Yuu Ku Dayanayay this is last one 7 killed, 15 wounded in Dutch mall shooting AP – CORRECTS SPELLING TO ALPHEN AAN DEN RIJN - Injured people are carried out of a shopping mall after … By MIKE CORDER and TOBY STERLING, Associated Press – Sat Apr 9, 5:28 pm ET ALPHEN AAN DEN RIJN, Netherlands – A man armed with a machine gun opened fire in a crowded shopping mall on Saturday, killing six people and wounding 15, then committed suicide, officials and witnesses said. Children were among the casualties, including an infant who was lightly injured, said Mayor Bas Eenhoorn. Three of the wounded were hospitalized in critical condition. The rampage ended when the attacker shot himself in the head at the Ridderhof mall in Alphen aan den Rijn, a suburb 19 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Amsterdam.

Finally, we wish to inform the people of Sool, Sanag and Ayn that the efforts of the SSC diaspora are united and indivisible in order to attain liberty and development in our territories They forget to define the territories from X in north to Y in South :confused::confused: I am wondering weather I included in that territories

Q.2aad Waxay ku dhigan tahayn khadka doogada waxaynu iyana diiradda ku saari doonnaa hadaladii yididiilada, guubaabada iyo rajada xambaarsanaa ee ay shicibka reer Somaliland ku cel celin jireen tan iyo markii lagu dhawaaqay gooni isu taagga. 1. Somaliland jiritaankeedu waa muqaddas 2. Waanu wada buuxinnay dhammaan shuruudihii aqoonsiga 3. Xamar annaga ayaaba ka hor xorownay 4. Waa in xuduudaha la soo xidhaa 5. Somalilander baan ahay 6. Miiska Eu-da ayay saran tahay 7. Cunaqabataynta xoolaha ee carabtu siyaasad bay salka ku haysaa. 8. Webiga niilkaa ee carabku ka cabbo ayaanu u caddilanahay. 9. Israac dambe geeraa iga xigta 10. Way dhaqaaqday 11. Doorashadaasi siday u dhacdo ayay wax waliba ku xidhan yihiin 12. Rajo aad u weyn baa jirta 13. Hadda ayuun bay inoogu dhow-dhowdahay 14. Wax aad yar baa innooga dhiman 15. Afrikaanka la hadlaa la inna yidhi 16. Annagu shantii oo dhan baanu lixdankii rabnaye maanaan doonayn koonfur iyo woqooyi 17. Jabbuutiba waa ta dawlad gooniya noqotay 18. 1st july waa maalin madow 19. Waa nala khiyaameeyay 20. Wax heshiis ah isutaggii lama kala qoranin 21. Xukun qaybsi muu dhicine waxa dhacay afduub, saamigii aanu lahaynna nalama siin 22. Waatay na xasuuqeen 23. 1960-gii 37 dal baa na aqoonsaday oo jimciyadda quruumuhuna ku jirto 24. Israel way inna rabtaaye innagaan doonayn 25. Dalal badan ayaa carrab laalidiyay oo hoos hoos wax innoola wada 26. Hadday go`do South Sudan wuu jabay heshiiskii xuduudaha ee Africa 27. Jubba aynu safaarad ka furanno 28. Eritrea haddii ay go`do innana waa ku xignaa 29. Bhutrous Ghali baa ku fadhiya codsigeenna UN-ta 30. Taiwan waxba umay noqon aqoonsi la’antii 31. Ninkii taga shirarka wallwayntu waa khaayinul waddan 32. Masar iyo sucuudiga ayaa ku fadhiya qaddiyeenna 33. Maraykanka oo yidhi kolnaba annagu uguma horrayn doonno dhanka ictiraafka 34. Ictiraaf la’aatu waa caqabad weyn oo innaga hor taagan wax badan oo aynu qabsan lahayn 35. Isbeddelka kediska ah ee Ina Cumar Geelle muxu daarran yahay 36. Ilaahay baa na icriraafsan, maqnaanshihiisana waxba u noqon mayno 37. Aqoonsigu sabir badan ayuu u baahan yahay 38. Albaab waanu garaacnayoo ilaa hadda waxba ma haynno 39. Dadkayaga 97% ayaa u codeeyay gooni isu taagga 40. Pentagonka oo u horkacayo wasiirka