Actually, the Majihan folks were victorious as they vanquished the hired militia and as they aborted the multi-million project. However, Range Resources, as Dabshid said should take responsibility of the consequences of those killed in the conflict. Monetary recompense would not suffice the lives of those who died defending their land and those unsuspecting hired mercanaries. Setting aside a social net for the risk it is posed to accept would also never help in the future.

His last night's speech after losing to Clinton in a tight race was so electrifying. This man is inspirational and confident in what he can do for the United States upon becoming its presidency. He had the crowd rallying for him in a ear-splitting applause with the credo of "Yes we can".

Skipper, there is no difference between the tautological terms of Ethnic and tribe. They are the same but one reeks of contempt of uncivilized nature. ---------------------------------------- The guy sets great store by his influential ideas. Interview Transcript with Raila Odinga in the Pre-election Barney Jopson, FT East Africa Correspondent, and journalists from the Guardian, the Independent and the Washington Post interviewed him at Nairobi’s Serena hotel on Thursday December 13 2007. You’ve made a huge number of promises to the people of Kenya about what you’ll do when you’re president. But it seems there cannot be the money or the civil service capacity to fulfil them all, at least not at the same time, so could you tell us what your priorities are from the long list of things you’re talking about? Raila Odinga: We’ve made a number of promises and we know they cannot all be fulfilled or implemented in one go. Therefore there will be phased programme of implementation. But when I outlined my vision for this country I started with infrastructure and I mentioned it three times. I said that’s where we would start, because I believe that infrastructure is the best way to jump start an economy that is suffering from somehow depression. I’m talking about roads, ports, the rail network, I’m talking about energy, water and communication. Physical infrastructure. And the other is the social infrastructure: education and health. I’ve been minister for roads and also for energy in an earlier incarnation, and in those two capacities I presided over the formulation of new policies. I came up with a programme for the rehabilitation of the collapsed road network and the expansion of the road system in general. We intend to attract private sector investment to complement the public sector investment in roads. When I was there we commissioned a study on concessioning funded by the World Bank, which showed tolling is viable on the Northern corridor, which runs from the port of Mombasa through Nairobi toward the border with Uganda. So we intend to concession a modern 12 carriage highway on that route. I’ve heard you’re planning to issue a $2bn bond to fund road investment. Can you tell us about that? RO: The entire $2bn is not going to come from a bond. Some of it will be the investment I’m talking about but the rest will be a road bond, which we will float, for the construction of some highways. We believe that with that kind of money available, it will open up the countryside. And concessioning will free some of the money currently being used to maintain highways to be invested elsewhere, in the feeder roads. On energy, we want to expand our generation capacity. Our capacity is currently 1,200MW and our peak demand is close to 1,100MW, so there is very little left, which is why at peak times we suffer shortages. So we want to expand generation capacity, because we need sufficient supply to attract bigger investments to come here, like the steel industry. It will not come here if you are almost exhausting your capacity. So we want to look at other possibilities. At the moment 70 per cent of our power is based on hydro. But you have a very big geothermal capacity in the Rift Valley. Then there are renewables: wind, solar. In some areas of this country, with high wind speeds, you can generate 300MW. These are remote areas where taking the national gird is not justified, but we can develop stand alone systems. Then of course the port, we want to expand the port of Mombasa, because a number of countries that are landlocked depend on it. Uganda next door is our biggest trading partner, but it is complaining that inefficiency in our port is hurting its economy. It takes a minimum of 14 days to load a container from a ship on to a truck in Mombasa. It takes a maximum of 48 hours in Dubai to do the same thing. We want to privatise the port, make it a free port like Dubai, make it more efficient, and expand it. Then we want to improve the rail network from Mombasa, to remove a lot of pressure on our roads. At the moment 80 per cent of cargo from the port of Mombasa comes by road and 20 per cent by rail. That is what is damaging the roads. But it happens because the railway system is so inefficient. That railway was built at the turn of the other century when the technology was still very crude. There are too many corners, so the train is very slow. The gauge is also narrow. So you can straighten it, make it wider and electrify it, then the train will go much faster. It took the British five years to construct the line from Mombasa to Kisumu. The independence governments – not just Kibaki, but Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi – have never added a single inch to that railway line. I think that is a strong statement about the mediocrity with which this country has been run. Are you going to have to raise taxes to pay for all this? RO: That’s not necessary. We don’t have to because we’re going to attract more private investment into this economy and we’re going to introduce more fiscal discipline. At the moment there is a lot of wastage. When you talk about free secondary education, for example, it costs only KSh20bn. By the records of Transparency International, the country loses KSh30bn annually in procurement. Actually they procure a lot of air and the money is going into to people’s pockets. Just trying to introduce fiscal discipline, you will be able to make sufficient savings without increasing taxes. I also wanted to talk about judicial reform, because to make the system more efficient we must reform the judiciary. The corrupt judiciary is an impediment to a functioning democracy and scares away investment. Cases take too long to be heard. We will carry out genuine reforms of the judiciary to make it more responsive to the needs of the country. And we will deal with red tape. They say they have a one stop shop for investors, but when you want to invest, if you want a work permit for your staff, they tell you go to immigration; if you want a tax holiday they tell you go to treasury; for security go to the ministry of home affairs. We will create a proper one stop shop where investors can go and get all the information they require. We will also reform the civil service generally to make it leaner and better motivated. And we will deal with the issue of insecurity, which is scaring away investment. There is corruption in the police force, which is also a source of insecurity. Police are not able to do their jobs properly. We will reform the force, make it better remunerated, and remove those who are incorrigibly corrupt. It seems the youth will