The Somali government should have stayed away from all of this , and turn the other cheek , that is if they want proper reconciliation, let America justice system decide we have complete trust in the United states.

Solicitor General Recommends Supreme Court Remand Samantar Case to Fourth Circuit Lawfare Friday, December 13, 2013 Ads by BetterSurfAd Options On Wednesday, the Solicitor General filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to grant, vacate, and remand (“GVR”) the Samantar case to the Fourth Circuit after that Circuit’s surprising decision last year holding that foreign government officials are not entitled to foreign official immunity for acts alleged to violate jus cogens norms. I have previously explained here and here why the Fourth Circuit’s decision was wrong as a matter of both domestic and international law and why the Solicitor General should recommend that the Supreme Court reverse it. The SG’s brief instead appears to be an effort to keep the Administration’s options open in this long-running lawsuit a bit longer. The Samantar case is an ATS and TVPA suit filed in 2004 by former Somali villagers against the former Defense Minister of Somalia, Mohamed Ali Samantar, for human rights violations committed by the Somali military in the 1980s. In 2011, the Obama Administration filed an unusual Statement of Interest in the case concluding that Samantar was not entitled to immunity because there was no government in Somalia recognized by the United States to request immunity for him. The Administration’s SOI also concluded that it was appropriate not to give immunity to Samantar because he had become a U.S. resident and should therefore be subject to the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. The Fourth Circuit held that the Administration’s Statement of Interest was not binding and instead reached its own independent conclusion that former foreign government officials cannot have immunity for jus cogens violations. Rather than urge the Court to reverse the Fourth Circuit’s decision, the SG recommends that the Court remand the case to the Fourth Circuit to consider in light of “intervening events,” namely that the Obama Administration has now recognized a government in Somalia and the Prime Minister of Somalia of the newly recognized government has requested immunity for Mr. Samantar. The SG does not state, however, whether the Administration will reverse its previous determination and conclude that Samantar is now entitled to immunity. Indeed, to muddy the waters further, the brief notes that the Prime Minister of Somalia who requested immunity for Samantar was recently subject to a vote of no confidence by the Somali Parliament and is likely to be removed from office. The SG’s brief argues that the Fourth Circuit decision was erroneous in two respects. First, the Fourth Circuit erred by concluding that courts are not required to defer to Executive branch determinations of immunity or non-immunity in cases involving official acts or conduct-based immunity, as opposed to head-of-state or status-based immunity (where the appeals court concluded that courts are bound by Executive determinations). The SG argues that courts are required to defer to Executive branch determinations in all cases as a constitutional matter in deference to the Executive branch’s responsibility to manage foreign relations. Second, the SG argues that the Fourth Circuit erred by creating a new categorical exception to immunity for jus cogens violations. Oddly, the SG does not explain why a jus cogens exception to immunity is inconsistent with both domestic and international law. Rather, the SG simply argues that the jus cogens exception created by the Fourth Circuit is inappropriate because it was not based on a determination made or principles suggested by the Executive branch. The SG thus misses an opportunity to explain why the Fourth Circuit’s decision is wrong as a matter of substantive immunity law, rather than as a matter of process (albeit constitutionally mandated process). The SG does note, in passing, that the Executive Branch has suggested immunity for former foreign government officials in numerous cases where jus cogens violations were alleged, and that courts have deferred to the Executive branch suggestions in all of these cases. The SG’s brief also inexplicably fails to explain to the Court the broader, and negative, policy implications of the Fourth Circuit’s decision for the U.S. Government. If allowed to stand, the Fourth Circuit’s decision would mean that foreign government officials would not have immunity in the Fourth Circuit even if the Executive branch suggests immunity for them. And it could create an unfortunate precedent that could encourage courts in other countries not to recognize the immunity of former U.S. officials in those countries. I am surprised that the SG did not explain these broader ramifications of the Fourth Circuit’s holding, rather than focusing only on the Fourth Circuit’s failure to defer to the Executive branch.

