Nomadique Quruxleyda, there is a difference between Somali speaking people and Somali people I hope you research and understand where I am coming from. She is Somali under the legal context of Somali people. Some of your ideas reflect why we mistreat some sections of Somalis (like the "Bantu") and have deprived them of their right of Soomalinimo to the point of no return. Zack, ma aragtey , waa igu goobteen kuwaan.

Thanks Nomadique.

My all time favorite, Link Beerdilaacshe (AUN) and Saado Cali

Dabshid, Not the father of Somali Nation, but the father of Somali State.

People ,be advised insulting members and calling them names (like dabbadhilif, qabiiliste) results in getting banned. This is not a kindergarten. The Admin have given you enough slack to violate the golden rules of the sites. He is doing this to avoid unwarranted accusation driven by insecure feelings.

People ,be advised insulting members and calling them names (like dabbadhilif, qabiiliste) results in getting banned. This is not a kindergarten. The Admin have given you enough slack to violate the golden rules of the sites. He is doing this to avoid unwarranted accusation driven by insecure feelings.

People ,be advised insulting members and calling them names (like dabbadhilif, qabiiliste) results in getting banned. This is not a kindergarten. The Admin have given you enough slack to violate the golden rules of the sites. He is doing this to avoid unwarranted accusation driven by insecure feelings.

Watch as the president of Somali National Congress speaks on CTV NewsNet) Go to the link to watch them speak on CTV Newsnet December 6 2007 http://canadiansomalicongress.com/ Members of the Canadian Somali Congress, other Canadian Somali leaders and the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada National President Ahmed Hussen with the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada Among the issues discussed, were more support for the further integration of Canadian Somalis, immigration and consular matters, humanitarian aid to Somalia and the appointment of a Canadian Special Envoy to Somalia. Meetings were held with The Honourable Bev Oda, Minister of International Cooperation and Minister responsible for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA); Minister Jason Kenney, Secretary of State for Multiculturalism; Kevin Sorenson, Member of Parliament and Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs; and senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

the New members, Welcome to SOL

I am glad our people left us a biography of their overseas experience. The experience of Langare and his crew in fighting off a racist white mob in their apartment was amazing. The Somali Sailors. http://www.hargeysa.org/The%20Somali%20Sailors.htm

I have the characteristics of the character of Mr. Educated. but I am still aspiring to reach my goal.

Waa Soomliyad luntay. She is in search of her lost identity. biogrpahigeeda maad aqrisid.