to a large extent decide the outcome of election, and you seem to have a higher percentage of younger voters than Kibaki in the polls. What do you plan to do for the youth in terms of jobs, and do you intend to include some more youthful members in your government? RO: The youth are now the majority in the population. These are people who don’t know anything about colonialism. When you tell them you fought for independence you are not resonating with them. These people are more concerned about today and tomorrow. I think the biggest failure of Kibaki is he was over-dependent on the old generation, physically going to the museum to bring out retirees and giving them top positions in his government. They have let him down, the men of yesterday. In terms of employment, we are going to look at the more productive sectors of the economy. At the moment economic growth is in which centres? One is tourism, two is agriculture, that is coffee and tea as well as horticulture. Then the other one is telecoms, mobile telephony, Safaricom and Celtel. That is what gives you growth of 6, 7 per cent. It is not in the productive sectors of the economy. We want to attract more investment in manufacturing, using local raw materials, and we want to promote more use of the information technology, like creating call centres to benefit from outsourcing, which is happening in other countries like India and Malaysia. And then there’s large scale agriculture, to make the country more self sufficient in food. This will create more sustainable growth and more meaningful employment for the youth of this country than the service sector. This government and economy has been too dependent on the service sector only. Then we do hope we are going to get many more youth elected at these elections, so we will have a cabinet that is more than 50 per cent young. Young in my view is under the age of 50. One of the messages of your campaign is that a lot of the wealth that’s been created in the past five years has gone to the president’s tribe. What, if anything, will you do to try and reverse that concentration of wealth in the Kikuyu community? RO: We are not anti any community, Kikuyu or Kamba or anything else. We would basically like to see equity and a fair share. We want to create opportunities for everyone, an environment for competition. This is what’s not been there. This government has depended too much on just one community. The members of the Kikuyu community are Kenyans, they will have opportunities like everyone else. We are not going to nationalise anybody’s wealth. We believe very strongly in the private sector and using it for growth and development. When we talk about equity in terms of the distribution of wealth we mean devolving funds. The revenue that is collected by government will be devolved to the regions. At the moment there is too much concentration of power and resources in Nairobi and there is too much discretion in the distribution of these resources. Because the ministry of finance single-handedly prepares the budget and it remains a secret until the day it is read by the minister on the floor of the house. So all the people in the periphery wait for the budget to be read to know if a road, a water project or a health centre in their area has been funded. If it’s not there, they have to wait for next year. So the people are completely helpless in terms of development. What we want to do is create the capacity at local level for planning, privatisation and development. Regional government will be responsible for certain areas of development like rural access roads, health centres, primary and secondary education, water projects, issues of the environment, agriculture. But the central government deals with national infrastructure, national highways, and issues like higher education. The best example is in Wales in the UK. I spent some time there looking at how the Welsh assembly works. Here people will tell you you’re trying to create separate state. I say no, it’s a devolved system. It’s a wonderful model. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t have a Rift Valley assembly, or a Nyanza assembly. That for me does not create additional bureaucracy. It makes the system very efficient. On corruption, you’ve been quite clear that if people who have stolen public funds in the past return the money you are prepared to forgive, but otherwise they’ll be prosecuted. There have been various half-hearted attempts at different investigations. How will you establish who has stolen what? RO: I don’t think there is really much dispute. Who owes how much is not a secret, because it’s there in the Kroll report [on corruption in the Moi era]. They know the bank account numbers, so it’s not as if you’re going to try to reinvent the wheel. These people are known. The government knows them. The UK government for example says they’re waiting for the Kenyan government to approach them, but the Kenyan government has not been forthcoming. So we will use available information to negotiate with these people. The civil method can be used in dealing with these issues. Like you remember the Enron case, they negotiated not to go to jail. You pay so much and you are spared going to jail. That’s why we’re talking about truth and justice and restitution. When you talk about that, are you including people in your own coalition? RO: Yes, we are not sparing anybody. All within our own coalition are agreed, they want to be cleared like anybody else And if they’re not? RO: If they owe money, they will be asked to restitute. That’s why we talk about an amnesty. You agree the other side took so much and it is recorded. You remember Desmond Tutu’s commission in South Africa. People went there and confessed. They brought the victims or the relatives of the victims and people were reconciled. Some went to jail, but it was recorded as an official ruling so nobody could persecute you again. What do you think this election says about the state of multiparty democracy in Kenya? RO: This election is about two choices. One is the retention of the status quo, continuing business as usual, the way the country has been ruled since independence. And the other is change. Positive change. My view is that president Kibaki and his team represent the past. Kibaki was an assistant minister in 1963, became a full minister in 1966, became minister for finance in 1970 and then became vice president in 1978 up until 1988 and was in government until 1991. Then he was then leader of the opposition and then president for another five years. So he represents the past. The changes he now prides himself on came about as a result of us joining his government [after the 2002 election]. We were the ones who came up with new ideas. It was not him. Things like free primary education. Most of the positive and new things that came after Moi came from the injection of new blood in the three years we were there. This economy has once grown at 7 per cent or above but it never translated into any meaningful development. If you want to change course and go the route of the Asian tigers we think it is doable. We want to become the African lion. We want to make Kenya the example. We will move alongside South Africa and become an engine for development. We want to make this an example that other African countries can emulate. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

