ThePoint, We all condemn it and it's the threat of complex terrorism just like the western and Muslim world is facing in this 21st century. Originally posted by ThePoint: ^Somalia has a huge problem with so called wadaads and their followers who are committing the worst types of atrocities in the name of Islam. And too few Somalis are ready to condemn them much less acknowledge it. Well said.

I was shocked but I am sure now it's obvious to many nationalist-garbed forumers that the threat of suicide bombers is real and present. May Allah bless the innocent dead.

I think DQ is consistent in his views and he sees the road to governance, peace and democracy from a legitimate and fair angle. For this, he draws more unwarranted attacks, sarcasm and ridicule. It's our human nature to react and respond vociferously but the Californian rarely violates the by-laws of SOL unlike those who constatly hurl at him cheap mudslinging shots. And the Mod has been unfair to him honestly.

It's very likely the global financial crisis has had an impact on the Donor reneging on its pledge G-7 whose financial contribution the main donor secures most of the money for its operational budget might have been unable to honor all as planned . I think they passed it on to us and others.

Somalia is ONE and will be, but the organization strives to provide its critical service all over Somalia and definately works hard to be out of the precarious political inteferance. It indeed strives to mediate and solve all disputes whether real or claimed. Thanks JB and Macaslaama. :cool:

The major security threat comes not from either PL or SL, but from within the sub-clans of the major tribe of the region with respect to management, procurement and ownership. That challenge has already been dealt with through the traditional mechanism and the participation of all stakeholders. There's overwhelming support and spirit for the project by the people and Hopefully it will come to fruition at the right time. Jb, find out the fact, at least peruse this conflict assessment report. I don't think it's good idea to score a cheap political point. If this project becomes successful, it will help not only the region of Sanaag but all the regions as far as Burco.

Occupation has nothing to do with this. It' s a political exericise and futile one at that , esp from a group that's not even firmly seated yet for its quest to rule and expand. The Islamists thrive in areas where there's major power vacuum in order to secure resources from the Rich Saudi State, which indeed sponsors the spread of Political Islam all over the world. It's really very sad our country is caught under this triple threat of our nations' survival: International neglect, Occupation and Extremism. :mad:

^ That's NOT how I understood. The main reason is lack of enough funding and "time delays" not security related issues. U should recall that Oxfam pledged its funding long before there was any suspicion that the project will be undermined by poor confidence on security. The organization has done security feasibility study and determined that there was no threat to its successful completion and operation as Sanaag is one of the most stable regions in Somalia. General Abdullahi's effort in rebuilding the police and military has been a significant bonus to the region's already established and robust peaceful relations with its neighbors.

It's well known that Western donors renege on their huminatarian pledges. It's time Horn Relief and Development seek alternative funding, particularly Islamic capital. Or at least it should allow for an Ownership Interest into this project by setting up the proper mechanism. It's early real option of making sure that the Port remains Public property and thus humanitarian in scope has been betrayed by its leading donor. It's time to allow and give significant share to a private ownership. I know there are many of them waiting for the opportunity.

Thanks Duke for the analysis. Keep us updated.

ManshaAllah to the mothers and fathers of SOL.

Very shocking story. It seems the illegal, immoral and primordial practice is still rampant in some parts of WEST AFRICA. Niger just abolished slavery 5 years ago, but it appears the banning is never enforced because this woman who is suing the government of Niger has failed to win her freedom on a number of ocassions at a local court hearings. Other West AFrican states where slavery is prevalent are Mali and Mauritania. see the link above: Slavery: Mauritania's best kept secret -------------------------- Landmark slavery case for Niger Monday, Oct 27, 2008 Judges are due to rule on Monday on a case of alleged slavery in the West African state of Niger which will have widespread implications for the region. Hadijatou Mani, who says she was sold at 12 and forced to work for 10 years, has argued in a regional court that the government failed to protect her. The government of Niger says it has done all it can to eradicate slavery. Despite being outlawed, slavery also still exists in other West African states such as Mauritania and Mali. Hadijatou Mani says she was sold to a man called Souleymane Naroua when she was 12 years old. The price was the equivalent of around $500 (£315). She says she was forced to carry out domestic and agricultural work for the next 10 years. Hadijatou Mani says she was also raped aged 13 and forced to bear the man's children. Long battle After failing to win her freedom in a series of local court hearings, she took her case to the Court of Justice of the West African regional body Ecowas earlier this year. There, Hadijatou Mani accused the government of Niger of failing to protect her from slavery, which was criminalised just five years ago. She is also seeking financial compensation. A local organisation fighting to end the practice says there are more than 40,000 slaves in Niger. One of Hadijatou Mani's lawyers, Ibrahima Kane, says should she win the case it would be life-changing for many people being kept in slavery. "It will be the end of the status of 'slave' and I hope for many others who are waiting for this decision it will be also a new day because now they will believe that there is a body - when you go before it, it can change your life." The Ecowas court ruling will be binding on all member states and so would have consequences for people being kept as slaves beyond Niger, BBC West Africa correspondent Will Ross reports. For generations the children of a slave have automatically become the property of the slave master. Hadijatou Mani says one of the reasons she has taken this court action is to secure her two children's freedom and ensure they do not have to endure the same fate. Source: BBC

