This is completely untrue bad reporting from Hiiraan Online, the commander Maxamed Ani was sick and subsequently captured in Galgaduud. Some people in that region informed the Ethiopians which lead to his arrest. He did not have any force with him except those travelling with him. Every time the Ethiopians capture someone they claim that person or group has voluntarily given up and accepted peace, they badly torture some to get them to publicly confess to crimes under duress. They similarly coerce the general population to give false denunciations against ONLF and any other group or person they deem to be a threat. Ethiopia is spinning this web for the media and you would think the media especially the somali media would understand these constant fabricated claims by Ethiopia should be taken with a pinch of salt considering the region is closed to any transparent media. A simple investigation could easily verify and disapprove facts in many cases. Some of the Somali media are currently working in collusion with Ethiopia through bribes, its well known among those who follow events in Jigjiga, universal t.v is one of them which is at the personal expense of Ilay when he needs them to shoot off some propaganda about the peace, honey and milk the region is enjoying. The story also claims Sulub convinced Ani to surrender, how so when sulub was established to have been abducted recently in Nairobi...absolute bollocks.

They are too focused on warming relations with Ethiopia, they perhaps fear the Ethiopians will plot to overthrow them by funding opponents. Xalane has spent many years as head of save the children in Addis Ababa. He is an intellectual but I have doubts about his relationship with Ethiopia which is always hatching a plan to weaken Somalia.

galbeedi;990761 wrote: From 1960 to 1969, during the Parliamentary democracy, the long foot community had one member in the Somali republic parliament. Even some suggested that they did not have enough number to win seats. Any an honorary seat were given to them by the Somali government who were campaigning for "Shanta Soomaaliyeed". The honorary seat was perhaps for the occupied province not members of a clan. They had their own seats in Somalia, most from Jubba and even some from Bakool/Gedo(Baardheere especially), PM nominee Halane is from western Bakool. Instead of writing emotional clan vitriol do some research.

WSLF was genuinely shocked they said when they saw Somali tanks rolling into the region because they were well on their way to rid Ethiopia out of the country, they had captured swathes of territory but Siyad Barre moved into to strike the final blow and claim glory, it backfired.

Good development!

So the Government is saving Barre Hiraale and his militia who are sheltering in known shabab regions. Why is the Government so interested in bringing Barre to Xamar, perhaps to vacation then send him back again to cause another conflict over kismaayo? he is a spent force yet the government is obsessed with bringing him out of the wilderness.

Governor Nadiif has prior links to many Muslim countries and a pioneer of shariah banking in Kenya, he is fit to lead Garissa out of the suffocating corruption and bring many development projects to the region, already some development is trickling and hes cleaning up the bureaucracy. Not bad so far.

Nadiif adam Jamaac has promised much as governor, he is a fresh face but any hope he will deliver? This was a good move recently, showing competence. Kenya: Garissa Governor Moves to Exorcise Ghost Workers Garissa government will embark on a headcount to expel workers who previously served under the defunct municipal council and the national government departments to improve operational efficiencies, area Governor Nadhif Jama has said. Speaking after witnessing the swearing in of the county's Public Service Board, Jama said the move will ensure the county does not lose money paid to ghost workers. It will also establish the level of workforce at the county. The Garissa County Public Service Board is comprised of Harun Mohamed Yusuf (Chairman), Annete Wambui Muriuki (Secretary), Abdisalam Sheikh Mohamed (Member), Mohamed Dahir Yusuf (Member), Fardosa Abdikadir Hussein (Member), Abdiisaak Said Aden (Member) and Mohamed Ibrahim Abdi (Member). "This is the first task that this board will aim to accomplish given that transition from the old system of municipal and county councils to county governments requires a lot of cleanup," Nadhif said. A week ago, Mombasa Governor, Hassan Joho conducted a similar exercise where 700 ghost workers were discovered. In Nairobi, 600 ghost workers were uncovered. The defunct municipal and county council offices have been accused of rampant corruption among its officers who were stealing from the council. "Ghost workers" are just one of the many tactics they employed and the new county leadership aims to check this among other things in order to bring efficiency in the running of county affairs.

^ Iley is a handpicked thug with a mandate to further his employers interests, lionizing meles during the North-Korean style funeral service is apart of that and his performance perhaps increased his tenure as regional pres but what forces Somali politicians in SOMALIA( sovereign state?) to hold a tacsi and continually shower praise on a rotting corpse.

