^^^^ as you said the sons of Bare would love to brush off the oppression their fathers have committed against innocent people & want us to unite with them while they are celebrating 21 October anniversary that allowed them to kill people. Here's a response I gave to another lost son of Barre. ------------------------------------------------ I will not answer your unintelligent question that was derived by this quote; last week i had the unfortunate chance of having a guest who was pro somaliand! i got the idea from him that most somalilanders still claim that a genocide was committed against them by the southerners ! Continuing to deny that your people committed genocide is what’s keeping you killing each other to date. Like the latest clan fighting where Siad’s own clan received deaths & casualties, in this blessed month of Ramadan if I may add. It seemed these ppl have no respect for this holy month let alone other Muslim’s life, but then they didn’t have that when they were killing and ordering the killing of other fellow Muslims (Somalilanders) did they? There’s a Somali word called ‘Cuqubo’ which you seemed not to understand it exists, but you’re experiencing it. i asked him if hes aware that many todays rulers of somaliland, including riyaale and the mid-wife were part of siyad's regime! Riyale collaborated with the government to kill his own ppl (so did Jews collaborate with the Nazis against their ppl), but his day of reckoning will come soon if not in this life in the hereafter. I see that you included Adna Aden as one of the warlords it just shows how much hate you’re harbouring towards Somaliland, which you are so blinded by it. Keep talking as I said before the ship of Somaliland has sailed far into the horizon and it will take Somalia 13yrs to reach it, in which case Somaliland would have travelled another 13yrs. ------------------------------------------------- The chickens have come home to roost.

I will not answer your unintelligent question that was derived by this quote; " last week i had the unfortunate chance of having a guest who was pro somaliand! i got the idea from him that most somalilanders still claim that a genocide was committed against them by the southerners! " Continuing to deny that your people committed genocide is what’s keeping you killing each other to date. Like the latest clan fighting where Siad’s own clan received deaths & casualties, in this blessed month of Ramadan if I may add. It seemed these ppl have no respect for this holy month let alone other Muslim’s life, but then they didn’t have that when they were killing and ordering the killing of other fellow Muslims (Somalilanders) did they? There’s a Somali word called ‘Cuqubo’ which you seemed not to understand it exists, but you’re experiencing it. i asked him if hes aware that many todays rulers of somaliland, including riyaale and the mid-wife were part of siyad's regime! Riyale collaborated with the government to kill his own ppl (so did Jews collaborate with the Nazis against their ppl), but his day of reckoning will come soon if not in this life in the hereafter. I see that you included Adna Aden as one of the warlords it just shows how much hate you’re harbouring towards Somaliland, which you are so blinded by it. Keep talking as I said before the ship of Somaliland has sailed far into the horizon and it will take Somalia 13yrs to reach it, in which case Somaliland would have travelled another 13yrs.

Which brings me back to the point that Sland needs a change in direction from what they have been hacculinating about over the last 12 years. Which also brings me back to the point that Somalia needs a change in direction from what they been dreaming about over the last 12 years Somaliland to be back under their feet. Wake up to the real world, Somaliland is never coming back, just like its people liberated it from Somalia they will also defend its Sovereignty. So for those of you who are lamenting for Somaliland to come back, for the sake of your building future for yourselves and children's MOVE ON!!!! One comment from her, is all that is needed to wreck your ship of state. keep whishing The ship of Somaliland State is far from being wrecked, its is sailing fast and far into the horizon for a new dawn, new beginning. Its is a new dawn a new day & I'm feeling good.

And besides after 12 yrs of talk shoudnt we forget about this Sland idea, and consider a future based on justice and integrated regions? And besides after 12 yrs of talk, talk, talk (aka conference) shouldn't you forget about the idea of peace building for Somalia and get use to anarchy & warlordism? Fair is fair.