Hopefully, Egypt's tangible support to Somalia in times of great need will be reciprocated in the future, but currently the Government of Egypt has taken a back seat. Egypt Sharpens its Talons towards Somalia‏ By Abdalla Hirad November 23, 2007 Samir Husni is considered the top gun, among the diplomats, for the Republic of Egypt and its gizmo, the League of Arab states. A former Foreign Minister of Egypt has always been the Secretary-General of the league of Arab States, since its inception. The current one, Omro Musa, is not an exception. So much so, that the policy of the League of Arab States, as an organization, has usually, remained the same as the foreign policy of Egypt. It explains why Ambassador Husni visited Saudi Arabia, last week—to conduct discussions with the Saudi authorities in relation to the current painful days of Somalia, as carried by the international media. It is not surprising that the Egyptian controlled Secretariat of the Arab league would send its delegation to Saudi Arabia, given that, first, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdallah has, earlier, invited dignitaries and elders from Somalia to Mecca, culminating the Reconciliation Congress held in Mogadishu from July 15th to August 30th, 2007. Second, Egypt feels alienated from Somali affairs as evidenced by a statement by the Foreign Minister of Egypt, earlier on an occasion of the Meeting of the Contact Group for Somalia—a group of countries, including European and Africans, led by the USA. Saudi Arabia happens to be the current chair of the Arab League countries for this period. The visit follows the statement of the Foreign Minister of Egypt in which he poured crocodile’s tears on the situation of Somalia—as regards the deaths and injuries as well as the dislocation of Somalis from Mogadishu. By the same statement, the Minister had called Ethiopian troops to leave Somalia. Ali Abdallah Saleh, The President of the Yemen Republic, who happened to be in Cairo the same week, had responded in words to the effect of: that he supports the decisions of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia. He would, ideally, have opposed, if Ethiopia had attacked Somalia with hostile intentions; but then it was the legal government of Somalia which invited it to support it against the threatening Islamists, he said. He continued that he could not support the opposition and ignore the government in Somalia. The TFG is the legal government in Somalia and is member of the UN, the league of Arab States and the African Union among others. He said many governments have oppositions, and he could not side with the opposition and oppose the government. It is not the first time the government of Egypt has opposed a Somali initiative or taken sides in the Somali affairs in the recent past, since the collapse of the government in 1991. For example, the same Samir Husni had opposed the intervention of Ethiopia in the beginning, until the President, Husni Mubarak, himself, had intervened to say that the TFG had invited the Ethiopian troops. One wonders what has changed the President’s position towards Somalia! “Somaliland”, Puntland under the leadership of Abdullahi Yusuf, other regions and the TFG are all averted to Egypt—that accounts to the greater part of the divided country. Somalis has always had a soft spot towards Egypt. For example, Abdulqadir Sultan Abdullahi Sultan Diriye, the prince, pet-named as dhabbeeye, had written in A-nahda news paper, of Aden, Yemen, that he would provide 10,000 men to Egypt to fight the then new Israel in 1948, speaking on the voice of Somalis. At that time, Somalia was divided, and under colonization, by European Powers including Britain. Another example is that the Government of Somalia had provided assistance to Egypt in the 1967 war with Israel in the form of canned fish from the Laskoreh Fish Factory. Egypt has always intervened in Somali affairs on the grounds that Somalia was a sister, African and Arab country. However, the interest of Egypt in Somalia has always run deeper than that, with respect to Somalia. It zeroes on the fact that it is threatened by Ethiopia as far as the Nile flow is concerned. Egypt needs that a pro-Egyptian government is necessarily formed in Mogadishu—certainly with difficult relations with Ethiopia. Now that Ethiopia is supporting the TFG, a role which Egypt has failed to fulfill, as a friend of Somalia—as it claims—the government in Somalia is far from that which would please Egypt. For Somalis, the important thing is that an effective Somali government is first formed before it starts to take sides in the regional interests. Although the TFG is finally a product of IGAD, and therefore, provides an example of African solution in relation to the Somali question—as recommended by President Clinton of the USA in 193—Ethiopia, as a neighboring African country is among a few, if not the only government in the region, which ventured to take the difficult role of supporting the new government of Somalia militarily and diplomatically. Having said that, it is not as if Ethiopia has no interests in Somalia. I am sure it does. But it fares better than Egypt in this regard, which obviously requires a Muslim State, piercing like a thorn, on the side of Christian- run Ethiopia. Egypt, it seems, by its foreign policy towards Somalia, has placed itself as good as Eritrea’s in form and process. Like Eritrea, Egypt is opposed to the assistance Somalia is getting from Ethiopia, because it is opposed to Ethiopia, given the seemingly eternal interests it has shapes around the Nile water. Abdalla Hirad Mhirad@aol.com

Originally posted by -: ^^Is it illegal to insult the president on air lol, che, I don't even care if this president leaves the office. Whoever comes after him , I will still support the TFG. I believe the federalist model of the TFG can solve Somalia's problems. One more thing is needed: Regional Reconciliation as Dr. Diriye proposed.(posted on Hiiraan)