The O/Somali region is still contested, what do you mean no liberation activists? Ethiopia is actively challenged in this region both politically and militarily. Ethiopia is a one-party state whereas Somalia is not but Somalia is a fractured state and its future is still been molded, the current federalism debates are part of forming that future.Furthermore Somalia now has a Federal system and this debate is unavoidable, its constitutional. NFD is apart of a liberal democracy, despite challenges( much like the rest of Kenya) they are well represented in Government and are progressing in many sectors of society unlike the O/Somali region in Ethiopia.This region has welcomed millions of Somalis( giving them livelihoods and shelter)The citizens of this region at this juncture in history would rather participate within the bounds of the current Kenyan democratic system and what it affords them.

GAROODI;974344 wrote: I find it hard to believe that: madobe will surrender the airport and port and I find it hard to believe that Hassan shieck will accept madobe so easily. Ironically the only news sources reporting this so called breakthrough are pirate sources. Do you actually believe jubaland will get approved by parliament. I also find it hard to believe that Hassan would do a 360 degree turn on gedo considering the clan chiefs of gedo don't want to be part of the swihili kismayo admin. I smell a rat. Lets see what hag sources say this sounds like the typical d block bu((sh@t. Not Hassan shiecks style. beenta maad iska deysid the ugaas of gedo( Ugaas maxamed ugaas xaashi) and many other gedo sub clan chiefs are present in kismaayo and took part in the conference.

^ two flags on that table Madoobe and Pres Hassan are both sitting on the side of the national flag.

The position of Ethiopian President is symbolic, he wields no power. This guy has serious health problems, he can barely stand without assistance. I don't even know why he is still president.

I would have supported this if it was directed at the entire country but the particular focus on Kismaayo goes to show the federal authority is conducting these maneuvers to sideline the local actors in this particular region. Kenya must remain balanced, it can't install the Government in Kismaayo and it can't push-out its allies in the south. So the only issue here is for the two to reconcile and move forward instead of summoning third world states to an internal Somali dispute, which it is essentially.the whole Kenya is occupying is baloney when its Somalis not getting along and African PK in between.

It has instead proposed that control of the two installations be negotiated between the federal government and leadership of the federal member states in line with the Somali constitution. All the Kampala communique did was to re-state what the Somali Constitution says about the Federal Governments authority over the Kismaayo Port and Airport. Like any other Port or airport outside Mogadishu its in the hands of not just Kenya(AMISOM) but also local players which the government has to reconcile with in-order to gain foothold as the Central authority in what is a fragmented country in dire need of reconciliation.Its naive to have thought the communique was a clearance for the Government to immediately take hold of the two facilities without engaging the local power. Its embarrassing that the Government needs to go to Kampala over a mere port and airport which like all other ports and airports will eventually come under the Federal authority as madoobe said " its not a foreign matter". There are more pressing issues than this.

Was Sh.Sharif Shabab too? how many former islamists have come over to the governments side. He was never a ranked member of Shabab but of the ICU/HI he was. Madoobe was elected by the majority of clan elders in that region, the Government has to rely on warlords to gain foothold.Hiraale, Baasto, etc all had there elders present and elected Madoobe...no need to spin the facts.

Bad news for President Hassan, the International media is catching on with his Kismayo fixation and his use of proxies to destabilize the Madoobe lead Jubbaland Government. One of the International communities main goal in Somalia is to see the defeat of Shabab, if the Government is found to be supporting Shabab to achieve political ends against Madoobe they could loose some international support and Madoobe could gain favor with Jubbaland.Some of the proxy forces fighting Madoobe have been actively crisscrossing through Shabab territory and now a direct offensive is been planned by the two unlikely allies united in their fight with Madoobe. Are the Islamists truly on the ropes? A new and much-lauded president is finding it hard to bury old divisions AT FIRST glance Somalia’s foreign-backed government seems to be doing well. In the past two years it has benefited from the recovery of the country’s main cities by African Union peacekeepers after two decades of clan warfare and intermittent Islamist rule. And on June 29th the government pulled off something of a coup by locking up the grandfather of militant Islamism in Somalia, Sheikh Hassan Dahir, better known as Aweys. The red-bearded 78-year-old may be the victim of infighting in the Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked movement that is steadily losing power but can still cause mayhem with suicide-bombings here and there. But appearances may mislead. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, appointed last year to much acclaim, is accused of employing warlords to assert his authority over the fragmented country. A report due to be submitted to the UN Security Council by independent experts says the government used rival militia leaders to gain control of Kismayo, the second city. The report alleges that Mr Mohamud, who gets a lot of cash from Western governments, has been “co-opting clan warlords”, some of them linked to the Shabab. The region around the capital, Mogadishu, remains more or less in government hands. But southern Somalia is engulfed in a power struggle. Five rival militia leaders proclaim themselves “president of Jubaland”, a region that includes Kismayo. At least 40 people were killed last month when clashes broke out between them. The most powerful is Sheikh Ahmed Madobe, whose Ras Kamboni brigade helped the Kenyan army to drive the Shabab out of Kismayo last year. With Kenya’s implicit backing, he has refused to let representatives from the federal government enter Kismayo. His main rival is Barre Hiraale, another warlord who has sometimes sided with the Shabab. The struggle pits against each other two of Somalia’s most powerful clans, the ***** of Sheikh Madobe and the ****** of President Mohamud. Conflict between the “superclans”, as well as internecine battles among myriad subclans, has fuelled Somalia’s civil war for two decades. In this context, the humiliating arrest of Sheikh Aweys may turn out to be counterproductive. He was promised talks with government officials but instead was arrested and roughed up by soldiers. This could split the ****** clan, of which the president and the arrested Islamist are both members. To make matters even worse, the Shabab appear less divided than was thought. Following recent infighting, one aspiring leader was killed and Sheikh Aweys was arrested, leaving sole command to Ahmed Abdi Godane, who is regarded as being keenest within the Shabab on its alliance with al-Qaeda. On June 19th Shabab suicide-bombers breached the front gates of the UN compound in Mogadishu; gunmen barged in and killed at least nine people. Nick Kay, a Briton recently appointed as the UN’s special envoy to Somalia, gamely insisted there would be no retreat in the face of the assault. From the print edition: Middle East and Africa http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21580523-new-and-much-lauded-president-finding-it-hard-bury-old-divisions-are

