohesive visionary leadership in the aftermath of the demise of the dictatorial regime. Taking advantage of the serious leadership deficiency that bedeviled the SNM, the remnants of the ousted regime and a jumbled assortment of cunning political prostitutes and crafty opportunists – locked in a marriage of convenience – took a firm hold of the newly-constituted authority. An apparent antithesis of the desired outcome of the peoples struggle for good governance Today Somaliland remains helplessly tethered and stifled under a tottering tyrannical regime that bore unmistakable resemblance to the one it ousted in 1991. Trampled human rights, brutal and corrupt dictatorship, rapid urbanization, economic stagnation, diplomatic isolation, environmental degradation, and abject poverty are triggering unsettling unease and anxiety, aggravating further the plight of the largely impoverished population. Ironically enough, the Somaliland administration has been commandeered by the remnants of the very regime with which the people had fought against it, gallantly. The high and mighty in present-day Somaliland administration, including the strongman – Daahir Rayaale Kaahin, and the all powerful minister of Interior – Abdillahi Ciro, were faithful stalwarts of the authoritarian regime that committed horrendous crimes against the people of Somaliland. Both were senior ranking officers of the feared and ubiquitous National Security Service (NSS) of Siad Barre’s regime which was modeled on another equally notorious secret police – the former East Germany’s Stasi. As devoted informants, both Rayaale and Ciro stayed clung to the dying regime of Barre till the end, hoping to administer the last rites to the dictator. Rayaale presides over a police state that routinely infringes on civil rights where the state of human rights continues to deteriorate at a rapid pace. His corrupt, repressive, and dysfunctional regime has the tendency to employ unsavory instruments to suppress dissent through kangaroo courts, press gags and detentions without trial. Rayaale and his large entourage of cohorts and cronies have not missed any opportunity to siphon off the locally generated meager revenue and stash the loot in foreign banks. They have demonstrated unrivalled ingenuity in exploiting the laws of the jungle to further their self-interest and detrimental hegemony in the most cynical way possible. A resurrected National Security Service (NSS) – the notorious and most despised instrument of oppression of the dethroned Barre’s dictatorial regime – has been recreated and unleashed to keep the unwary public under surveillance. Men with known passion for undercover work and the art of eavesdropping keep preying on the unsuspecting civilian population and of course, Maan-hadal. Similarly, the infamous Red Berets of Barre’s regime has been reincarnated to safeguard Rayaale’s tenacious grip to an increasingly unpopular and repressive power. The Rayaale administration regularly interferes and influences the performance of the judiciary system that persistently implements the Penal Code of the deposed regime. An omnipotent extrajudicial Security Committee – an exact replica of Siad Barre’s Guddiga Nabadgelyada, that comprises the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Defense, the Commander of the Police, the Commander of the Armed Forces, the Governor, and the Mayor of Hargeisa, has the power to arrest citizens without court order and indefinitely. The Hargeisa Central Prison is overflowing with innocent persons arbitrarily detained by the unconstitutional Security Committee. The largely dilapidated cells are filthy and overcrowded while the communal pit latrines are full, oozing with foul smell. To satisfy Rayaale’s insatiable passion for punitive measures, the old Mandheera Prison has been designated as a detention facility for political prisoners. The prison population in Somaliland is increasing exponentially which may eventually force Rayaale to build more detention centers to lock up half the population, if the taxpayers could afford to foot the bill. Rayaale spared no one in his ignominious lust for incarcerations. Editors and journalists of the two prominent and widely-read newspapers in Somaliland, Haatuf and Jamhuuriya, are repeatedly arrested and intimidated with a view to silence and suppress the spirit of free speech. Rayaale has not spared even the most venerated religious Ulemas and eminent clan leaders from his unrestrained extrajudicial persecutions. A case in point is the humiliating treatment meted out to the prominent politician and traditional leader, Boqor Cusman Buur Madow, after aptly criticizing the belligerent policies of Rayaale towards the Sool and Sanaag regions. The latest victims of Rayaale’s coercive powers are non other than Dr. Mohamed Abdi Gabboose and Eng. Mohamed Hashi Elmi – two highly respected political luminaries with reputable track-records. Dr. Gabboose and Eng. Hashi together with Jamal Aideed, another prominent politician, were arrested and detained at Mandheera last week as prisoners of conscience, accused of forming an illegal political party. Would this incident herald the much-awaited coup de grace of the despotic regime? Somaliland is not strange to supreme ironies. Most of the innocent captives languishing in the overcrowded, untidy prison cells in Hargeisa and Mandheera are the yesterday’s heroes of the resistance war against the brutal dictatorship who spilled their blood for the cause of justice and freedom. With a new