difaaca Robert Gates ayaa raba in aqoonsigeenna 41. Somalia nabadi ka dhici mayso innta weli aan Somaliland la aqoonsan 42. CNN ka ma daawatay 43. Ka hor dhici mayo laakiin waxbaan idiin ogahay 44. Ictiraafkii haddaa qarkaa loo saran yahay 45. Sir culus oo ictiraafka Somaliland ku saabsan ayaa ka fakatay wiki leaks 46. Geeri ayaan ka xigaa israac dambe 47. Haddii aynu sii xoojinno nabad gelyada waa la hubaa 48. Haddii aynaan innagu cagta jiidayn waa horaa la aqoonsan lahaa 49. Baasaboorkayaga ayaa naloo fiiseeyaa 50. Wefdiyo qiimayn samaynaya ayaa inoo uimi 51. Meel wacan bay wax marayaan 52. Wixii hadda ka dambeeya mucaawinooyinku toos bay imanayaan 53. Ethiopia waxay leedahay haddanu u horrayno si kalaa la turjuman doonaa 54. Beesha caalamka ayaa inna ammanaysa 55. Waxay ku jirtaa nabad gelyada oo aynu intaa ka sii xoojinno 56. Somalida ha lala hadlo iyo yaan lala hadlin oo weli la isku khilaafsan yahay 57. Bagaa la riday xusni Mubarak, Qaddaafina abaalkii looga waraabiyay 58. Wixii na durraansdaa ma mahadiyaan 59. Maalintay u daran tahay ayuun buu ilaahay shimbir noo soo diraa 60. Haddaa na doorataan annagaa keenayna ictiraafka 61. Somaliland oo aqoonsatay Jumhuuriyadda South Yemen (waagii AHN Mdx.Egal 62. Somaliland oo USA u fidisay deeq lacageed oo gaadhaysa 50,000 USD qaraxyadii 9/11 63. Somaliland oo 300 oo neef oo adhi ah ugu deeqday Djibouti ka dib weerarkii Eritrea 64. Siyaasiin ka soo qayb gashay xafladda caleemo saarka suldaan hebel iyo boqor lagu caano shubay 65. Iqbal Jhbazi oo bug ka qoray Somaliland 66. Jenday frazier oo dalka soo gaadhay noqotay masĆ¹ulkii ugu sarreeyay ee dalka soo booqda. 67. Beel heblaayo ayaa ku biirtay xisbigaa 68. ONLF oo xeebta galbeed ka soo degtay 69. serfarkii baa khalkhalay 70. Haddii la iga guulaysto isku dhejin maayo kursiga sida afrikaanka kale ee waan ka dagayaa 71. Senator Donald Payne oo si kulul ugu hanjabay Somaliland 72. ka qayb galka shirarka ay soo qabanqaabiso beesha caalamku oo la isku maandhaafsan yahay 73. Haddii aan Oromada dalka laga celin khattar wayn baynu daaqaynaa, dalkana way innaga qaadi 74. Baarlamanka Kenya ayaa qaddiyadeennii la soo hor dhigay 75. Budhcad badeedu way ka baqataa badahayga 76. Iskaashi caalami ah iyo gobol baanu ku hawlannahay oo dhanka argagixisada ah 77. Satelite ayaa lagu sawiray khayraadka dalka bad iyo berriba 78. Ethiopia waxannu qaadka ugu beddelan doonnaa inay qaataan milix iyo kalluun 79. daadka badda ku shubma ayaanu rabnaa inaanu qabanno oo samaynno biyo xidheenno 80. Waxa noo qorshaysan in mustaqbalka la hirgeliyo gaadiidka tareennada 81. Ismaandhaaf ka taagan ururro siyaasadeed oo la furto 81. Ssc waa urur nabadiid ah 82. Ma qaadannaa kursiga Somalia ee UNta oo la goĆ ansaday in laga qaado golaha loo dhan yahay. 83. Weligeedna la inna aqoonsan maayee runta aan isu sheegno 84. Taiwan-ba ictiraaf laĆ an waxba uma oga 85. Israel way inna aqoonsan lahyde innagaa ka maagayna, sowtaa carabtu xidhiidhka la leh 86. Koonfurta Sudan waa unaynu safaarad ka furannaa 87. Xamarta aad sheegaysid soo qaadqaadkeeda ayaaba xaaraan ah 88. Aqoonsigu sabir badan ayuu innooga baahan yahay 89. Albaab waannu garaacnay 90. Eritrea-ba wataa xorowday 91. Wixii hadda ka dambeeya waa toos mucaawinadu 92. Meel wacan bay wax marayaan 93. Baarlamanka Barwaaqo-sooranka ayaa la innagu daray 94. Shir sannadeedka madaxweynayaasha AU da ayaa doorkan la innagu martiqaaday.