Editors View Awdal news Network October 21, 2003 - 15:42 Somaliland Under Attack It is not easy to be a Somalilander these days. One cannot believe that when we have just begun to recover from the shock of the brutal assassination of Dr. Annalena Tonelli in Borama, that another gruesome killing of humanitarian workers has taken place in the town of Sheikh. It seems that not even a river of tears can wash away our shame. It is true that we have cried, vented away our anger and frustration through demonstrations, poured out our hearts through heartfelt condolences and condemnations and lived on the hope that with time the disgrace will go away and the international community will understand our plight and our misfortune. We have tried to convince the world community and ourselves that there was no conspiracy involved in Tonelli’s killing and that it was an isolated case of a mentally deranged man that brought us shame. The world community has sympathized with us. The wound was beginning to heal. Now with the killing of Richard Eyeington, 62, headmaster of the Sheikh Secondary School, and his wife Enid, 61, two British teachers and a married couple who chose to spend the remaining years of their life to educate young generation of Somalilanders, in the town of Sheikh, one feels helpless, devastated and betrayed. It is now obvious, however, that Somaliland is under attack. One may not be able to point the finger at a particular enemy, but no Somalilander should doubt that there is a huge a conspiracy aimed at destabilizing the only oasis of peace until now in the Somali peninsula. Those who would like to do harm to Somaliland are many, but to identify them one may only ask who would benefit from the collapse of peace and security in Somaliland. It may be easier to answer this question with only more questions such as: 1- Why such crimes are committed at this particular time when Somaliland has launched an active diplomatic campaign to sell its case to the world and when the Somali reconciliation conference in Nairobi is on the verge of collapse? 2- Why vulnerable foreigners who extend basic services in the vital sectors of health and education were targeted? 3- Why Italian and British citizens, two powerful EU countries and former colonial powers, of Somalia and Somaliland were targeted? 4- Why the perpetrators chose to commit their crimes in the home regions of the President and Vice President of Somaliland, namely Awdal and Sahil? 5- Why the crimes coincide with Somaliland’s efforts to establish close ties with neighboring Djibouti? 6- Do the crimes have anything to do with the current endeavors by some Somalilanders to reconcile between the ****** clans? Someone may assume that if these efforts succeeded and the ****** clans have settled their differences, this would definitely have led to rapprochement between Irir clans of the south and north, thus leading to the ****** ’s acceptance of Somaliland’s sovereignty by default. This may in turn lead to a link up of the Irir triangle of Somaliland, Mogadisho, Djibouti. It is obvious whose interest it would be to foil such possibility if at all it existed? 7- Who else but religious extremists would also be happy to see foreigners flee from Somaliland? 8- Why the government is lax and indifferent to the protection and security of foreign humanitarian workers? These questions and many others may rush to one’s mind to figure out who would really benefit from the collapse of peace and stability in Somaliland. But regardless of who is behind such heinous crimes, it is time for Somalilanders to reiterate their unity and cohesion. It is time to make a resolve to protect the hard won gains of peace, stability and democracy in our country. We should not budge, we should not waiver and we shouldn’t give in to defeat and despair. The Somaliland government has also tough questions to answer. The citizens have every right to ask why the British teachers of Sheikh were left without protection when the killing of Dr. Tonelli was still fresh on our minds? The government should do everything to give proper protection to foreigners who extend much needed humanitarian services to our people. It should not let criminals, extremist firebrands and trigger-happy drug addicts to have the fate of our country in their hands. It should not let Somaliland to be a safe haven for organized crime and international terrorism. Somalilanders in the diaspora should express their shock, anger and condemnation against such brutal crimes and should offer their condolences at Italian and British Embassies. Somaliland is under attack and it is up to us whether we defend it or turn away from our national duty and let our country fall apart. Our sympathies and warm tears go to the family, relatives and friends of Richard Eyeington, headmaster of the Sheikh Secondary School, and his wife and fellow teacher Enid. We also cry with the students of Sheikh Secondary School who have been shocked by the ghastly murder of their beloved teachers.