Originally posted by Skipper: This problems or political disaster is caused by tribalism, a problem Asia, Europe or America has never had. ? You don't have an iota of knowledge in the ethnic conflicts around the world. This is an ethnic conflict whose root cause traces to the days of colonialism. It means the interest of dominant nation in a multinational nation such as Kenya. They all have the same defining feature. For instance, in Bosnia, Kosovo, Croatia, it was all ethnic conflict that pit one ethnic group against the other. Almost hundreds of thousands of innocent people were massacred, raped, and uprooted.

It took too long for the president to take a clear stand on these issues. Now I am glad he did. Justice in Las Anod is forthcoming.

President Yusuf ''Somaliland must leave Puntland'' Jan 01, 2007 Interim President of Somalia Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed says Somaliland troops must leave the Somali territories they have captured. President Yusuf Ahmed told a press conference in the town of Baidoa that Somaliland troops should leave the Puntland region or face dire consequences. “It is unacceptable to see that Somaliland soldiers stay in Puntland,” he added. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991; however, it was not recognized by any other country or international organization. Control over eastern borders of Somaliland is unclear, due to disputes with Puntland and separatist movements. Somaliland continues to claim the entire area of the former British Somaliland. It is currently in control of the western half of the former British Somaliland, with northeastern Maakhir having declared a separate, unrecognized autonomous state within Somalia on July 1, 2007 and southeastern Sool disputed with Puntland, which has been in de facto control over it since 2003. Agencies+LaasqorayNET.