vicious dictatorship firmly implanted, history is repeating itself in Hargeisa today. How long would the people of Somaliland afford to tolerate the rule of the jungle and self-serving dictatorship? Lost in oblivion, the Somaliland intellectuals continue to maintain a stony silence on Rayaale’s unrelenting power abuse and human rights violations and their long-term ramifications on prevailing peace and stability and the delicate symbiotic relationships between the clans that commendably succeeded in burying the hatchet. For many intellectuals, healthy and constructive criticism towards Rayaale’s callous regime is a virtual taboo. Any justifiable sound criticism is erroneously feared to entail adverse effect on the quest for international recognition. Likewise, the threat of Rayaale using the ********** card- a unionist constituency prior to Rayaale’s ascent to power – perhaps terrifies the majority of the supporters of the secession option. The intellectuals are also losing sight of the downhill slippery slope that Somaliland is fatefully and gradually being propelled to. Alas, apathy and indifference are the order of the day. The best way forward for Somaliland is to unshackle itself from the yoke of dictatorship and solidify the pillars of democracy. Free press, independent trade unions and public accountability are sine qua non in ensuring the necessary checks and balances on arbitrary government. Certainly, Somaliland needs today the reincarnation of the SNM to liberate itself from the clutches of the re-born old tyrannical regime. By A. Du’ale Sii’arag, E-Mail: baxaal@yahoo.com

“A tribal house of cards”? Is that coming from Bashir Goth – the Poster Child who became synonymous with the secession project; an outspoken activist, a budding writer with prolific arguments when it comes to the justification of Somaliland’s secession who has often been portrayed as being more Catholic than the Pope? When did Bashir realize that Somaliland is not what it professes to be but a mere “tribal house of cards” ready to crumble?

This reminds me of that fabulous coverage of the mini-state’s President Geelle by Duale Siiarag. http://wardheernews. com/Articles_06/Jan/ 10_Guelleh_Siiarag.h tml

UN role in Somalia comes under fire By Saeed Shabazz -Staff Writer- | Last updated: Sep 7, 2009 - 7:04:37 AM Bookmark and Share What's your opinion on this article? Printer Friendly Page map_somalia_2.jpg UNITED NATIONS (FinalCall.com) - The UN Secretary-General's special representative to Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah has not answered reporters' questions concerning his involvement in the crafting of a 15-page “Memorandum of Understanding” that would give Kenya rights to drill for oil off the Somali continental shelf, extending for 200 miles. UN_Report_bl__2.jpg Some analysts claim that Nairobi applied to the UN for an extension of its maritime border, by claiming larger sectors of the continental shelf which would impact on drilling rights for the region's mineral potential. The press asked Mr. Ould-Abdallah if it was a conflict of interest for the UN to involve itself in assisting the Somalis in engaging the Norwegian government to pay its fees for the filing of the MOA; and if his role in the matter constituted a conflict of interest. Mr. Ould-Abdallah said that all questions should be posed to the officials in the UN Development Program. To date no one from UNDP has responded to reporters questions; nor have any other high-level officials. The spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon explained to The Final Call that the special envoy had indeed given a sufficient answer. The government of Norway, through its UN Mission was the only one to answer, saying helping Somalia file its paperwork was something they have done to help several African nations, but refused to say what other African nations they have helped. Norway is the world's seventh largest oil exporting nation in the world. Gerald Lemelle, executive director of the Washington-based think tank, Africa Action tells The Final Call that what we are witnessing at the UN is the “historic” Western concept on how to have a relationship with Africa after colonialism. “Nations such as Norway had to figure out a way to maintain control over African resources, so they use Security Council resolutions, and African proxies such as Kenya (reportedly Norway paid $200m to Kenya for the MOA),” he said. “At the heart of Western intervention in Somalia, which has been a geo-political football, is the battle for its oil,” Mr. Lemelle said. He said that in today's climate of transparency, Western powers are using the UN-created Transitional Federal Government, “a government with no legitimacy” in Somalia to do the bidding of the oil corporations. The interim government announced back in 2005 it would start offering concessions for oil, gas and mineral rights, not just for exploration but also for marketing. However, the leadership of that government was replaced by the U.S. and UN in 2007. And the new administration of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed wasted no time in getting down to business by signing a partnership agreement with Kuwait and Indonesia, with Somalia getting a 51 percent interest in the corporation, according to International Oil and Gas News. Analysts and activists such as Sadia Aden, a Virginia-based human rights advocate and Prof. Abdi Ismail Samitar, a Somali advocate at the Univ. of Minn., say the UN has engaged in leading Western nations