Hadalada had iyo goor ka soo yeedha masuuliyiinta iyo warbaahinta ay maamulaam cadowga Somaliland 1. Dawladda iskeed isugu magacowday Somaliland 2. Jumhuuriyadda la magic baxday Somaliland 3. Xuduudaha Somalia waa muqaddas 4. Somalia sina uma kala go’ikarto 5. Maamulka Somali-diidka 6. Ethiopia ayaa u yeedhisa 7. Somaliland waa gobol ka mid ah Somalia 8. Maamulka beesha ***** 9. Maamul goboleedka *** Woqooyi 10. Somali ma kala maaranto oo aabo kaliya ayaa wada dhalay 11. Somalidu waa ummadda kaliya Africa ee isku af, diin iyo dhaqanba ah 12. Ma jirto wax Somaliland la yidhaahdaa 13. Waa nala dilay uun bay leeyihiin, Somali oo idil ayaa iswada dishay 14. Wax la yidhaahdo land-land ma jiraan 15. Qayb bay ka yihiin heshiiskii federaalka 16. Qaab beeleed ayay uga qayb galeen shirkii dibu heshiisiinta 17. Way ku jiraan dawladda , awood qaybsigana saamigoodii waxay ku qaateen habka 4.5 18. Aduun weynuhu ma aqoonsana, weligoodna heli maayaan 19. Iinnyo ayuun bay leeyihiine, maxaa u diiday inay runta u soo noqdaan 20. Dawladda ku meel gaarka ah ayay hoos yimaaddaan 21. Maamulka woqooyi galbeed 22. Ma aaminsani wax Somaliland la yidhaahdo 23. Iskuma fillaan karto dhaqaale ahaan 24. Annagay fasax u siina diyaaradaha iyo maraakiibtu inataanay soo gelin biyaha iyo hawada somaliland 25 Annagaa ka hawl galnay in Sucuudigu qaado cuna qabataynta xoolaha 26 Annagaa soo saxeexnay mashruuca EU-da ee biyo gelinta Hargeisa 27. Maaha in tacliinta la siyaasadeeyo 28. Maahaa isu socodka dadka in la siyaasadeeyo 29. Maaha in baayac mushtariga la siyaasadeeyo 30. Maaha in hawlaha caafimaadka la siyaasadeeyo PUNTLAND: 1. Dhuxusha ka dhoofta Bosaso waxa ka dambeeya dad dhalasho ahaan ka soo jeeda Somaliland 2. Ururka argagixisada ee Sheikh Atom wuxu gacan saar la leeyahay maamulka Somaliland 3. Budhcadeeddu kuma koobna deegaana Puntland oo kaliya, waxa ka buuxa reer Somaliland 4. Dadka tahriibaya badankoodu waxay soo maraan oo nagaga yimaaddaan dhanka Somaliland 5. Ingiriisku waa inu joojiyaa mucaawinada u siiyo Somaliland ee loo adeegsadi gumaadka reer ssc. 6. Ciyaaraha gobollada waxa iman doona kooxo ka socda Somaliland. 7. Waxanu qabannay kulankii ugu horreeyay ee haweenka af somaliga ku hadla oo somalilandna ku jirtay. 8. Waxanu qabannay shirkii u horeeayay ee culimada ahlu suna oo Somaliland ka soo qayb gashay 9. Burburkii ka dib beel waliba deegaankeedii bay u laabatay 10. Ssc waa tolkayo waxananu wada samaysannay dawladda buntalaan (Waa siday ugu dhawaaqaane) 11. Shir laba geesood ah oo u dhexeeya Buntalaan iyo Galmudug ayaa ka dhacay Garowe 12. Martiqaad wadajir ah ayaanu u fidinnay Somaliland inay nagu soo biirto shirarka dambe 13. Faroole oo ka hinaasay mucaawinada ingiriiska ayaa gaadhay Roma 14. Annagaa u yeedhanay calooshood u shaqaystada Sarasen heshiisyan la galnay tegina maayaan 15. Somaliland ha isaga baxdo dhulka ay xoogga ay ku haysato ee aan laga rabin 16. Shirdibu heshiisiin ah baanu Somali isugu yeedhi doonaa 17. Heshiiska Galkacayo ee buntalan/Tfg kana kooban 17ka qodob Somaliland kumanaan soo qaadin 18. Ciidamadaya ayaa Riyaale ku weeraray Laas caanood 19. Puntland oo ku guulaystay baajinta mashruucii isticmaalka Berbera ee UN-ta (Afduubyo) MAXKAMADIHII ISLAAMIGA EE MUQDISHO: 1. Burco ayaa nalooga yeedhay 2. Ictiraafkay caabudaan reer woqooyigu ( waraysi BBc-da u siiyay Hassan Dahir Aweys) 3. Waanu qabsan donna dalkoo dhan min Ras Kamboni ilaa Zeila 4. Somaliland waxa taliya amxaarada 5. Land land wax la yiraahdaa ma jiraan 6. Dekeddii Berbera waxa gebi ahaan la wareegtay Ethiopia 7. Dadka reer woqooyi na rabaane, waxa na diiddan maamulka gaalo raac ah 8. Isaaqu waa gun ( gabay Abshir Bacadle) 9. Warba waxa ka hadhay intanu koonfurta ka soo faraxalanyno 10. Nabaddii lixdii bilood ayuu cadowgu inoo quudhi waayay woqooyina diyaar buu ahaa ALSHABAB: 1. Somalia oo dhan waxannu gaadhsiin kitaabka Alle 2. Dimoqraadiyaddu waa camalka shaydaan ee gaaladu ku dhaqanto 3. Annagaa ka dambaynay qaraxyadii Hargeisa waananu qabsan doonaa 4. Hoggamiyayaasha alshabab waa ****, waxa loo soo diray inaanaan weligayo degin JIMCIYADDA QURUUMAHA KA DHAXAYSA: 1. Qaxootiga koonfur dalkoodii bay ku baro kaceen, caawin mayno hadaan taa la oggolaan 2. UNDP oo laga diiday manhaj iskuuleed ay soo daabacday oo ku slaysan Somalia 3. Heading mashaatiicda JNA ee UNDP ma oggolin oo waxa ku dhigan Somalia 4. Walad Abdalla waa nala col oo weligii nooma iman