Unknown unmanned air-reconnaissance vehicle or UAV has crashed on coast of Laasqoray, Maakhir Jan 01, 2008 Reports coming from coastal city of Laasqoray are reporting that an unknown unmanned air-reconnaissance vehicle or UAV had landed last night on Hayranyele town, 15 km west of Laasqoray. Locals are saying that the plane looks an American unmanned air-reconnaissance vehicle or UAV and others even claimed that the plane is Helicopter, More like a Blackhawk type. The local security services are investigating and securing the plane as they have taken its landed wheels and now the helicopter is stranded on the sandy beach of Laasqoray. Recently there has been frequent flaying of American air force over the Maakhir Coast and over the town of Galgala in Western Bari. Local inhabitant in those areas are blaming the Puntland Authority of giving false information regarding on terrorist to American forces who patrols Somali coast that Sanaag coast and towns are harbouring some Al-shabab terrorist. Since the declaration Maakhir this sort of claims from Puntland has increased and Puntland blamed Maakhirian of some terrorist act. More reports and pictures of the plane it is on the way and we will publish soon LaasqorayNET-

Isseh, this quite resemles the once dominant class of IGBO vs the rest of ethnic coalition in Nigeria in the years 1967-1970 when military officers of IGBO overthrew the government at the time in a counter-coup. I don't think the west would be able to convince Kibaki to give up his office and more ethnic clashes as such bitter resentment of the Kikuyu's domination in Kenya resurfaces. Expect more pogroms to happen in the major cities of Kenya.

The government says that a flying sunroof lever caused her death after the explosion as confirmed by the subsequent investigation of the cause of her death. The investigation concluded that there was no traceable object of a bullet found in her neck or chest, so there was no mark of injury in her body. Personally, I assume the suicide bomber fired shots to either hit her or disperse the overly crowded public surrounding her armored car and get a quick access to her spatial sunroof where her torso protruded so closely that there is 100% probability that the explosion would consume the suicide bomber and Benazir Bhutto. Surprisingly, neither political analysts nor anyone else has thought over this possible scenario.

Originally posted by General Duke: What I liked was how he said Riyaale himself is not free in Hargaysa, yet talks about holding other areas... He is puppet yet still knowledgeable in running his covert business of personal enrichment.