J-11 and others, thanks for the clarification. It has helped a lot. The seeds of resistance has sprouted into sturdy tree and it is therefore imperative not to resist the intellectual debate of this important issue.I had the impression whether the semantics is a cause for concern or a matter for congratulation. Unfortunately, there is no right set of criteria to decide on both assumptions. I think we can steer the struggle into win-win situation to balance obligations, minimize losses and equalize potential gains. Obviously, many fear that the word has sectarian and divisive content. It doesn't make sense to me that it is unthinkable to shed off the relics of colonialism but reasonable to stave off the challenges of a more primitive one with the same relics that divided Somalis. Let us evaluate the proponents of the semantical status quo. They may say the rest of Somalis in the region have failed to participate or perhaps they may be subscribe to a general perception that their active participation will have no impact on the struggle because of their relative weakness or size as Mr. Observer argues. Even so, we should not be shortsighted in reckoning the expected benefit. It may be worth accepting marginal applicants if there is a chance that they may become a regular and reliable allies. As they say Isolationism is no longer a practical policy and the reason why people cry out for comprehension out of this aggressive attitude and mounting clannish assertiveness. Another view I have is that this ethnical sense of the struggle is a tool that is manipulated. Ethno-characteristics (take the ethno as clan) is a powerful force when effectively mobilized and used as an instrument for political ends. As Dr. Hagmann who is a regional expert argues the O strengthens the incentives for the elites to financially engage their people (diaspora) both as a source of fuel for the movement and quest for potential leadership role in their territories such as power and status in case a full regional autonomy is negotiated with international actors playing a major facilitation role. Indeed this is one possible scenario intended on finding a viable political settlement with one end goal, which might be intended to save Ethiopia from increasing internal constraints towards peace and democratic reforms. Ethiopia is now very much discredited for its human rights violations and genocidal campaigns. The west is therefore getting increasingly frustrated with the draconian policies of Ethiopia and might withdraw their financial commitment. I believe there has to be a comprehensive, inclusive model for the struggle. With such mindset and perceptions, our people might not succeed navigating the treacherous waters of colonial policies of Ethiopia. Dahia, when Somalis faught for the region, they faught as one people and WSLF was the initial aggressor.

Originally posted by xiinfaniin: ONLF is an asset. I beg to differ xiinow, ONLF is a liability. WSLF is an asset on the Somalia's balance sheet. Xin do you agree with the view that the Concept is "as dangerous as the bullets shot by Abyssinian Highlanders." I can envision the seething anger beneath the long-term effect of this name. I personally won't want my clan to be buried under the title of another. It is like denying my existance, which is the worst thing done to a clan society. Take the clan as an example of a nation with distinct linguistic and cultural rights?

Great Editorial by Wardheernews. Please read with dispassionate interest and reflect deeply on the views and facts presented by the board. IS THE ONLF STRUGGLE AN ASSET OR A LIABILITY? WardheerNews Editorial December 06, 2007 “Not all are victims of the army. Many have been displaced by the ONLF, whose own brutality is unequalled. The rebels routinely burn the homes of anyone who fails to offer food or shelter”. Ethiopia's 'secret war' forces thousands to flee , By David Blair The ****** National Liberation Front (ONLF), with its unwavering confrontation with Ethiopian forces, has been lately featured in Western Media in a spectacular way than ever before. While the United States government and the Bush administration staunchly support Ethiopia as a partner in the “war against terror,” liberal western media touts the ONLF as victims. Even dissident Somali groups who are locked in a bitter confrontation (for obvious reasons) with the Ethiopian government started to promote the bloody campaign that the ONLF carries in the Somali Regional State (SRS) of Ethiopia as the work of a “liberation” campaign (Jama Mohamed Ghalib, December, 2007). Beneath all the brouhaha, which mainly masks the proverbial deadly strategy of “my enemy’s enemy is my friend,” lies the forgotten plight of hundreds of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. Death and mayhem in the hands of expeditionary Ethiopian military campaigns are not new to the residents of this region. Successive Ethiopian regimes (starting with emperor Menelik, through King Haile Sellasie and Col. Mengistu Haile Marriam to the current regime) have meted measurably despicable human rights abuses. The onslaught against the Geri Kombe in Jigiga in the late 1940s, including massive public hanging of villagers in the center (Faras Magaala) of Jigjiga, the Aisha’a massacre against the Issa in 1961, the Mayhem in Dagahbur and Qorahay in 1963 to the intermittent contemporary collective punishments that uproots swaths of villages is but all that Ethiopia had so far offered to these residents for over one hundred years. What is unique this time around, though, is the share of deaths and destructions that the ONLF commits under the color of liberating “Oggadenia.” In the past, the struggle for equality and self determination by the Somalis were coined and conducted in a more inclusive manner. The 1940s uprising, popularly known as the “Ha noolaato” which were centered in Jigjiga, (long live liberation), the 1964 struggle, an offshoot of the Nasrulah movement, and the 1970s intensive and well-focused struggle waged by the now defunct Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) were all inclusive of all Somali clans in the region and respectively commanded wide support notwithstanding hard circumstances. But a looming danger to the long term well being of this lineage-based segmentary Somali society is the introduction of the new divisive political terminologies and concepts by the ONLF; if not arrested, the foreseeable impacts may prove detrimental to the society which it claims to be fighting on whose behalf. The sectarian language and terms in which ONLF engages its politics, such as “Oggadenia,” or the “people of Oggadenia,” the “Oggaden nation,” and the likes, are as a dangerous as the bullets shot by Abyssinian Highlanders. (With the exception of ONLF, most similar Somali dissident groups, although as chauvinistic as the ONLF, avoid the public use of blatant and naked clannish chauvinistic conversation. Thus Issaq and **********-dominated fronts in the 1980s used such names as Somali Nation Movement (SNM) and Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) for Issaq and **********, respectively). Tobias Hagamann, an expert in the political and social change of the region, recently wrote about the negative meaning of the concept of .......... Full Editorial Page