An open letter to H.E. John Kufuor, President of Ghana by Northern Somali Unionist Movement (NSUM) "For Somalia, Ghana’s recognition of Somaliland, if it materialises, would not lead to an independent recognized Somaliland but only serve to stoke the Somali civil war into a bloodier and prolonged one. For the rest of Africa, your action would set a precedent that will open Pandora Box that will dig the grave for the unity and territorial integrity of many other African countries." NSUM

Good Business article. I think we should invest in our livestocks. WE have plenty of them. ------ Mauritanians Milk Herds For All They're Worth August 26, 2008 By David Gauthier-Villars From THE WALL STREET JOURNAL NOUAKCHOTT Mauritania -- Baidy Boukhreiss, an accountant in the capital of this West African country, recently transferred $700 in savings out of the bank and into what he says is a more reliable investment: 15 goats. The animals graze in a field 120 miles south of the city. They give a little milk, but are mainly a "liquid investment," to be sold off should Mr. Boukhreiss, 41 years old, his two wives and four children need cash. "On weekends, I can relax in the countryside when I visit them," he says. A majority of the three million people in this mostly desert republic ditched rural life long ago and moved into cities. For many, however, their savings, are back in the bush, in the form of goats, camels, sheep and cattle. Mauritania has nearly 12 million head of livestock -- nearly as many as Canada, whose population is 10 times as big. Yet while there's lots of food on the hoof, little goes to feeding people. One-third of Mauritanian children are undernourished, by United Nations estimates. There are no modern slaughterhouses and only two small milk-processing plants in Nouakchott. These days, most of the country's livestock isn't fat enough to yield much meat or milk anyway because the increasingly high price of grain makes it expensive to feed them. "It's been tough. We got almost no camel milk this season," says Maryam Mint Abeiderrahmane, financial director of Tiviski, one of the capital's dairies. Add to this a lack of cultivated farmland and the result is that Mauritania imports 75% of its food, leaving it vulnerable to spikes in global commodity prices. Late last year, following widespread street protests in Nouakchott against high food prices, the government increased bread subsidies and the salaries of civil servants. More recently, pouring savings into livestock has become a hedge against political tumult. Earlier this month, Mauritania's military overthrew the country's first democratically elected president, the second such coup in three years. A new prime minister has been named, but it's unclear whether and when new elections will be held. "People invest in industries when they have confidence in the future, and that's not the case," says Mauritania's central-bank governor, Ousmane Kane. He says that he doesn't own any livestock, but that many of the bank's employees do. Political uncertainty can devalue a currency or prompt a run on a bank. But demand for milk never dies, Mauritanians say. Herds multiply quickly, and newborn animals can easily be sold in neighboring Senegal and Mali. During the Islamic religious festival of Tabaski, when animals are sacrificed, Senegalese buyers will pay up to $200 for a goat, versus about $50 during the rest of the year, says Mr. Boukhreiss, the accountant. Another reason the abundance of livestock hasn't translated into food relief: Owning these animals has become a status symbol, says Ahmedou Ould Soule, a professor at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Nouakchott, a teachers college. Mr. Soule wrote a 2002 study on farming in Mauritania for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. For centuries, Mauritania was a land of nomads. Extended families traveled with their herds of livestock, which were essential for carrying heavy loads and providing milk. The country gained independence from the French in 1960, and then in the 1970s and '80s, droughts killed off a large part of the animal population, forcing people to seek jobs in cities. Only the rich could still afford to own livestock. They hired shepherds -- including some of the same nomads who had sold them their animals -- to look after their livestock in the countryside. "It became a trend," says Mr. Soule. "If you had livestock, you were someone." The animals bred another kind of abundance: Wealthy Mauritanians used their animals' milk to force-feed young girls, perpetuating an old tradition in the country of fattening girls up so they could marry well, says Mr. Soule. That tradition has almost disappeared except in some remote areas, he