deegankan waxa lagaga maahmaahaa "Nin is faaniyay waa ri is nuugtay laakiin abdirizak maahmaahdasi kuma jirto dhaqankiisa, Cultural Differences between us and the koonfurians indeed. Xaaji ma fahmayaan makeeki iyo muran uun bay wadaane "Dadkaan la hadlayaa baan lahayn, dux iyo iimaane Bal inay dalfoof tahay caqliga, dooni laga saaray Wixii hore usoo daashadaay, degashanaysaaye " Tima Cade

Waar xaaji odaygu af carabiga ma yaqaanaa mise inglishtii waa waynayd ayuu diraclayda kula sheekaysanayaa

i guess reer Somalidiid waxay wali a xanaaqsan yihiin waaguu yiri sii jeedkaad ku qurux badan tihiin ilayn duulku waa dad aan wax ilaawine. Bilan waa runtaa ninka loo igmaday inuu dadka isku soo jiido (build bridges ) ee kala qaybin iyo inuu dagaalo qabail huriyo shaqo ka dhigtay. Ninka ay ahayd inuu ixtiraamo shacabkiisa oo uu meel walba ugu tago kuna raali galiyo ee afxumo meel walba la joogay. 40 years later ma caqli baa u soo kordhay oo qaxootinimada ayuu wax ku bartay? Abdirisaq waa ninkii Hargeisa kaga qudbadeeyay: "Gadh yare waqooyi cabashadiina intii horeba ku gabayde e inta hadhayna hees ku soo sheega aan radioga ka dhagaystee." "Gadh yare waqooyi wixii aad doontaanba sheega aniga se sadex midno iigu faanimaysaan: dhalasho, shaqo iyo muuq; dhalasho waxaan ahay nin MS ah, shaqano waxaan ahay wasiirkii arimaha gudaha muuqna waydinkaa indhahiina ku arka" Kibirka iyo isla waynida ka muuqatay Abdirizak waxay sii kala fogaysay labadii gobel ee aan is dhaqan aqoon ee midoobay. waayo deegankan waxa lagaga maahmaahaa "Nin is faaniyay waa ri is nuugtay laakiin abdirizak maahmaahdasi kuma jirto dhaqankiisa,

old clan grudge of Biridish orphan can erase it. Get over it kid. Yes that is what I mean, that is Abdi Abaar Legacy. He couldn't succeed to build bridges between British and Italian Orphans. Same as him you feel that your opinion is superior than my little opinion. Regardless of your little opinion, Nin qab wayn iyo nin aan u qabin is qaniine.

^Forget about 1964-1967, and listen what he saying now. I don't need to listen now because he already made history and still are in his legacy. How old was Wiil Cusub in 64 to know Abdirazak. May be older than him aduun waa sheeko iyo shaahid sheekadiisaa iga badatay sida tan hoos ku qoran. Mr. Abdirazak was the first post-union Minister of Interior. His record when he held that portfolio is: a) The massacre of the Leylkase clan by the Government forces in the feud between the Leylkase and the Omer Mohamuds of the early 1960s. b) The famous rigging and the blatant mismanagement of the referendum vote on the constitution of the 1961. It is the result of that vote (where allegedly 99 thousand voters, all for the Government side voted in a small village of less than a thousand people) that caused the nicknaming of 'Wanlawein' for all the people of ex-Italian part of the Somali Republic. Wanlawein being the name of that unfortunate small village. c) The 1960 notorious M S regime, where Abdirashid was the Prime Minister, Abdirazak was the Interior Minister, Mohamed Abshir was the head of the Police, Yassin Nur Hassan was the Secretary General of the S.Y.L ruling party, and the President was their in-law, was the most menacing regime that the country had ever seen, and it set a bad start for the Somali people. Mr. Abdirazak was its principal defender. It is well recorded how vulgar and irresponsible were his speeches, especially in the present Somaliland part of the country. If any politician had sown the seeds of mistrust among the Somali people, it is him. Let me now try to highlight his time as a Prime Minister of the united country from 1964-67. a) There was a civil war in every region of the country, civil wars where the Government of Mr. Abdirazak was either setting one side against the other, or was too weak to do anything about it. Some of these fratricidal wars were happening outside the borders of the republic, but it is well known that the Government of the time was a participant, one way or the other, in these wars. In the west there was the Makyl Dheere-Bahaber Abdile feud. In Hargeisa Area there was the Arab-Saad Muse feud. In Buroa and Lasanood Area there were skirmishes between every sub clan and other sub clans. In the ****** area there was the Ali-Harrun war and the Afgab-Dhaweed one. In Mudug there was the Leylkase- Omer Mohamud wars, and the Mareehaan-HaberGidir battles. In Benadir there was the Muroorsade-****** one, and only God knows what happened south of that area. During the three years where Mr. Abdirazak was the P.M, the whole nation was in turmoil and the picture was not so much removed from what is happening in ex-italian Somalia of today. There was no life in the countryside at all, and hospitals were full of the wounded and maimed. It is significant to mention that all wars stopped when Abdirazak's Government fell. b) Abdirizaq’s era was a time of civil-wars, famine, drought and great ecological problems. Problems, Most Somali people know Abdirazak as Abdi-Abaar, meaning Abdi- the drought.