in an attempt to control Somali resources. The foreign navies that patrol Somali seas against pirates are really there to exploit the resources of Somalia, mainly its oil reserves and natural gas; and have been given permission to do so by the UN Security Council, Ms. Aden told The Final Call. “Somalis know that these navies did not come to hunt and prosecute pirates but to divide the Somali seas, and to protect their interests as they hope to divide up our resources—not just in the ocean, but also on land,” Ms. Aden added. Prof. Samitar told The Final Call that the MOA caused an uproar in Mogadishu; and that the 245-member Somali Parliament voted unanimously against it. “This is not a real government, so they lack the authority to implement or enter into agreements,” the professor insisted. Prof. Samitar said that the TFG was beholding to Kenya and its Western backers because of a lack of financial resources; and therefore, the interim government lacks the ability to protect the interests of the Somali people. Oil industry analysts were saying back in the early 1980s there was evidence of a natural trough of oil that extended across the Red Sea from Yemen into Somalia. Before the over-throw of Somali Pres. Siad Barre in 1991, tens of millions had been sunk into oil wells in Somalia, the largest investment by a Texas-based company, CONOCO. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that while Somalia is considered by many experts in the oil industry as being the last frontier for the “Black Gold” in Eastern Africa; there is no creditable evidence of large reserves of oil; however, there is a sizable reserve of natural gas. A 2004 report by HAN DATA & Information Background: “Strategic Mining & Oil in Somalia” stated there were precious metals such as copper, gold, zinc and silver, including iron ore, bauxite and gypsum in the Horn of Africa nation. The UN has been hearing from pro-African activist organizations such as Africa Action, according to Mr. Lemelle, on their role in giving away large tracks of land in Africa to the multi-national corporations; and their backing of dubious contracts that give away African resources. “We want to know who authorizes these contracts,” he said. Related links: U.S. foreign policy fuels blowback in Somalia (FCN, 09-22-2008) The Oil Factor In Somalia (LA Times, 01-18-1993)

Several months back, Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, UN envoy to Somalia, flew to Mogadishu with a planeload of fresh American dollars in watertight containers - United Nations seed-money for violence. In a hastily arranged meeting, he met with Sharif Ahmed, Somalia’s current transitional president holed in a basement at Villa Somalia. He patted on Sharif’s back elatedly and whispered in his ears that “the more you fight, the more donors are willing to cough up more money”. As aptly said by the legendary Martin Luther King Jr. “our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”. I am afraid that Somalia will continue to be entangled in the quicksand of abysmal anarchy as long as Charlatan Ahmedou Ould Abdullah remains the kingmaker and the sole powerbroker in Somalia.

Somalia’s tragedy: Ahmedou Ould Abdallah’s search for personal fame and grandiose exit WardherNews Editorial Sept 02 , 2009 Since positive news about Somalia is rare and almost non existence, the unprecedented move by the weak transitional parliament on August 1st to reject a shoddy deal signed by the TFG and the republic of Kenya was welcoming news. This was with regard to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Transitional Federal Government of the Somali Republic (TFG) and the government of the republic of Kenya to grant each other no objection in Nairobi on April 7, 2009 in respect of the submissions on the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 2000 nautical miles had members of the Somali parliament and their constituents who interpreted the MOU to confer oil drilling rights in Somali waters to Kenya. While this may not be the case, the fact remains however that the MOU has raised a number of fundamental issues which need to be properly addressed and classified to set the record straight. First, there was no transparency and no adequate consultation with key Ministries, i.e. Foreign Affairs, Mining, Legal Department, Somali experts etc. Reportedly, the 15 page memo filed with the UN at the request of the Secretary General Representative Ahmedou Ould Abdallah was prepared and submitted by a Norwegian expert funded by the government of Norway. It is regrettable that there was no time for technical or legal input although this was necessary and appropriate. Secondly, at a time when Somalia is engulfed in bloody conflict, violence and a humanitarian disaster of enormous proportions, it’s urgent and more appropriate to devote attention and allocate all available resources from donor countries to the pressing priority of Peace and Security in Somalia. WardheerNews believes that the Special Representative Mr. Ould Abdallah was seriously mistaken in his approach to draw and give priority to what is an internal affair of Somalia on maritime questions pertaining to the implementations of the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Even if it is his opinion, this issue needed to be addressed as a post conflict peace building project by the Somalis alone. Ever since, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah of Mauritania as his Special Representative to Somalia in Sept 2007, Mr. Ould