adds. Mauritania has tried, over the years, to transfer the nation's vast livestock resources into the mouths of its people. In the early 1980s, for example, the government tried to take over control of all exports of meat and livestock. The move failed, in part because migrating herds were never in one place long enough for the government to pinpoint who their owners were, says Mr. Kane, the central banker. The country's livestock economy is still largely underground, with most transactions occurring below the radar of tax authorities. Foreign aid hasn't helped to solve Mauritania's food shortage, either. Many projects to develop irrigation systems and create farms along the Senegal River never got off the ground. And in some cases, food aid for people was used to feed animals, Mr. Soule says. The beginning of oil production in Mauritania in 2006 has only buoyed livestock investments. Some of the people who are making money from the oil business are using it to buy camels and sheep -- as well as pickup trucks, water-well drilling tools and satellite phones for their shepherds. Herds of 800 to 1,000 animals have multiplied across the country. Livestock investments aren't trouble-free. Bush fires can decimate entire herds. It's also a fast-moving business: If the daily rainfall bulletin, the financial bible for cattle investors, announces a drought in one area, owners "have to immediately call to get their herd moved," says Mr. Kane. Theft is a big problem, too, says Brahim Ahmed Salem Ould Mah, an aide to Nouakchott's general prosecutor. The three sheep he kept in a field in the south were stolen last year, on the eve of the Tabaski festival. The multiplication of herds is threatening ecosystems around the country, says Aminata Correra, an ecology expert at Mauritania's Banc d'Arguin National Park. Herds often graze on cultivated land, damaging crops and leading to fights between farmers and shepherds, says Ms. Correra, who keeps 13 sheep in the courtyard of her home in Nouakchott. Mr. Boukhreiss says he's always had a passion for livestock. His father, a customs officer who would move his family from town to town, always kept a herd of 200 to 300 cattle and sheep in his home village in the north. "It was like having a savings account," he explains. "If he needed money to pay for our tuitions or doctors, he could immediately sell one or two sheep." After buying his goats five months ago, Mr. Boukhreiss hired a shepherd, whom he pays $40 a month to tend to his herd in the riverside town of Rosso. "Who knows," he says, "perhaps in three years, I will have a ranch."

Though I hardly see this social trend and no one has ever taken a survey of Somali women's view of marrying reverts, I would suggest let's not give the topic a serious note. Most Somali girls/women have strong foundation of nuclear families that reside with them and who do greatly involve into their daily decision making. Even the educated ones among us do not simply make a decision independent of their family's input. However, few facts need to be addressed. There's mismatch to the ratio of Somali male to female in terms of upward mobility. This imbalance would indeed have an impact on the person's freedom of choice, and more women constrained by the combined effect of time, financial resources and the need for an ideal Somali person with the preferred credentials, would opt to marry a non-Somali should the opportunity presents itself. However, there's no need to worry about such trends as our country is in the middle of crisis. The trend will indeed reverse sooner our country gets back to normal and we all go back home and participate its reconstruction. And if the younger Somali generation who live in the west simply gets diluted by cross-cultural contacts after 30 or 40 years, they would still be Somali and probably speak our beloved language. Ashkiro, A recent study found that 70% of African American women to be single. What do you think is the cause and do you think there's correlation of their predicament to Somali women?

Originally posted by General Duke: ^^^I belive so far the locals have decided to play it safe, they are consulting the local clans with a view to create a new unified admin, many big players, businessmen from Nairobi & other parts of East Africa are on route to help. The TFG has so far kept out of it, as it did before its a clan issue and this has nothing to do with Al Shabaab and other groups who are at "war" with the government. So far so good, but it depends on the new leaders and how much power they want. I think the TFG should go with that line that it's a clan issue. The Inhabitants of JUbaland will be able to sort out their differences and make peace in the meantime.