Waa yaabe goormay Somalidu Pension ka gashaa siyaasada This gentlemen must be above 80 and still talking about politics. If he have solution for Somali problems why he did nt try when he was Prime Minister of the Somalia,1964-1967. We know now that he was part of creating this problems

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Gallup's global wellbeing surveys in 2010 reveal that a median of 21% across 124 countries were "thriving" last year, based on how people rated their lives at the current time and their expectations for the next five years. This is unchanged from a median of 21% in 2009. The percentage rating their lives well enough to be considered thriving ranged from a high of 72% in Denmark to a low of 1% in Chad. http://www.gallup.com/poll/147167/High-Wellbeing-Eludes-Masses-Countries-Worldwide.aspx

A foreign minister will receive a bigger reception then this. A foreign minister who can't walk streets of his capital that is real shame not president who meets minster

thanful Sheekh Nahyaan sheekh Mubaarik Al-nahyaan wasiirka wax-barashada ee Isu-tagga Imaaraadka Carabta oo martiqaaday Weftiga Madaxweynaha iyo in ka badan 60 Shirkadood ama Company oo kulankaa goob-joog ka ahaa. If this is not a good development to meet 60 companies + one of the biggest sheikhs in that country in one occasion, specially when you know where Arab counties was about SL

JB maanta qisaddii Good iyo Guuled malaha way isbadashay oo Godane oo la eryanayay ayay Moqdisho guudka saaratay cid ka soo dajisana ay laayihiin. Yaa noqonaya Dawacadii Guuleed ka furfurtay Goodkii? Xiin if secessionist can wake up from their delusion, When will you wake up from SYL delusion "Somaliyeey toosoo toosoo iku tiirsada .... Us long us SYL vision from 70 years ago is untouchable solution is faraway from Somalia.

Tribelist trying to solve tribal problems with his own tribal idea, Like most Somali academic eleit who can't become objective

Ilayn madaxnimadu dadka way da yaraysaa mansha allaa sowkan odaygii dib u soo yaraday Isku eeg markuu mucaaradka ahaa iyo imika Kursigu waa cajiib

people came out to stare at the water like it had snowed. Ma oga inay roobdoon waayadanba akhrisanayeen. why would they compare Somaliland too Las Vegas ..???????? Hot and dry

Hal nin oo si xun loo fiiriyey war maaha, marka intii la qabto la garaaco, ilkaha loo saaro sibidhka and than kick him in the face(Remember American history X), than it's racism, inta ka horaysa waa iska calaacal iyo "ala fiiriya soomaaliyaan daganahay"! Get over yourself man. when their is no big news, journals mast publish Calaacal to cover pages and some cases Calaalcal become hit. they call "Silly season"

The Roman army invaded Arabia in search of frankincense, Syrians offered it up to Apollo and Egypt’s pharaohs were embalmed with it. Somalilanders in search of more viable economic and national independence may hope that the fabled power of frankincense will be restored in modern times. This finishing sin is brilliant. Fooxaa aqoonsiga loo shidayaa oo awliyada loo baryayaa " Baadidii ayaan maqan sheekhii loo igmanyoow Abaadiroow Soo ururi Aqoonsiga"

Online service bids to transform African money transfer From Nima Elbagir, CNN STORY HIGHLIGHTS Ismail Ahmed is founder and chief executive of money transfer service WorldRemit The business allows users to send money without visiting agents and banks Ahmed says the system helps Africa move towards a cashless economy