The Revival of Al-Ittahad Al-Islami - Saturday, October 18, 2003 at 19:14 Mogadishu, (AllPuntland)- Reports from various sources indicate a major political realignment taking shape in Mogadishu between various radical groups and the faction leaders who boycotted the ongoing Somali Peace Process in Mbegathi, Kenya. A splinter group from the disintegrated TNG faction, headed by Abdiqassim, and faction leader Muse Sudi Yalahow, who both oppose the Peace Process, are now actively realigning themselves with the forces of Al-Ittahad Al-Islami and their enterprising support networks. As reported recently by AllPuntland News , two Mogadishu based companies, Nationlink and HornAfrik, have proposed to these two faction leaders the abandonment of the Peace Process and the formation of an alternative hybrid alliance, comprising of all radical forces in Mogadishu, who oppose the talks in Kenya. The deputy of Omar Finish faction, Abdullahi Sh. Ismail confirmed the role of the two companies in the process that led to the formation of the Balad Alliance. Mr. Ismail confirmed that HornAfrik was instrumental in calling back the two leaders from the Peace Process, while NationLink paid US$36, 000 towards the formation of the Balad Alliance. NationLink which is currently the largest telephone carrier company in Mogadishu and Kismayo, is by large measure a replica of the now defunct Al-Barakat Corporation. Certain Al-Itihad (in leadership position) shareholders of NationLink were always Al-Barakat shareholders. Al-Barakat was a banking/Hawala corporation found to be involved in terrorist money transfers and investment. Consequently, the assets of the corporation were frozen after September 11, 2001. Since the closure of al-Barakat, Nationlink spinned al-Barakat banking operations and established another Dubai-based Hawala/banking company by the name of Nationlink Towfiq. Telecom operations were likewise spinned -- Hormud in Mogadishu, TelSom in Hargeysa, and Golis in Puntland. HornAfrik, on the other hand, is a radio and TV broadcasting company based in Mogadishu, which is wholly owned by Abdiqassim Salad Hassan's investors and close associates. The two companies have long been stalwart supporters of the Transitional National Government (TNG) and have recently been actively involved in forging the formation of the new alliance. Both companies have cross-ownership of same investors and have since joined their militias in Southern Somalia. NationLink and HornAfrik envisioned the formation of Balad Alliance in an effort to prop up the weakened political positions of their protégés, Al-Ittahad and the TNG, who were behind the formation of Project Arta: theTNG. The prime minister and the speaker of the parliament, broke ranks with the Arta president and the mandate of the TNG expired in early August. As a result, Abdiqassim found himself in a weakened and isolated position. Coincidentally, Al-Ittahad Al-Islami found itself in a similar position of isolation as it has been declining for sometime due to successive military defeats and political setbacks in Puntland and Gedo. This new development unmasks and reconfirms the widely held suspicion that Islamic Fundamentalists were in fact the hidden hand behind the policies and the continuity of the TNG, for the last three years. AllPuntland News Desk

SOMALI PEACE RALLY Galkacyo, Somalia, 17 August 2003 PRESS RELEASE SPR/INFltlk/M8/1273/2003 The 1st anniversary of Sultan Hurre's killing - All finger pointed at Col. Abdullahi Galkacio (SPR), August 17, 2003 - Somali Peace Rally - It is commonly known that today is the first anniversary of the assassination of Sultan Hurre, a respected Sultan gunned down at Kalabayr, Nugal region, Somalia.. The broad daylight killing of the respected Sultan, whose death was lamented by all those who knew or heard of him, was not even investigated, let alone apprehending his murder and accomplice(s). Witnesses at the location of the murder have reported that Col. Abdullahi was in the vicinity of the location of the crime. The Colonel's armed convoy bumped into the Sultan's car unknowingly. A moment later, the Col. sent two "technicals" after the Sultan's car. When his militia reached Kalabayr, the Sultan was getting down from his car. One of the Colonels bodyguards shot the Sultan point-blank, without further ado, according to several reliable sources. The Somalis and the world have carefully been watching what the Colonel would do about the assassination of his political opponent. The result, thus far, confirmed the suspicions already in the air – that Abdullahi will not even lift a finger to shed a light on the horrendous killing of this Sultan known for his youthfulness, religious as well as academic knowledge, articulation and courage, probably these qualities were a concern for the Colonel. In late September 2002, the BBC, Somali program, interviewed Col. Abdullahi and asked him about the death of the Sultan. He denied that he was at the location of the killing, and he mphasized that Puntland has a system in place, and the culprit will face the justice after a due investigation. Surprisingly, it was the first time and that he addressed the late Sultan with his right title and said Sultan Hurre, while his spokesman used to call the Sultan a bandit. SPR is demanding not less than what the Colonel promised which is the upholding of the justice. We promise the question of "who killed Sultan Hurre" will be around for many years to come until justice prevails and the culprits pay a price for this callous killing of the respected leader. In the meantime, SPR considers Col. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed the prime suspect in this case. His denial of absence from the scene of the crime, which is utterly untrue, his attempts to buy out people related to the Sultan, and his failure to shed a light on the case, and last but least, the Colonel's record of eliminating his previous political opponents, all support our credence that Abdullahi is the prime suspect in Sultan Hurre's assassination. He should be brought to justice (SPR).