Indeed brother man, "It is like watching flames engulf your neighbor's house and calling in the fire brigade to help you wash your car."

Thanks Duke, I think a lot of these arguments and couner-arguments would converge and synthesize into a holistic conception of our complex issues, which have implications for the world order. Like this article By Daniela Kroslak and Andrew Stroehlein, it will shed more light and convince the world powers that their double standard, which puts a strain on their failed strategy in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere, is not that complicated to untangle.

Insecurity in Somalia a risk to whole region August 29, 2008: Recent reports about incidents of piracy off the Somali coast, the kidnapping of foreign journalists and the continuing anarchy in the country give the impression of increased insecurity not just in Somalia, but in the eastern African region as a whole, and this could have an impact on the confidence of foreign investors and traders in neighbouring states. The latest kidnap victims include Australian, Canadian and Somali journalists who were abducted near Mogadishu on the weekend. It should be noted that in the past few years, Somali militia groups have abducted journalists and humanitarian workers, and subsequently demanded ransom. As it so often happens in Somalia and elsewhere, security, poverty, entrepreneurship and development are closely linked. Many of those who target foreign journalists, humanitarian workers and ships off the Somali coast seek to use them as sources of finance. Therefore, the latest incidents of kidnapping and piracy, unfortunate as they are, should not be surprising. What I find incredible is the failure of the international community to help Somalia back onto its feet after for so many years of political, social and economic decay. The whole world knows, or should know, the magnitude of Somalia’s multiple problems, some of which date back to the time before the collapse of the government of former dictator, Mohammed Siad Barre, in early 1991. Serious United Nations efforts to resolve the conflict between 1992 and 1995 failed and this was rightly blamed on the obstinacy of the Somali faction and militia leaders. Nonetheless, it was unfortunate that the UN peacekeeping operation was wound up in March 1995 before its objectives had been accomplished. After several years of negotiations in Kenya, a transitional national government was established in Mogadishu in 2004, but its members were not united, disciplined or focused. As a result, a more focused and determined group, the Union of Islamic Courts, dislodged it from power in 2006. For the first time in more than 15 years, the Union of Islamic Courts, which was largely crafted by businessmen, established the semblance of law and order in Mogadishu. In late 2006, ordinary people in the Somali capital were able to go about their businesses without much fear. However, because the Union of Islamic Courts included a few Muslim fundamentalists, their opponents, who sought Washington’s help, accused them of serving as a front for the Al Qaida terrorist movement. Accordingly, with American encouragement and assistance, Ethiopia invaded Somalia on Christmas eve in 2006 and militarily defeated the Union of Islamic Courts. What was surprising at the time was Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s conviction that he could establish peace in Somalia by siding with one faction against another. Subsequent efforts by the African Union and the UN Security Council, which effectively legitimised Ethiopia’s invasion, have not brought about peace and security in Somalia. As Kenya’s former Foreign Minister, Raphael Tuju, said at the UN General Assembly in 2007, Somalia’s security problems are the responsibility of the entire world. The recent spate of kidnappings and acts of piracy are a reminder that Somalia’s problems could be everyone’s insecurity. For the sake of peace, trade and prosperity in the eastern African region, the world needs to step up efforts and help Somalis to govern themselves more effectively. Written by Sam Mwangi Makinda is professor of Security, Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies, Murdoch University Murdoch. Business Week

Kismaayo, like Mogadishu, need a regional reconciliation process and the inclusion of all the clans that traditionally reside there. Or else, No group would break the cycle of narrow defeats, and temporary celebrations thereof will only add salt to an injured society.