Great day for Somalia

December 12, 2013 8 comments 497 Top News, Warar breaking-400x216Kismaayo(AGGM) Bartamaha Magaalada Kismaayo ee Xarunta gobolka Jubadda hoose waxaa hadda lagu dilay sarkaal sare oo ka tirsan maleeshiyaadka Raaskambooni,waxaana la sheegayaa in sarkaalkaasi lagu dilay gurigiisa hortiisa isla markaasna la dhaawacay qaar ka tirsan ilaaladiisa. Col Cabdi Madoobe ayaa ka mid ahaa Saraakisha Maleeshiyaadka Raaskambooni ee ku sugan magaalada Kismaayo,waxaana dilka marxuumkan ku soo aadayaa xilli dhawaan Magaalada Kismaayo Maleeshiyaadka Raaskambooni kaga dhawaaqeen waxay ku tilmaameen Wasiiro. Habeen ka hor ayeey ahayd Markii Bartamaha Magalaada Kismaayo lagu Dilay labo kamid ah Saraakisha ilaalada Wasiirka Arimaha Bulshadda maamulka Jubba Macalin Maxamed ibraahin Walow mid kamid ah uu ahaa Sargaalka ugu sareeya istaafka Macalin maxamed. Kooxda dilkan fulisay ayaa la sheegayaa inay ka baxsadeen goobtii ay dilka ka fuliyeen,waxaana la sheegayaa inaysan jirin cid ilaa iyo hadda loo soo qabqabtey dilka Sarkalkaasi oo ahaa sarkaal ka tirsna saraakisha Maleeshiyaadka Raaskambooni ee ay horboodaan Axmed Madoobe & Isbatoore Fartaag. Ugu dambeyntii Waxaa la aaminsan yahay inay dilkaasi fuliyeen Maleeshiyaadka Alshabaab oo weeraro ba,an inta badan la beegsada Xarumaha ciidamada Amisom iyo kuwa Maleeshiyaadka Raaskambooni. Mana jiraan ilaa iyo hadda cid sheegatey dilka Marxuumkaasi.

Ofcourse culusow could have used a PM from Garowe as a stick against Faroole but he decided to appoint abdiweli for other reasons. Fawzia is a woman part of the HAG family she is one of them. I doubt Fawzia wanted to be named the Prime Minister she is most likely coming back as the deputy prime minister. But the pirates would have loved to be the next prime minister and use that position to unseat the president. They would have used Puntland to plot from and even hire shady characters Hassan waxan oo dhan wula socda. Faroole dawladu ka goostay eeh Somalia kamu goosan, he still needs the government and it still has an impact on him what happens in Mogadishu

Trust me no Somalilander would want that position , but the pirates would´ve loved to be the next PM but President Hassan knows about their sinister ways, thats why he never even considered a prime minister from Garowe LOL

Trust me the pirates would´ve loved to be the pm and than use their position to undermine the President and his allies. But Hassan is to clever he picks some one from the damuljadiid circles.

The new cabinet will be back especially fawzia abdikarim and the finance minister and fiqi

Its a good choice and a man is fit for the job there won't be any more bickering since the pm is aslo a member of damuljadid he is good with the arabs qataris sacuudis. He belongs to the gedo clan families if madoobe dishoners the addis ababa agreement he can take firm control over the gedo region. Since he is from baardhere he can even make sure the alshabaab loses control over that region. He is educated from the west all in all a good choice by president xassan.

Actually abdiweli this guy is not bad two He is from gedo a member of damuljadiid, he is actually perfect he Is good with the arabs the kenyans and ethiopians are fine with him and he is from the far south gedo region he is related two the vide president of jubba state.

I found the article on wardheernews. There are some contradictions in the article though.