In Search of Justice and Somali Region of Ethiopia By Mohamed M. Bakayr December 29, 2007 The Somali region of Ethiopia has been affected by both external and internal injustices and is faced with dismal situations, some of which have been created by its own people. On one level, Ethiopia’s successive regimes have traditionally marginalized the Somali region of Ethiopia and made the region’s population peripheral to other Ethiopians; as a result, the region has remained to be one of the least developed regions of the entire country. In fact, for about one hundred years until the advent of the current administration, the Somali region had grossly been marginalized and boxed into a corner, but one may not gather from this statement that the current Ethiopian administration is a utopian one for the region’s population, far from it. Truly, all basic human necessities are in short supply in the region. For instance, more than seventy percent of the region’s population cannot gain access to potable water, let alone other basic necessities such as food and medicine. In addition to the marginalization and destitution, Ethiopia has collectively punished the region’s population for a long time. As reports compiled in this ending year indicate-- in some towns of the region, residents were murdered, maimed and raped at alarming rates-- and Ethiopian soldiers were reported to have carried out these inhumane actions inflicted on the defenceless civilians. One should not murder and maim the very people that one purports to protect and promote their conditions! On the other level, there have been internal elements from within the region whose aims have been to divide and disjoint the region’s people, and prevent them from any progress they may aspire to. ****** National Liberation Front (ONLF) is a case in point. This organization is bent on dividing the region’s population on the basis of an imperialistic name, a name that doesn’t embody identities and interests of the region’s residents. The name ‘******’ was invented by a colonial system whose aim was to divide, dismember and deride the Somali people in the region, and of course, dividing the region’s population on the basis of an ‘imperialist invented name’ is outmoded and colonial mentality. It is a matter of fact that ****** clan is the biggest and most powerful Somali clan in the region, but this does not mean the region ought to be named after a clan, thereby depriving the region’s other Somali clans of their identities and ancestral roots. Hence, the name ‘******’ is discriminatory because it is not an inclusive name that can represent and reflect the inhabitants’ identities and interests. Contrary to what it claims, ONLF pulls its guns on innocent civilians and terrorizes them on a regular basis. Evidences for this argument are numerous and evident in many places of the region. Oble and Dannood massacres are two examples. On April 24, 2007, ONLF, while people were asleep, launched a spiritless attack on Zhongyuan Petroleum, a Chinese oil company whose mandate was to survey whether some parts of Jarar Valley contained some kinds of crude oil. In the night of April 24, 2007, 74 workers for this china owned, oil digging company were cold-bloodedly murdered in Obele town, which is 120 kilometres south of the Somali region’s capital, Jigjiga. Nine of the slain workers were Chinese, while the remaining sixty-five workers were Ethiopian labourers, thirty of whom were Somali-Ethiopians. Although ONLF took the lives of many innocent civilians in that eventful night, and took credit with the masscare, it brought great sorrows to many beleaguered families whose livelihood depended on the slain workers. Similarly, the destructive organization murdered and maimed tons of innocent people in Wardheer zone, where residents had already been plagued by successive droughts. In this zone, the organization murdered and maimed traditional chiefs, religious figures and innocent fathers, raising poverty-stricken families. These are just two examples of the organization’s atrocities in the region, but brutalities carried out by the pitiless organization and inflected on the beleaguered population in the region are numerous and cannot be contained in this short article. Unfortunately, slaying innocent people, blowing up and annihilating vehicles carrying medical supplies for needy people have become an integral part of ONLF’s behaviour. Another injustice inflicted on some segments of the region’s population is how the Somali region’s current administration dispenses the region’s affairs. The administration’s indifference to some localities is, indeed, beyond imagination. Abdullahi Hassan (Lugbuur) is the region’s President; however, his regime is anything but a just system. Being the president of the region and accountable to the region’s entire inhabitants, President Lugbuur is supposed to be fair and furthering needs of the region’s different zones and segments, whether these zones and segments share tribal bonds with him or not. However, the President has discriminated against some segments of the region by distancing them from public offices and destabilizing their constituencies. In fact, President Abdullahi Hassan’s administration has been blind to compelling needs that some of the region’s towns face and experience. Araarso is one of the towns that suffer from the administration’s injustice; it seems that the town has been embargoed. The town is one of Dhagaxbuur zone’s localities, but has not been able to be recognized as a full district. The town, with a population of fifty thousand, has everything that can make it a fully functioning, independent district. It has schools, medical centers, community policing services, and farming corporations. Counting on the efforts of its concerned people, whether they live locally or overseas, Araarso town has achieved huge developments, yet despite the town’s unprecedented achievement, President Abdullahi Hassan’s administration has neither recognized Araarso town nor convinced it why it cannot be recognized as an independent, fully functioning district! Apparently, it appears that the town has been bullied and pushed aside by its stronger brother. President Abdullahi Hassan and his close associates must not blind themselves to stark reality that is in front of their eyes. The stark reality is the fact that Araarso has all components that can make it a fully functioning district. The Somali region of Ethiopia is suffering from both internal and external injustices, but the region may not break free from the injustices unless all the region’s inhabitants are treated equally and reminded of their shared bonds and brotherhood, and unless the region’s residents are constantly reminded of their rights that Ethiopia owes them; but despite the shortcomings of the region’s regime all peace and progress loving people must contribute to the betterment of the region’s conditions, or else the region will forever languish in dismal situations and undesirable circumstances. Likewise, the current region’s administration led by President Abdullahi Lugbuur ought to administer the region’s affairs justly and work tirelessly so as to meet the region’s different needs and concerns. Lastly, all exclusive names that can not pull all the regions’ residents together and represent their identities and interests must be shunned, for the exclusive names will weaken the Somali people in the region and widen their differences. Mohamed Bakayr can be reached at: e-Mail: mohamdbakayr@hotmail.com

J-11, I think it would be wise for Raila Odinga to come out and admit losing to president Kibaki. That would indeed save the country from plunging into a intractible voilence and civil disobedience.