Salaam bro Samurai Warrior, delegates comprising of traditional elders including the “Boqor” of Togdheer and politicians.....are to reach Nairobi, Kenya to represent Somaliland in the Somali Peace Process. Care to name them? There are reports though not widely received You got that right, since these reports have been circulated for the past week or so by hornafrik.com and the likes, yet not materialized. I see a repetition of sort with the intent of destabilising peaceful regions, Somaliland in this case, which draws parallel with what the Arte project did to stable regions including Puntland and Southwest in 2000. Wouldn't you like to see that happening to Somaliland? However if you take just few seconds to think, you would recall how more important individuals representing Somaliland attended the Arta conference yet did not shake the stability of the country. Allow me enlighten you as to why these individuals (if any) are not exposing their names. They do not want to commit political suicide; as everyone knows what’s the outcome of this conference, before it even started. Clue, what happened to the previous 11, 12 or 13 conferences (forgive me for I lost count)? I am of the belief that if anyone is to represent any region(s), it ought to be those in the leadership, and not self-styled personalities… Didn’t it occur to you that these people were bought for few $$$$ in ay IGAD ku maaweeliso the warlords to tell them that now there are representatives of Somaliland and bring C/qasin back to the conference iyo kuwii la duday. Keep praying for Somaliland to be destabilized, you've been doing it for the past 13 years, yet not answered. I wonder why?

The lies of the Samatars EXPOSED read the article below.. ---------------------------------------- First I would like to congratulate the International Crises Group (ICG) for a report well written, to the point and easy to follow. This report was indeed focused and free from any biases. It was very informative for those who didn’t know much about Somaliland, its history and inhabitants and for the informed who do not claim they “know it all” it shed light on the recent developments. Its the objective of the ICG ‘to prevent and resolve deadly conflict’, so to accuse their reports containing ‘political history replete with errors, misinterpretation, omissions, and bedeviled by an untenable characterization of entire communities’ is like accusing the Amnesty International of human rights violations. Let us now examine who made these accusations and why. Abdi Ismail Samatar and Ahmed I Samatar, made the accusations in an essay (in progress) entitled “INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP REPORT ON SOMALILAND: AN ALTERNATIVE SOMALI RESPONSE”. Here I will demonstrate their motive and make brief examination using the following categories: 1 • Language • Patriotism • Focus • Swelling Numbers • Clanism • Conclusion • Recommendation • Personal Note 1. Language At first glance one can observe an improvement of the language used in criticizing the authors of the ICG Report. Fortunately they did not suffer the same fate as Prof. I.M. Lewis, who Prof Abdi I Samatar 2, blurted abusive words at, which won him the nickname “Street Fighter Professor”. • “Samatar's response gives one the impression that he is street fighter intent to badmouth and give Lewis a bloody nose.” 3 Among the many abusive statements directed at Prof Lewis was that he was self-congratulating himself when he praised the EU and Prof A. I Samatar commented how the EU funded conference was a failure, and used the Somali proverb " Nin is amaaney waa ri is nuugtay" (a man who praises himself is like a goat that suckles itself), which is used to show disgust at a person who praises oneself. In this light let’s examine the names of the authors that the Samatars referred to as the authentic sources to argue their case. In no less then 7 times was the name Samatar referred to, 4 and describing themselves “as scholars, we have collectively dedicated 35 years to sympathetically understand the inner workings of Somali society” and “Our thinking, distilled from our extensive scholarly research and reading of Somali social history and political economy” It’s typical of the Samatars to accuse others, who hold apposing views of not able to comprehend the Somalis.5 “Only an arrogant and unreconstructed old fashioned anthropologist would be blind enough to assume that he could speak for the native in 2001.” 