Catching Pirates With A Kind Of Neighborhood Watch The second in a three-part series. Somalia is among the world's most lawless countries. That's one reason piracy thrives there. After hijacking ships, pirates return to shore, where government turns a blind eye — or may not even exist. But one part of Somalia — a self-ruling region called Somaliland — is slowly trying to build the rule of law and a sense of civic duty. The result: Ordinary citizens occasionally catch pirates and turn them in. It's an informal, coastal neighborhood watch. EnlargeKabir Dhanji for NPR Suleman Ahmen Aden shades himself beneath his fishing raft. Last year, he helped catch pirates who were forced to beach their boat because of a disabled engine. Suleman Ahmen Aden fishes along the windswept beaches of the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's most dangerous stretches of water. Just last Friday, a pair of pirate skiffs tried to overtake a chemical tanker, according to the International Maritime Bureau. The week before, another skiff fired on another tanker. Aden fishes from a raft made of wood and Styrofoam lashed together with rope and wire. From a distance, it looks like a pile of garbage. But when the winds subside, he pushes his raft into the waves and paddles out more than a mile. Aden says he rarely sees pirates this close to shore. "We saw some once, a year ago," says Aden, who has a long black beard and wears a red-checked scarf on his head. "Their boat engines were stuck. So, they had to beach here." Aden said the pirates were armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and AK-47s. Despite their fearsome reputation, Aden says he wasn't afraid of the pirates. "They were so tired and exhausted," he recalls. "They had been in the sea a long time, floating and sailing without food. They were hungry." Aden offered them tea. Then, he called the coast guard. EnlargeFrank Langfitt/NPR Omer Ahmed is a clan leader on the coast who helped fellow villagers arrest more than a dozen suspected pirates. "We pretended we were welcoming them," he says. "That's how we arrested them." 'We Even Fought Them' Pirates, though, are not always so easy to subdue. Omer Ahmed is a clan leader in Karin, another town down the coast. He says last year villagers captured more than a dozen suspected pirates. One citizens' arrest came after a tip that a suspicious boat was heading their way. Ahmed says residents fanned out to look for the vessel. "The pirates came off the boats onto the beach, and went into hiding," says Ahmed, who has dyed his beard and hair with red henna, a Somali tradition. "We chased them. We even fought them, but were able to overpower them." Ahmed said villagers traded a few gunshots with the men, who then surrendered. A Fledgling Democracy When people think of Somalia, they imagine Mad Max on the Horn of Africa, but the country is more complex. NPR Somalia is actually divided into three very different parts. To the south is Mogadishu, an urban warzone. To the northeast is Puntland, a semi-autonomous region and hotbed of piracy. And to the west is Somaliland, a fledgling democracy that sees itself as an independent country — though no one else does. Scholars give Somaliland high marks for fighting piracy. Stig J.Hansen, who teaches international relations at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, says Somalilanders have a national identity and a sense of duty that inspires them to crack down on pirates. "The local population believes in the concept of Somaliland," says Hansen, who has studied Somali piracy since 2005. "That means it's very hard for the pirates to operate in Somaliland." Hansen says Somalilanders also arrest pirates because they want to impress the outside world in hopes of gaining diplomatic recognition. But he says sometimes citizens go too far and arrest innocent fishermen from Puntland, a neighboring pirate hot spot. "They are stereotyping," Hansen says. "They are claiming all these [people] are pirates, but there are innocent people there." More In This Series Somaliland Struggles In Effort To Fight Piracy It has eight coast guard vessels to patrol 500 miles of coastline, and many prisons are dreadful. 'I'll Never Be One' Life is harsh along the Gulf of Aden. Ali Samater Abdi herds camels in the dunes near the beach. Three years ago, he had more than 100 camels, but drought killed most of them, leaving just 15. So, Abdi has turned to fishing. "I have no equipment to fish or boats, nothing," says Abdi, who wears a torn white T-shirt and matching Somali sarong. "When I cast my net in the sea, I just sit on the piece of wood and paddle and catch as many fish as I can." Some days Abdi catches two fish; other days, four. He keeps a couple for his family to eat. Then he walks three hours in rubber sandals to the market in Berbera, a port city, where he trades them for vegetables. The quickest way for Abdi to turn his life around would be piracy. One good hijacking can pay a pirate $35,000 to $50,000 — a fortune in this part of the world. Has Abdi ever considered it? His answer is swift and direct. "Pirates are bad," he says. "It's an issue that is bad for the country and for the world. As a result, I'll never be one." Of course, not everyone in Somalia feels that way. Year after year, month after month, piracy continues to grow. Last week, pirates seized a German-owned cargo ship with 10 crew members. It was the 15th hijacking so far this year.