SOMALIA’S UNITY AT CROSSROADS December 12, 2013 By Jama sharmarke Somalia represents the worst kind of a fragmented modern state. In practical terms, the country is a welter of self-regulating tribal homelands over which the central authority cannot exercise jurisdiction. Its national unity is beset with unprecedented level of challenges in the definition and implementation of federalism and most importantly in the ways the case of northern regions (Somaliland) – the most administratively advanced polity claiming full independence and sovereignty – is handled by Mogadishu. Somaliland, a practical de facto state, argues to have reinstated the independence bequeathed to British Somaliland Protectorate by England in 1960. Locally, its secessionist agenda has been gaining currency among the wider society for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Somaliland has been evolving as a peaceful polity with functional governance structures while the South continued to descend into internecine warfare over decades. Under the spell Somaliland’s parallel propaganda, many of the war-traumatized populace bought into the delusion that their interest lies in the secessionist project. Secondly, Northern Unionists have always been on the political sidelines at least over the last ten years because balance of power has flagrantly been disregarded except for a rare instance when Dr. Ali Kalif Gallayr was selected as a Prime Minister during the Carta Peace Process. The kernel of truth is that marginalization of Northern Unionists, which is very often overlooked or even taken for granted, is equally another dangerous factor providing an impetus to secessionist aspiration. Therefore, this piece attempts to draw the attention of decision makers in Mogadishu to the dire need for a new modus Vivendi putting an end to the long practiced dominion over state affairs by the South, which is obviously beyond the pale. Because not only does it send an unwelcoming signal to northerners, but it strenuously infuses them with fear of oppressive marginalization- one of the strongest reasons for separation – that is hardly wired in their psyche. The Lopsided power relations The preponderance of the population in the North (Somaliland) views future of national unity with great trepidation owing to the hideous lopsided political representation which has been the hallmark of all administrations established after the downfall of the military regime. Except President Abdiqasim’s government, all subsequent governments were unjustifiably characterized by asymmetrical power relations between the North and the South – the two regions united to create the Republic of Somalia in 1960. Now, more than sixty years after that historic merger, the unity of Somalia is largely threatened not because of the de facto state of Somaliland, but because of policies of alienation pursued by Southern leaders. Concerns about Somalia’s Unity raised by a recent op-ed by Mr. Bihi is a true reflection of growing disaffection with the absence of the northerners in the corridors of powers and at the same time a wakeup call for President Hassan Sheik Mohamoud. The exigency of reuniting a badly fragmented country whose subjects are torn asunder by hostility thrusts such a great responsibility on him that he should think long and hard in order to take a strategic decision reversing the lopsided power sharing for the preservation of unity. A carefully designed genuine reconciliation buttressed by principles of healing traumatized psyche, fair political representation and resources distribution may properly enhance and sustain the process of state building and national unity. Contrarily, reinvention of the déjà vu egocentric politics sidelining northerners is a flippant mentality that cannot proselytize them into embracing voluntary unity anew. Therefore, it is imperative that the issue of separation should be properly contextualized as a manifestation of a defiant protest against subordination by the North when Ali Mahdi Mohamed was unexpectedly appointed as an interim president without prior consultation with relevant stakeholders. Understanding of this causal relationship between irredentist aspiration and fear of marginalization is of vital importance, if the national unity is to be addressed dexterously by the current president. The cost of alienation More often than not, Northerners are befuddled by this very common justification from the general populace and educated elites in the South ‘Because you have your own separate government in Somaliland’ when seeking to get a reasonable response as to why a northerner could not be chosen as a President or a Prime Minister, as if Somaliland’s coming back to the beaten track of national unity were a precondition for their recognition as equal citizens. Consequently, northerners have been simmering with resentment over such discriminatory practices and attitudes entrenched over years and accentuated by usurpation of power by their fellow southerners. Logically, this trend of power relation reinforces the atavistic fear of oppression ingrained in the Northern population, underscores propensity for separation and renders even the stubborn northern unionists weak-need and irresolute. It was because of this very disheartening paradox that made Professor Ahmed Ismail Samatar, who had been unequivocal about Somalia’s territorial integrity through his scholarly work over decades, feel dishonored by the capital which he tirelessly sketched out as nexus of the Somali nation. Reaching a point of no return, he succumbed to inescapable realities and received a hero-welcome by the breakaway Republic of Somaliland. Generally, Southerners’ ostensible discourse on national unity is critically denuded of dexterity of political consciousness and commitment. However, the current president rhetorically claims to treat unity as a top national priority as evidenced by his six pillar framework. Through his gesture politics, he seemingly crusades against secessionism, ostensibly for the sake of sanctity of national unity, but in actual fact he fell into the trap of adopting a minimalist approach and therefore exacerbated the underlying cause of separation by overlooking significance of fair power sharing to such a noble weighty national cause. Hitherto, the current modus operandi plays a similar dangerous role in solidifying secessionist aspiration to that of Somaliland which portrays it as the sole choice of governance for northerners. However, to give credit where credit’s due, the Federal Government has started bilateral talks with Somaliland which has been brokered by the international community. Then, the question is this: Did leniency on the issue of national unity showed by negotiating delegates from the Federal Government yield reciprocal understanding from Somaliland leading to a convergence of interests in possible reunion of whatsoever form? Or have these talks already ameliorated Somaliland’s standing in international arena as an independent entity seeking for dissolution of marriage from its former mother country? Why does the Federal Government refrain from opening up parallel avenues of communication with the like-minded communities in the north? Why it is still a red line to pick up a northerner as a Prime Minister? bubaIn fact, odds are actually stacked against significant gains to be made in the process of these talks- which may take time and continue- but one thing is certain: perpetuation of political marginalization is going to work against efforts to win the minds and hearts of northerners, convincing them of the legitimacy of separation in order to avert a second dehumanizing mischief from a predatory southern ruler. Selection of the new prime Minister Now, President Hassan Sheik Mohamoud has every opportunity to set the ball rolling and pick up the new Prime Minster from the North. Not only will such a strategic decision promote citizens’ equality by obliterating the long established culture of political marginalization, but it will create a sense of confidence that will radiate out to throughout the North. Only after seeing themselves represented in the highest echelons of state apparatus- the premiership- will Northerners become psychologically more receptive to the idea of unity than ever before and at the same time the haunting nightmare of ruthless rogue blotting against them will vanish with the course of time. However, for all that glitters is not gold, being a northerner should not be the main condition for the Premiership; potential candidates should be astute politicians of a higher caliber with proven track record who are well-versed with political dynamics at domestic, regional and international levels. A possible candidate who can satisfactorily meet these qualifications is Professor Ismail Hurreh Bubbaa, a well-known academician and shrewd politician. Unlike certain politicians in Sa’id’s government whose loyalty to unity is questioned and criticized for entryism, he is renowned for his unwavering nationalist convictions and draws a great support from the north and other Somalis alike. Because of his accumulated experience in the field of Somali politics, pragmatism, strategic thinking and international connections, Mr. Bubba is highly believed to be a worthy vessel for the nation’s aspiration for a united, peaceful and modern Somalia. Finally, in our modern history, only the president has the power and opportunity to be remembered as justice and national unity trailblazer, if he dares to redress the balances.