------------------- Piracy Ransoms funding Somalia Insurgency: A Response August 24, 2008 Daniel Wallis’ article, “Piracy ransoms funding Somalia Insurgency” published in Reuters, dated on Aug 24, is based on an outright lies and mere speculations on the activities of the Pirates on the Somali coast and how their money is used. Mr. Wallis acts as if in criminal procedure of a thorough examination in hopes of finding some vital clues as to how piracy ransoms are used throughout Somalia. But his unfair assessment is a dearth of important elements that factors in complex political relationships, geography and economic progress made by Somalis in the last 17 years. No single evidence is furnished as to how pirates funnel money into the Islamists or commit it to other use of dubious nature. He draws the fall of a key port in Southern Somalia, which coincided with the hijacking of a Japanese tanker and Iranian cargo vessel as a substantiating example of how the Piracy’s fortune is funneled into the activities of the Insurgency – a co-incidence he appeals for legitimate consideration. He goes on to make egregious speculations and makes painfully obvious that pirates have become local celebrities in the Puntland region, building “palatial beachside villas and marrying extra wives or roaring around its dusty towns in flashy cars” What entity does Daniel Wallis represent? Putting the people of Puntland and their achievement in such a negative light while holding part of our religious tenets in contempt is not only offensive but also borders on intense fear and irrationality. Mr. Daniel Wallis plays with Islamo-phobic proclivities and he questions the people of Puntland’s financial integrity and capacity to build “beachside villas or purchase flashy cars.” The relative progress achieved by the people of Puntland has been recorded by the popular media, for instance, a Washington Post issue dated on March 3, 1996. The progress of Puntland was not achieved overnight nor do Somalis condone with the activities of Piracy on their coast. A wave of protest against the continuous activities of piracy and kidnappings of aid workers was held in several cities of Puntland, and the local administration with minimal power and resources condemned the activities on repeated occasions. Optimal solution to the “scourge of Somalia’s piracy” as termed by the Newsweek lies neither with UN resolutions that violate the sovereignty of Somalia nor with continuous funding of local warlords to contain or combat piracy. The solution lies with concerted and genuine effort in reconstituting the state of Somalia and letting its hostile neighbors know that destabilization of Somalia is not in the world’s commercial interest. Piracy is one of the unintended consequences of a regime change in Somalia besides prolonged anarchy and the rise of extremist religo-clanist warlords. Mohamed A. Elmi Almadowmt@yahoo.com

Doesn't this article of early 2007 sound the same as this current one. Ethiopia promises to withdraw from Somalia as soon as possible Visiting Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin said on Thursday in Khartoum that his country's troops entered Somalia only for defending itself and they will withdraw from the state in the Horn of Africa as soon as possible. He made the remarks following a meeting with Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, during which he delivered a letter from Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir. Mesfin told reporters that the Ethiopian troops went to Somalia because of repeated threats made by the Somali Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), a militant Islamic group which was ousted from the Somali capital Mogadishu a few days ago, against his country. He said that the UIC had threatened to launch a holy war on his country and had extended open and continuous supports for the elements attempting to destabilize the situation on the Ethiopian- Somali borders. The Ethiopian foreign minister stressed the urgent need of deploying in Somalia peacekeeping forces of the African Union (AU) according to the decisions which had been adopted by the AU, the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) as well as the United Nations Security Council. Warning against a vacuum of sovereignty which could return Somalia to the anarchy in the past, Mesfin said that what Ethiopia had done was to create a suitable atmosphere to help the Somali government stand on its feet and stabilize the situation in the country. Helped by Ethiopia, troops of Somalia's interim government had routed the UIC, which had controlled most of southern Somalia, in the past two weeks. Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi has said that he believes major fighting was over, but the UIC has declared it would keep fighting. Somalia's interim government has been in wars with the UIC for over one year. Ethiopian troops officially entered Somalia on Dec. 24, joining fighters loyal to Somalia's interim government to repel an Islamist assault on the government stronghold of Baidoa. Source: Xinhua

Sorry to prick your speculative bubble, there is no clear time table for the complete withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from southern Somalia. I, like many others, have been disappointed by the absence of genuine political engagement and financial committment from the international community to pave the way for the deployment of AU troops. This is a comment I made back in January 2008, Had U.S supported TFG genuinely, it would have made great strides, but as usual the U.S. goverment is seemingly acting in a way that is quite double standard. I probably think that the infamous CIA is the de facto representation of the ideal U.S. policy in Somalia.

Many don't see the embedded interest of the peace-spoilers in an anarchic situation. They're narrow minded in their orientation as they see the president as an outsider instead of being a fellow Somali hoping to see a stable and functioning government.