Its time the Government received an adequate response and the evidence proving its hand in the conflict put forward to the IC. This letter holds no weight when the government itself is siding with one-side or sides in the conflict, they have been using proxies to destabilize the Ras Kambooni lead Jubbaland Government from the beginning despite all the sacrifices this group has made to liberate Kismaayo. What do they expect Ras Kambooni to do sit there and watch all these militia hordes descend on a city administered by them and then the government has the audacity to blame Kenya for allegedly siding with them and routing their proxies. The Government is a participant in this conflict and should be seen this way,It seems like the Government just took Barres rant and put it in this statement. The SNA in J.Hoose have allied themselves with Madoobe so the Government used Baasto, Cabaas, Barre, etc. Its ironic how this SNA doesn't get a mention, they actively fought to get Barre out alongside Ras Kambooni.

Very shameful what happened in Kismaayo but Barre has been agitating the Maamul for many months after entering the city as he said as a "Nabadoon" but simply reorganized his militia. The Kenyans were not involved, they arrested Cabaas on an unrelated incident which involved his militia setting off an IED on a Kenyan vehicle prior to the heavy fighting between Barre and Madoobe forces. It was Madoobes forces who bombed several places in Kismaayo including parts of Barres house and places associated with him where his militia used the high-rise hotel buildings to attack madoobe. He was attacked again on the outskirts of town before fleeing, his militia surrendered, died(AUN) or have fled with him. Baasto and the other crew surrendered. Col Xaamud AMISOM spokesman in Mogadishu did not indict Kenya on anything.

So what? they don't represent ONLF, they sing and are out for hire. It doesn't hurt the struggle, many opportunists may have gone to Jigjiga the last few summers to get a piece of the bloated budget Ilay was given to bribe members of the diaspora but this small Jigjiga buzz has lost energy. Ilay has a target on his forehead( to be ousted by Addis Ababa and politically executed soon), his Liyuu have almost disintegrated( many defecting to ONLF) and the Ethiopians are more eager to have talks with ONLF.Project-Ilay is coming to an end and ONLF has forced the Ethiopians to the negotiation table. These people don't represent anything, nor can they change the reality in places like Godey or Jigjiga. We accept political and military deserters frequently from Ethiopia and the Kilil, this is more significant than wedding singers that ONLF supporters use to hire who went to Jigjiga to cash-in.

Jubbaland is good for ONLF and the Ethiopians know it. ONLF supporters who support Jubbaland understand this to be a place where one (the supporter) can conduct business( whatever it may be) without a microscope aimed at it. It works as a safe-haven for those who previously faced the threat of been handed to Ethiopia. K5(O region) is the same, this is the region that fuels ONLFs war not Jubbaland.

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It was Jubbaland Forces( forces loyal to madoobe) who clashed with them in a misunderstanding of some-sort.

Are we watching the same segment, this is just the normal fadhikudirir with Universals cameras. This discourse does nothing to help the situation but fan the flames.

The Engineere guy is a big moriyaan, he has a vendetta against the Afmadow folks for some past grievances. Universal is giving a platform to all this ignorance.