6 also “the Ambassador’s (Kiplagat) lack of knowledge about Somali culture….”7, and presenting themselves as the only authoritarians on Somali politics, social, history, economics, judicial etc. 2. Patriotism • ‘As the conference commenced, non-Somalis started to make the agenda. In one instance, when one of the authors (Abdi) was present, an American doctoral student presented the points….’8 Had Abdi been asked to present the points, would we have read such resentment towards the young American doctoral student? One would almost believe that they are so patriotic they would want only Somalis to conduct the peace processes for themselves and solve their own problems. However, when the people of Somaliland did just that, Abdi called their land “Balayo-land”9 (evil-land). One can only reach the conclusion that they would only be happy if they were in the lime light in any Somali conference and would not settle for otherwise. This is demonstrated in the brothers’ praise and glorifications of the Arta conference proceedings and outcome (Arta: Betrayal of a Gift), 10 since Prof. Abdi was one of the key craftsmen of the proceedings yet it was the one that lacked representations of most regions and used local Somalis from Djibouti to boost the number of attendants. . The ICG report documented the betrayal felt by the Somaliland people after the unification noting that Hargeisa became ‘a mere provincial headquarters’ and Mogadishu became the national capital. The Samatars identified Hargeisa as ‘the headquarters of the northwest’. Provincial headquarters or northwest headquarters, what’s the difference and the point they’re making? Furthermore the Samatars want the Somaliland people to applaud PM Adbirashid and be consoled for this honourable role (consultants), ‘One of the North's most senior civil servants noted that, "Prime Minister Abdirashid and leading ministers consulted senior northern public servants on key matters, particularly on those that dealt with integration.” 3. Focus As an engineer when I’m faced with a mathematical problem to solve (e.g. 1/2+1/3) I take the lowest common denominator (No. 6) and not the second (No. 12) or the third (No. 18) lowest common denominators (LCD). If I use the second or third LCDs, my calculations will only get longer and I would waste much of a good time that could have been utilized better, not to mention the possibility of making an error half way resulting the wrong answer. In my college days I would have been penalized for doing that. The Samatars used the argument that ***** were not the only community that suffered under the dictatorship of Said Bare and mentioned Baidoa and Puntland regions.11 The brothers seemed to have totally lost focus by bringing the argument under Somalia. The ICG report was tackling the suffering of clans living in Somaliland (LCD), its history and relationship with Somalia. If the brothers are using the denomination of Somalia (second LCD) in order to make their point, they only prolonged their argument and caused the reader to wonder off and ask, “what did that got to do with Somaliland”. Using the same analogy one can argue that the Somali people were not the only ones who suffered in the Horn of Africa (third LCD) and we can even take the fourth LCD, Africa etc. I recall conversations I use to have with students of history & politics in my old college (QMW, University of London) where they would tell me that Professors would warn them time and again not to waffle their way out when asked to write an essay about specific topic, as that would cause them to loose marks. I am not familiar with US universities, but if Professors can waffle their way out of the topic of discussion when writing essays, then what’s the chance of a student getting away with it and what does that say about those particular universities? In a court of law when a lawyer attempts to divert attention from the point of focus in a line of questioning, the opposition lawyer would immediately jump and shout “objection”! Throughout their essay the Samatars drifted off the point of discussion particularly in Part IV. I will address the claims made in this Part for the sake of examining them, though its far off the ICG report. A picture of justice, democracy and fair for all was painted, “There is no doubt today that the Somali Republic’s first President, Aden Abdulle Osman, and his second Prime Minister, Abdirazak H. Hussein, were genuine leaders by any democratic measure”. Yet this is what General Mohammed Farah Aidid recorded about the same period that was glorified by the Samatars’, “the unfortunate experience with the type of Parliamentary Democracy that Somalia had during 1960-69; which bred exploitation, tribal disunity, nepotism, lowering of morals and public integrity and ultimately paved path for a shameless military coup in 1969; warns us not to go in for that very model of democracy. We cannot afford again to be cheated by such so-called representatives of the people, who once the people have elected them to the Parliament are least bothered for the welfare of the masses but are solely guided by their self-seeking motives of making money, favouring their relatives and supporters and black-mailing and exploiting the masses in innumerable ways.”12 I know of someone personally who was thrown out of school in Mogadishu during that period. The then Minister of Education gave a speech in of the schools, where he stated that the schools are filled with street kids when the children of the government (ministers/employees) are not attending school because there are no seats. Somali history seems to be ‘in the eye of the beholder’; it’s rather like the writer’s story (his-story). It depends on what class or clan they belonged to during the period that they are writing about. The elite would write about the good old days and the luxury they enjoyed