The biggest contraversy in Islam has always been the textual interpretation of the Kor'an and Hadith. But the topic of Female circumcision(mutilation) has nothing to do with Islam contrary to what the news implictly imparts in regards to the cause of her beating.

thanks.

Khayr, you are adding insult to an injury. Whatever the Respected Madam was would have been determined by the polling stations. She was never given that chance. There are times your criticism is needed, not this time. Learn which situation is best fit to villify someone, esp a Brave woman who has been assassinated.

Congo A Tutsi General like Paul Kagame used to be before overtaking Rwanda and revesing more than 60 years of Tutsi marginalization. This general secured resounding victories against the Congelese National Army and its western alies plus the U.N. peacekeepers. Many were running for the second time in two weeks, as General Nkunda’s forces routed army troops in towns they had taken just days before and threatened to take Sake as well. General Nkunda, a Tutsi, has vowed to protect Congolese Tutsis against Hutu militias from Rwanda. His advance here was just barely staved off by United Nations peacekeepers, who swept in late Tuesday to occupy the town as the Congolese Army fled. Source: Nytimes. A pretext to overthrow the Congelese government.

Originally posted by Suldaanka: Since we know the nature of some folks, I am wondering, Caamirow, Hadii Daahir Riyaale jago u magacaabo Jibriil Hargeisa ma iska xaadirin lahaa? Seriously, we expect Riyaale to participate the upcoming 2009 election of Somalia. It is my privilege to give a little reality check. This colonial map is dead and had never been a legitimate state except for its mere colonial definition.

Very informative, thanks JB.

Originally posted by Hunguri: Caamir , you deserve a gold medal. I am admired the picture of Badhan. I can clearly see the house, where I was born. Jacaylbro, Jibriil maxaad isu tihiin ??? Saxib, IA, Badhan will be a great metropolitan city once its people scattered all over the world come back to their home towns and rebuild Maakhir state. The future is bright.