Somali piracy has become an epidemic. Last year, Somali pirates seized more than a thousand hostages — a record. This year, they have already hijacked 15 vessels, including an American yacht whose four passengers were killed. EnlargeFrank Langfitt/NPR Somaliland's coast guard has just eight boats to patrol more than 500 miles of coastline along the Gulf of Aden. The government of Somaliland, a self-ruling part of Somalia, is trying to fight the problem with a ragtag coast guard and a new prison, but battling piracy is like fighting a stiff current. A visit to the local jail in Somaliland's port of Berbera goes a long way toward explaining why. Duale Jama Sirat is sitting on the jail's concrete floor. The cell reeks of urine, and the walls are etched with names and phone numbers. Sirat has been here ever since the Somaliland coast guard boarded his skiff last month about 50 miles off the coast in some of the world's most pirate-infested waters. "We don't know why they captured us," says Sirat, feigning surprise at his predicament. "The coast guard from Berbera fired on us and ordered us to stop." More In This Series Catching Pirates With A Kind Of Neighborhood Watch As Somaliland works to build a sense of civic duty, ordinary citizens are turning in pirates. Dressed in a black T-shirt and a Somali-style sarong, Sirat says the coast guard found no weapons. He insists he is innocent. "I'm not a pirate," he declares in English. "Fishing. I fishing." This is the mantra in the jails of Somaliland. People accused of piracy claim they are misunderstood fishermen. There's just one problem with that defense. When Sirat and his crew members were picked up in the Gulf of Aden, they had no nets, no fishing gear — just a global positioning system. Sirat struggles to explain. "We didn't bring the equipment," he says. "First, we had to look for the fish." NPR From about a hundred miles away — that's how far Sirat lives from where he was picked up in the water. Fighting Piracy With No Anti-Piracy Law Sirat's story is laughable, but he's almost certain to walk, because it's hard to catch pirates in the act and the evidence against them is often painfully thin. "Some of those captured pirates, when they are on the boat and they see the coast guard, they throw their guns in the sea," says Guleid Ahmed Jama, a Somaliland prosecutor. Jama says there's another legal problem: Somaliland is working on an anti-piracy law but doesn't actually have one yet. "In reality, I don't see anyone who has been accused of piracy," Jama says. "They have been accused of illegal weapons ... accused of breaching immigration law ... accused of attempting to make a robbery." Nobody sleeps when we enter these waters. We're on a 24-hour lookout for pirates. - Osman Daud, captain of the Safina Al Ibrahimi, an Indian freighter Somali piracy exploded several years ago. Criminals took advantage of the country's lawlessness and began attacking ships with a vengeance. Pirates now hold nearly 30 vessels and more than 600 hostages, according to RiskIntelligence, which monitors the problem. Staying Alert In A High-Stakes Game Osman Daud captains the Safina Al Ibrahimi, an Indian freighter docked at the Port of Berbera. Standing on the deck of the wooden dhow, Daud says sailing to Somaliland through the Gulf of Aden is perilous. "I have 20 people on the boat," Daud says. "Nobody sleeps when we enter these waters. We're on a 24-hour lookout for pirates." Daoud says he does everything he can to avoid them, including changing his route. He uses his radio to monitor reports of pirate attacks and to find out where foreign naval vessels are providing protection. Then, he plots his course accordingly. Daud says he has been held up at sea and robbed of radios and cellphones. "I've been boarded so many times, I can't remember," he says wearily. EnlargeFrank Langfitt/NPR Somaliland Adm. Ahmed Osman says his coast guard needs just three things: "Boats. Boats. Boats." But his boat, which carries everything from food and SUVs to brooms and TVs, has never been held for ransom. Daud says that's because in the high-stakes game of Somali piracy — where multimillion-dollar ransoms are common — a small freighter like his just isn't worth it. Boats And Prisons While naval warships try to protect the sea lanes, Somaliland's coast guard uses small patrol boats to monitor the waters closer to shore. The trouble is that there aren't nearly enough of them. Somaliland is desperately poor and mostly made up of desert, scrub and camels. It has more than 500 miles of coastline, but only eight working coast guard vessels. Asked what are the top three things his coast guard needs, Somaliland Adm. Ahmed Osman answers without hesitation: "Boats. Boats. Boats." Perhaps. But even if Somaliland had enough boats to catch pirates, where would it put them all? The prisons here are dreadful. The one in Berbera was built in 1884 during the Ottoman Empire and doesn't look like it has changed much since. Piles of garbage dot the prison yard. Prisoners reach out through rusted bars to complain about conditions, including a lack of food. The United Nations is working to change this. Last year, it completed a new, $1.5 million prison in Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital. The prison has freshly painted walls, a medical clinic and the ability to handle more than 400 inmates. Alan Cole, who runs the counter-piracy program for the U.N.'s program on drugs and crime, says the new prison is a big improvement over the old one. "They've got beds, properly secure cells, in-cell sanitation," Cole says during a tour. "It's still rudimentary but meets the minimum U.N. standards." Cole says in the old prison, inmates slept on rugs on the floor. Where To Put The Pirates The new prison is part of a strategy to help Somalia handle the pirate problem itself. Because the country has few effective institutions, most pirates are tried overseas. Cole says right now more than 900 Somali pirates are held in 17 countries. "What we're looking to do in the longer term is to move the pirates back to Somalia," he says, "to serve their prison sentences there." But the complexity of Somalia's politics is making that difficult. Somaliland is the best-governed part of the country, and it considers itself an independent state — even if nobody else does. At a news conference, Somaliland's minister of justice, Ismail Aar, said his government refuses to take pirates from other parts of Somalia — much to the consternation of the U.N. EnlargeFrank Langfitt/NPR Farah Ismael Idle is a pirate serving his time in Somaliland's new prison in the capital, Hargeisa. Idle says when he gets out in three years, he is going to attack more ships. "We accept all Somalilanders," Aar said, "but each country should receive its own pirates." Imprisoned Pirate: 'I Will Go Back' Farah Ismael Idle is one pirate Somaliland does claim. Unlike most inmates, Idle admits he's a pirate, though, he insists, not a very good one. Idle claims he tried to hijack three boats, but failed. "I had a very small boat; it wasn't that fast," says Idle, who wears a yellow prison jumpsuit and a white skull cap. "It couldn't catch up with the big ships." Idle says he used to work as a fisherman but turned to piracy four years ago after foreign trawlers decimated Somalia's fishing grounds. Then, in 2008, police arrested him as he was preparing to attack another ship. "Some people who knew me told the coast guard," he says. "I was sleeping in my home when I was caught." Chatting with foreign reporters, Idle fingers plastic prayer beads and alternates between magnetic smiles and steely glares. For someone who has already spent three years behind bars, he brims with self-confidence. As the warden listens, Idle says when he gets out, he'll return to piracy. "I'm happy and I support the boys, particularly those who are going for the ships," Idle says. "The more the ships we get, the happier we are. I will go back myself." With ransoms now topping $8 million and $9 million, it's easy to see the appeal, even for someone who claims he has never had a big score.