Abdallah dug himself deeply into the messy Somali politics beyond his role as the UN envoy. Mr. Ould Abdallah orchestrated and was the brain power behind the Djibouti agreement that produced the current feeble government headed by Mr. Sharif. This bestowed him leverage and un-wavering access to Mr. Sharif that lent him an extraordinary power that elevated him as the chief executive officer of the current TFG. This of course has been facilitated by the resource provided by his UN office. External forces such as Ould Abdallah are not helping the situation but are rather hindering. His role is confusing at times, as it appears he is the shaker and the mover of the TFG or rather the governor of Somalia. He meddles with local Somali issues sometimes exacerbating the situation. If he has done one thing well, Mr. Ould Abdallah has very much understood the polarization that exists within the Somali people and used that to his advantage. He is usually seen trekking from one Somali Diaspora meeting to the next and finds himself lecturing to crowds who applaud him, thinking he will bring the country from the brink, and never quite understanding his intent and involvement. Reliable sources, told WDN that Mr. Ould Abdallah’s ultimate goal is not to help Somalis or Somalia but his own fame doing all he can to be nominated in the near future for a Noble peace prize on the backs of innocent Somalis who are dying by the dozen of hunger and violence. To get to this goal, he is doing all that is possible. WardheerNews also learned from a reliable sources that Mr. Oud Abdallah pays stipends to one well known Somali website in an effort to control the traffic of negative messages coming through. The said website therefore screens its submissions for negative comments about Mr. Abdallah and the TFG. Mr. Ould Abdallah is reckless with his remarks and question-dodging when it comes to clarifying situations he has gotten the ill advised TFG into. In a press conference on May 29, 2009 at the UN, when journalist Matthew Russell Lee from Inner City Press asked him questions about the MOU he helped the Norwegian government draw on May of this year, his answers were evasive, unprofessional and all together misleading. It’s as if he wasn’t even aware of the MOU, or worse, as if he had nothing to do with it. But Mr. Lee was adamant in getting an answer. Instead what the experienced investigative reporter who is the only reporter to question Mr. Abdallah about these issues got a lecture from Mr. Abdallah on how to be a reporter and what to report or avoid. To say the least, Mr. Ould Abdallah would prefer an environment where journalist and human rights organization are not present, unless they kowtow to him. When Mr. Lee asked Mr. Abdallah about human rights abuses of egregious proportions committed by the TFG police, he accused Inner City Press of being “Irresponsible” and “Accomplice to genocide”. As a matter of fact, he even accused Mr. Lee of asking sophisticated questions. Mr. Abdallah considers these important questions about human rights abuses have no merit in the case of Somalia and are too sophisticated. On another occasion, Mr. Oud Abdallah made a serious, damming remark when he compared the media that reported an incident when African Union peace keepers fired into a crowd of civilians in Mogadishu to Radio Milles Colines which was the might behind the Rwandan Genocide. Remarks such as these and his reckless answers could have dire consequence for Somalia. It is mind-boggling as to the reason he qualified for such a post which otherwise requires, most of all a calm, composed, experienced, diplomatic envoy to deal with the situation on the ground. Instead Mr. Abdallah, who is turbulent, divisive and manipulative, has been adding fuel to the fire, knowing he will not be accountable to an inexperienced president and prime minster he handpicked for their willingness to have him call the shots nor to United Nations which so far showed indifference to his performance in Somalia. Finally, on the question of the motion for parliamentary vote on the validity of the MOU between Somalia and Kenya, WardheerNews applauds the rejection by the Somali transitional parliament on the passage of the motion and advices the transitional government to drop such agreement and focus on important issues that have to do with peace, and security. We also urge the UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon to look into the actions of his envoy in meddling into the internal affairs of Somalia and take appropriate measures if his representative breached his responsibilities as UN envoy. If Mr. Ould Abdallah continues with his actions, we could witness the downward spiral of the country, and for the situation to deteriorate further. Any person who plays a principal role in the machinations of a political conundrum is unlikely to beget solutions for his/her own blunder. What Somalia needs today is not the recipe for additional mayhem, incoherent strategies from the usual suspects, and disingenuous propositions simply formulated to prolong the continuing Somali saga. What Somalia lacks is a competent mediator, an honest broker with peace building credentials and with the profile and caliber of Desmond Tutu, George Mitchell and Amb. Richard Holbrooke. WardheerNews hopes that Ban Ki-moon and the international community would take appropriate note of the exigency for an honest mediator for Somalia’s protracted political calamity.

Somaliland talo ugama baahna abu-Zuber iyo wax la mid ah