since they turned blind eye to the suffering of the lower class or clan. The oppressed would have only experienced the suffering and humiliation and would write his-story through his experiences. Someone from the outside looking in would only be objective historian to record the experiences of both classes. Often when that happens the former elite clan or class who do not want anyone to know what they inflicted on the other clans shower abuses at these historians/anthropologists or accuse them of being on the payroll of “Hargeisa Administration”. That’s why you have many people denying till now the atrocities committed against Somaliland people. Only now more 15 years later you have some people who served the military regime apologizing to the people of Somaliland.13 So when the brothers write, “We argue that this history could be told differently.” you do not need to be a rocket scientist to know what version of his-story will be told. 4. Swelling Numbers One of the most deceiving claims the Samatars made to undermine the accuracy of the ICG report was the claim that large number of “Northerners” held high positions in contrast to the ICG report. At first the reader would see positions identified (yet no names mentioned), 14 therefore one would think this claim must be authentic and that it cannot be fabricated, as this is a historical fact. Lets study how they introduced this grave deception. The reader was introduced to Somaliland (former British colony) and Somalia (former Italian colony) and after the unification these two entities came to be known as North and South of Somalia. Somalis referred to each other as Southerners and Northerners respectively. In order to boost the figures of the Northerners (Somalilanders) in high positions the brothers conveniently included positions held by people from the region presently known as Puntland (northeast Somalia). These individuals represented the South, since this region was part of Somalia and not Somaliland before unification. Therefore the ICG document was accurate in its reporting. 5. Clanism The ICG report made mention of the tribes in Somaliland that collaborated with the military regime against the ***** . The Samatars’ wrote: • “A discernment of who collaborated with the military dictatorship and to what degree…The ICG document enters that fray by identifying two northern communities as willing allies of the regime: the ******** and the Harti (pp. 11, 28). Simultaneously, the ***** kin-group is presented as innocent sufferers. This is problematic.”15 Here it’s important to note that the brothers are of ******** clan, hence the anger expressed in the above quote. Naming ***** men16 that served in the military dictatorship and attempting to level them with characters like Morgan and Ghani, who were responsible for the genocide of Somaliland, is totally irresponsible and one that would invite questioning as to their motive and integrity as academics. One can only sense the sentiments of clanism expressed here. I wonder how many historical claims stated by the Samatars were created on their keyboards? Gentlemen, you claim to be learned men, present your evidence for the statements you made, or did you conveniently fabricate this piece of history to tarnish the men’s names and discredit the ICG report for your gains? Let it be known that I consider all those ***** individuals mentioned who remained in Barre’s regime till its dying days “TRAITORS”, since they held those positions at the expense of the suffering of their own people. However the brothers’ choice of excluding General Jama Mohamed Qalib, when he held high positions in Barre’s regime sometime in those dark days and presented him as a victim 17 only exposed their prejudice (a friend perhaps?). He was another craftsman of the Arta conference and benefited from it by being rewarded handsomely, also known to hold the same views as the Samatars’. Why did they fail to mention how he was responsible for the deaths of thousands of young men in the Somaliland civil war (1994-1996)? Now this would have been relevant to the topic of discussion (Somaliland-LCD?), since he was a warlord for that short period of time. At least the warlords in Somalia stay with their soldiers while General Qalib ran away two days before the fighting started, after beating the drums of war for the young men. What’s the word that describes a General abandoning his army, just before full scale fighting starts? With regards to the office of Presidency the Samatars made the claim that ‘When Egal, the leading northern politician, was asked to seek the office he declined.’ This is a laughable claim. Both opponents and friends of Egal would agree on one thing, that he desired and sought the position of the President of Somalia all his life, until the 2001 Somaliland referendum when all hopes of that ever happening was dashed away from him. In fact someone commented once that if the position of the “President of Africa” existed he would run for it. 6. Conclusion In Somaliland, people of all tribes are living side by side in harmony and do not need the so called scholars living thousands of miles away to create hate and animosity between them. These people have shaken off the great might of the military regime and will not hesitate to shake off inflammatory essays that’s only intended to derail them from the path to peace they’ve embarked on. Most of these writers are living in the United States enjoying the freedom and liberty that its forefathers created by fist declaring that, “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”18 Therefore if the Samatars are serious as to their claim of feeling obliged to promote the well being of their community, then instead of calling their land ‘evil-land’ they ought to take part in promoting the freedom and liberty that their people have taken its first steps to establish. They ought to make their guiding principal to be what is in the interest of their people, and listen to what they want. History has its place and the people of Somaliland chose to forgive each other for past crimes in order to move on and build a brighter future for themselves and their children. Digging old wounds will not achieve what its intended, which is to destabilise the peace they worked so hard for. I for one am proud of the achievements of my people and wish that we all applaud them for their strength and determination to take the first steps of entering into the democratic world. 7. Recommendation a) Before embarking on responding to a report make sure you read the content of the report to establish the topic of discussion and read the report carefully (if necessary read it few times). b) When writing an essay, stay focused and don’t waffle just to boost the number words. c) To prove the authenticity of your claim, use reliable historians and not your own essays “in progress”. 8. Personal Note Somali people need to express their views through the ballot box and not be swayed by the selfish politicians who wear ‘Somaliweyn hat’ one minute, ‘Islam hat’ the next, ‘tribal hat’, the next and so on. The people of Somaliland have spoken as to what they want. They want to choose who leads their country and not be chosen for them in some conference held in far away land that’s organized by foreigners. The days that they were forced to accept anyone to rule them by force are gone. No clan has the right of leadership over others; hence no formula should be acceptable by any clan, whether they are in the majority or minority. No clan is superior to others: • “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”19 Many of the Somaliweyn politicians and writers who claim they don’t want the dismemberment of Somalia, put fear in the Somali people’s mind painting the picture that recognition of Somaliland will result closure of its borders to other Somalis. The people who feel this fear the most are the people of Harti, and this is understandable because they feel torn between their tribal kinsmen who live on the other side of the border (Puntland, Somalia), and their cousins (***** ) through intermarriages who live in Somaliland. Let’s take the current status of the relationship between the people of Somaliland and other Somalis. I personally have blood relations with people from Hiiraan (****** ), Puntland (Darood) and Lower Juba (Darood). Will I stop loving them if Somaliland was to be recognised? Of course the answer is NO, I love them more than my own ***** kinsmen since they are closer to me. They will always be welcomed to come and live peacefully in Somaliland if/when they chose to, and I’m confident that I would be welcomed in their respective homelands. People from Somaliland are also related to Somalis in Djibouti, so do they stop them from crossing the border? The two countries share trade ties, common culture, and blood ties, yet no political ties and that’s acceptable to both communities, as it doesn’t affect their personal or business relationships. These politicians have one thing to gain from Somaliland not being recognised that is to rule a bigger portion of the land and as for the writers they want to cash on the misery of the Somali people through their writings and attending the reconciliation conferences to be paid for drafting charters that will be impractical and unworkable, so they’ll be called back for the next conference, and the next and the next and the next…. If there’s no conflict what’s there to write about? The Somali people need to reach peaceful settlement to stop their bloodshed being cashed on. Somalis are nomadic by nature and this will never change, Somaliland people continue to intermarry Ogaden, though their land is within Ethiopia. Hargeisa is now multi-ethnic city were Somalis of all clans are living peacefully along side each other and I hope the same can be achieved for the cities in Somalia specially my beloved city of Mogadishu, where I was born. All Somalis own businesses in Somaliland, Somalis from Djibouti, Ogden, and Somalia. In fact the Telecommunication sector is dominated with companies owned by people from Somalia, and everyone welcomes them from government to the public. Family members can have different political views as demonstrated in the Somaliland elections were members of the same family voted for different parties. If Somaliland people chose a different political path, then the rest of Somalia, to achieve peace and harmony; their brethren Somalia should agree to disagree for the sake of keeping the love between them and work towards a brighter future together for their respective countries. Somalis living everywhere should be happy for what their brethren in Somaliland have achieved and pray for their brethren in Somalia to achieve peace and stability, this will be truly Somali brotherhood. Full Article