Somalidu berigi hore wey caafimad qabeen there were Puntland MPS from Lowershabelle There was even a bigfoot MP from Hargeisa

^^ My sources in Villa Somalia.

Source http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/artikel.php?ID=293501

100 Most Influential Africans announced 28 NOV 2013 09:15 SUBMIT A COMMENTBIZLIKE The list of the '100 Most Influential Africans', which offers a glimpse into the diverse breed of young and established leaders intent on reinventing the face of Africa, has been released by pan African publication, New African. Nigeria leads the way with the highest number of influential figures, taking up 23 spaces on the list with an incredibly wide spread over all categories, as well as dominating the business scene. South Africa occupies 22 spaces on the list. Founder/CEO of pan-African branding and reputation advisory firm, Brand Leadership Group and founder/chairman of Brand Africa, SA-born brand authority Thebe Ikalafeng, features in the business list, along with others such as former President Thabo Mbeki, AFI founder, Dr. Precious Motsepe, political firebrand, former minister in the Mandela presidency Jay Naidoo, Julius Malema, comedian, Trevor Noah and Richemont CEO, Johann Rupert, are included in the list of influential South Africans. A small contribution "While what we do is not for the glory but a small contribution to changing the narrative and image of Africa, it is a humbling honour to be recognised along these giants of Africa," says Ikalafeng. "As the fastest growing continent with raw potential, there is much interest in Africa today. To build a sustainable reputation and competitiveness for Africa requires committed and passionate Africans and the diaspora in the service of Africa. I'm inspired by the many men and women in this list because they're doing just that." Of the 32 women on the list, Zuriel Oduwole from Nigeria has at the young age of 11 been making waves across Africa in the fight for women's education. Her accomplishments to date include having interviews with eight African heads of state and the launch of a mentorship programme for girls. Former foreign minister of Somaliland, Edna Adan, 76, a pioneer for women's rights and women's health, is the oldest female on the list. As director and founder of the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital she remains an activist in the struggle for the abolition of female circumcision. For more, access the full list in the December issue of New African.

Damul jadiid agrees to appoint Xalane as the next prime minister.

^^ No one is forcing you to believe it.

Rashiid arrives in Hargeisa

Malistar amiir godane is killing mps attacking kenya attacking bosaaso beledweyne. Alshabaab is far from defeated they might lose lands but they are still a major threat to the fragile govt The point of simon is that there are deep divisions in somalia. And this can cause the balkanisation.

Ofcourse there are concerns the amount of investments what company should it be leased to how will it be managed for how long,berbera has allot of potential its located in a very strategic place.

Actually simon was spot on somalis want confederate states we'll atleast in the case of puntland.. Lol @ malistar putting his hopes on the UN.the somali civil war is not won in the UN it won inside the former somali republic. Unless malistar wants blue helmets on the ground to protect his clan from amiir godane

Culusow would be finishing this term with the next pm. The yusra girl tarnished the govt and the trust of the international donors so saacid had to go. But I don't fear for hassan sheikh. He has qatari support and the international community support and the parliament who is going to force culusow to resign.

Culusow wants some one like saacid, he wants some one he can build on culusow wants to lead somalia under his vision. He can't have some one like cabdi cawar or cumar buur who would be taking orders from puntland. Culusow is actually is the smartest hag president since 1991.

The UN does not keept countries together they provide assistance to legit states. At the end of the day it it somalis that decide where its heading and they are still not in agreement 23 years and counting. The UN has the power to sanction member states but have no power over non member states. The UN are aslo a problem to africa look how they raped the congo.