The Roman army invaded Arabia in search of frankincense, Syrians offered it up to Apollo and Egypt’s pharaohs were embalmed with it. Somalilanders in search of more viable economic and national independence may hope that the fabled power of frankincense will be restored in modern times. :cool:

Bent over small, sticky “pebbles” of frankincense in Burao, a livestock town in Somaliland, Saynab Jama has no idea that the pieces of resin she picks through on a dusty floor will end up as perfume in France. The 34-year-old mother of five has done well to avoid being included in her homeland’s 50 per cent unemployment rate, in an east African region better known for piracy, terrorism and daily mortal combat than fragrance. “I like the work and I earn more than when I used to sell goats in the market,” she says, her fingers working swiftly, legs outstretched, in a room musty with the hint of incense. “I need to be here – my husband left me and I have not seen him in a long time.” An aromatic resin prized since ancient times for use in cosmetics, medicine and incense for the gods, frankincense was once so valuable that, according to the Bible, three astrologer-priests put it on a par with gold and myrrh, another gum resin, when they set off for Bethlehem. Two thousand years after the three wise men’s journey, the price of gold is hitting new highs, while frankincense bumps along at $1.65 a kilogramme. Keenly watching this price is 33-year-old Guelleh Osman Guelleh, Somaliland’s biggest natural gums exporter. His family’s trading company, Neo Trading/Beyomol, buys and sells $600,000 of aromatic resins a year, and employs dozens of people, such as Ms Jama. Mr Guelleh, sitting in a hotel garden gazebo in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, says: “There is a lot of room for production to be increased, but the main obstacle is we’re pressured on price. The lower the price, the more problematic it is for farmers to go out and spend time tapping and collecting.” Each tree is handed down through generations of local clans who appoint someone to tend and slash the bark of the stout leafless Boswellia tree, which grows wild in the region’s sparse mountain forests. They return sometimes months later to collect the exuded resin. Low prices, despite tripling since 2000, must rise further and demand become more consistent if painstaking tapping is to be viable. Transported by donkey and camel to Burao, much of the gum is processed by hand, although some machines have been imported from India. Mr Guelleh began exporting natural gums in 2002 and says production of frankincense could reach 12 times what it is today. In the five years to 2009, port exports have already risen 22 times to 5.5m kg. His is a sizeable business in Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991. The economy badly needs to diversify away from its precarious livestock industry, which accounts for 40 per cent of gross domestic product. Mr Guelleh, who read economics in the UK at the University of Nottingham, speaks of developing supply sides, consistent demand and shifting the balance of the value chain as crucial to the industry’s future. “When you look at the value chain, most of it is in Europe, so we need to transfer some of that here,” says Mr Guelleh, who wants to set up his own refinery and start distilling the more valuable essential oil. He also wants to find new markets. Most of his material goes to Marseille, where perfumers extract and bottle essential oils; the rest goes to the Middle East to feed an appetite for frankincense chewing gum. “We’re trying to get to Korea, to the Far East, and trying to diversify into packaging,” he says. But export prices are rising. His container export fees have risen steeply because of the piracy off the coast, while potential trading partners are put off by the risks of doing business in so chaotic a region. “The onus is on you in a huge way to prove that Somaliland is different in every way to Somalia,” says Mr Guelleh. The Roman army invaded Arabia in search of frankincense, Syrians offered it up to Apollo and Egypt’s pharaohs were embalmed with it. Somalilanders in search of more viable economic and national independence may hope that the fabled power of frankincense will be restored in modern times.