Rebuilding the basket case When it comes to African disaster stories, Somaliland is among the worst. Yet, RANJENI MUNUSAMY found people rolling up their sleeves and getting on with the daunting task of rebuilding their land VISITORS to the mass graveyard just outside the Somaliland capital of Hargeisa have to tread carefully to avoid tramping on pieces of human bones and the mass graves of countless Somalis executed under the military regime of former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Finger bones, a jawbone, a piece of someone's shoulder half eaten by scavengers, and bits of skull lie scattered, exposed by erosion and rain. "When I first came here, I used to have nightmares. It's like walking in a horror movie," says Fatima Ibrahim, a Somali human rights activist. The shallow graves of what is believed to be a conservative estimate of 40 000 people, are a grim reminder of a bloody era when the people of Somaliland were tortured and killed by their power-mad president. After prompting clan-based conflict, Barre went on a killing spree targeting, in particular, intellectuals and businessmen to avoid an uprising. Although 10 years have passed since Barre was overthrown, the horror stories of mass executions, bombings, rapes, poisoning of drinking wells and the destruction of normality are still vivid in the minds of most Somalis. Women tell tales of how whole families were herded to the killing sites to watch their husbands and sons being shot. They were not allowed to cry as their children would also be killed by the soldiers. As the guns were fired, they were forced to ululate to show they were rejoicing at the murder of their loved ones. Many fled the country to neighbouring Ethiopia and spent years of misery in refugee camps. Somaliland today is a different place. The former British protectorate split from Somalia in the south in 1991 and is a self-declared independent state. The independence is not recognised by the rest of the world, in particular the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity, which still pretend Somalia is one united country. But the people of Somaliland are rebuilding the country themselves - with or without the help of the outside world. Educated exiles have abandoned successful careers in western countries and returned home to help reconstruct the country. Those still living abroad send money back home to the tune of US300-million (R2.4-billion) to US500-million (R4-billion) a year. With livestock, charcoal and frankincense as the only viable industries, this money is the main contributor to the country's budget. And although there are crumbling buildings on every street and roads that have not been maintained for 20 years, there are signs of life shining through. There are newly constructed houses and shops in the place of bullet-ridden, collapsing structures. There is a functional education system, the blossoming of small enterprise and a society at peace with itself. This is a far cry from the Somaliland that Hussein Bulhan returned to in 1991 when he left a lecturing post at the University of Boston in the US . Bulhan, the director of the Somaliland Academy for Peace and Development, says his countrymen are prepared to endure hardship in return for independence because they have seen the worst. "When you've touched the bottom of hell, you don't need much to make you happy," says Bulhan. Although South African mercenary pilots took part in the bombing raids on its people, this country is the one of the few foreign powers the Somalis are prepared to trust. They look to South Africa as the great hope to lead the country out of political and economic isolation. Somaliland is angling for a form of legal status as a first step to formal recognition. This week saw the formation of the first political party in the country - UDUB, meaning pillar - under the leadership of President Mohamed Egal. Within seven months, the first national elections since the formation of the state are scheduled, even though there is no sign of an opposition movement. "We are moving towards permanent democracy and we have fulfilled all the necessary criteria to gain full recognition. The international community can't keep us in limbo," argues Abdullahi Duale, Somaliland's minister of civil aviation and one of Egal's acolytes. He says the US is considering giving Somaliland interim status while several South African Cabinet ministers and leading members of the ANC have given them an ear. "We have lots of friends pushing our case. We have a contribution to make in stabilising the region and are in a strategic position for trade. We also have the experience of putting together a country from scratch." Sunday Times