Resources Do Not Belong to Clan - Federal Official Garowe, Dec 24, 2007 (Garowe Online/All Africa Global Media) -- Natural resources found in Somalia do not belong to any single clan but must be shared nation-wide, a Somali federal government official said today. Mohamud "Bekos" Abdi, petroleum and energy vice minister, told the Voice of America's Somali-language radio program that a national petroleum law is up for debate in parliament. "The Petroleum Law drafted by the [former Prime Minister Ali Mohamed] Gedi government is currently in front of parliament for debate," Mr. Bekos said. The Gedi-sponsored Petroleum Law widened a rift with President Abdullahi Yusuf and ultimately led to Gedi's resignation after a months-long feud with the aging Somali leader. Mr. Bekos advised foreign companies with interest to explore in Somalia to go through the transitional federal government (TFG) and avoid being drawn into a legal tussle by signing with regional administrations. "Foreign companies with exploration interest in Somalia must go through the federal government," he said, while underscoring that the regional governments can negotiate with the TFG over profit-sharing. He said the Puntland regional government, on the northeastern tip of the country, is a big supporter of the TFG. "If they [Puntland] say they want to do anything they like, then the region will become similar to regions where there is disorder," Vice Minister Bekos warned. He took a jab at Puntland's single-clan political system, saying: "Somalia's resources do not belong to a single clan." The Puntland government was created in 1998 by a coalition of ***** clans in the north, mainly by the ***** community to which President Yusuf belongs. Puntland President Mohamud "Adde" Muse recently established a ministry of petroleum and minerals, with Hassan "Alore" Osman Mohamud as minister. "We opposed the Petroleum Law drafted by Kuwait Energy and Indonesian Energy who did not consult with us and we were unaware of it," Mr. Alore said during the VOA interview. He said the Puntland government welcomes Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein, the new Somali prime minister: "We will consult with the new Prime Minister as we did with the old Prime Minister." But he maintained that Puntland has the right to explore and develop its own resources and claimed that there is "no opposition" to exploration in Puntland. "There are no elders opposed to oil exploration. Unless we are confusing this [opposition] with an incident in Majiyahan [town] in April 2006," Mr. Aloore said, referring to deadly skirmishes between villagers and Puntland security forces protecting a team of foreign scientists in Sanaag region. The Majiyahan skirmishes brought the world's attention to the dangers of exploration in Somalia, a country that has lacked an effective national government for the last 17 years. Mr. Alore was confident that locals welcome efforts to explore and develop the region's resources, including tapping into its oil potential. "The people will welcome exploration...Websites write meaningless talk," he said. He said oil company executives have visited Puntland and have offices in the region, adding that drilling will begin at the beginning of 2008. Federal government sources in the town of Baidoa, where the Somali parliament meets, privately told Garowe Online that they were surprised by Puntland's decision to create a ministry of petroleum at this time. The sources suggested that the duties of the similar federal and state-level petroleum ministries might overlap and warned that Puntland's insistence on exploration might renew the constitutional dispute with the federal government. In 2005, the Puntland leader inked a controversial agreement with Australia-based Range Resources, Ltd., giving the junior firm exclusive exploration rights in the region. But the Puntland-Range deal has met a great deal of resistance, both from the federal government and from local clans, who feel alienated by the process. © 2007 AllAfrica, Garowe Online, All Rights Reserved

This is Jibril Salad, the president of Makhir, in response to Dahir Riyale Kahin's bigoted views on the people of Sanaag and Western Bari, recently aired on VOA/Somali. I follow closely the news, cultural and educational programming of the VOA both english and Somali chiefly for its reliability. I was specifically glad to read its recent Press Release on the additional VOA/Somali programming, which said, "additional programming will give Somalis from all walks of life enhanced opportunities to discuss and debate the future of their nation." In fact, this is what I had in mind until yesterday when VOA/Somali section gave exclusive coverage to the leader of "Somaliland", Mr. Dahir Riyale Kahin who made unsubstantiated claim over the regions of Maakhir (Sanaag and western Bari, ). Despite having no authority in the region, Mr Kahin was afforded a biased coverage and in total disregard of the views of the people of Maakhir. Unfortunately, Somalis are a clan based society and VOA/Somalia is used as discriminatory platform by narrow-minded individuals. Though Somalis are deeply divided on the question of secession, to give air to an unchallenged bigoted views seems to be the suppression for the freedom of expression. Listen to the Interview of Jibril Ali Salad LINK Madaxweynaha Maakhir State Col. Jibriil Cali Salaad oo jawaab ka bixiyey Hadalkii Daahir Riyaale ee uu ka jeediyey idaacada VOA da. Badhan: -Shir saxaafadeed uu Madaxweynaha maamulka Maakhir State Col. Jibriil Cali Salaad uu ka jeediyey xarunta aqalka baarlamaanka hortiisa, ayaa ugu horeyntii wuxuu ka waramay shirar halkaasi uga socday baarlamaanka iyo waxay ku saabsanaayeen. Kadib ayaa waxaa la weydiiyey Madaxweynaha sheegashada Daahir Riyaale uu sheegay gobolka iyo fikrada uu ka qabo. More Pics on Maakhir State

Very Sad video. Thanks for sharing it with us.

allaha ha caafiyo. Indeed we missed Kool Kat's sense of humor.

^that info is money No I am not self-employed at the moment.

Originally posted by AfricaOwn: [QB] Enough with this BS and let SL free. You could never in hundred of years make these people come back to the unity, so lets all wish them luck, and put an end to the animosity. We will miss you SL Do you really know what you r talking about? Who r you, a disguised secessionist?