Bush To Welcome Nigeria Pres Yar'Adua Next Week WASHINGTON (AFP)--President George W. Bush will welcome Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua on Dec. 13 for talks on issues including unrest in Somalia and Sudan's Darfur province, the White House said Thursday. "This visit will provide an opportunity for the president to be briefed by President Yar'Adua on his experiences during his first six months in office," Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement. "The two leaders will discuss electoral reform and related issues, energy, and the situation in the Niger Delta. They will also discuss the ongoing crises in Somalia and Darfur," she said. Bush announced last week that he and First Lady Laura Bush would travel to sub-Saharan Africa in early 2008, the final full year of his presidency.

JB, I am glad you agreed with me on the aspect of personal views. xiinfanin, I will be rebelling like the ONLF with a title like HNLF

What is said is what is said. It has no legitimacy. This statement does not reflect the legitimate position of the U.S. government. It seems you are taking the informal conversation and personal views of the military officials in their answer to questions raised by some hired agents as legitimate.

Don't ask me how I first came to hear of her songs, but honestly one of her songs took me by surprise at the Starbucks. I mean it is really a sensational, great song with great music and with captivating Somali and English lyrics. I listened with perfunctory smile on The first ocassion. But on another ocassion the same song's turn came in sequence and fall familiarly and enjoyably on my ears. I started to find out who this singer really is. I asked one of the cashiers to find it for me the name of the artist and album. She asked me to hold on for a second and went to the private studio. 'Her name,' she said 'is SABA and the name of this song is called 'Manta'. If you listen to the song, she says like "Maanta aniga waa ku rabaa, maanta aniga waa ku maqlaa, maanta ninkeyga aan maqlaa." And the music is so great. This is her Biography. On closer acquaintance with her biography, i find her exceptionally elegant for her connection with the motherland and speaking out for the plight of our country in the form of artistic expression. Jidka (the Line)her musical debut, she explores the divide between Somalia and Italy with a rare sensitivity and gentle humour; mixing acoustic guitars and koras with traditional African beats and contemporary percussion. The result reflects both one woman's search for her identity and what it means to be alive in the 21st century, when so many people live in more than one culture. http://www.worldmusic.net/wmn/news/item/saba Listen to a sample of her songs. Esp Manta Huuwaaya huuwaaya Hooyadaa ma joogto , kabaheedii qaadatey. lol

Originally posted by Libaax-Sankataabte: Here is another qaraami song from the great Kinsi Xaaji Aaadan (Caqaarta) Libaax, Caqaarta was so beautiful. I even like her songs.

Jacaylbaro, I don't think the statement by the Department of State will make any difference in Somalia. You should really ask yourself these questions and ponder on them. Which sub-state, Somaliland or Puntland+Makhir, is very strategic to the world powers. It is Puntland+Makhir that is geopolitically strategic to EU and the U.S. The reason is Puntland sit on strategic locations such as the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. If I give you an example how important is the Indian ocean to the world powers, China as an emerging power with its own grand strategy has no land route access to the Indian Ocean, but it has been on the search for ports to have access to Indian Ocean. China is building close ties with the government of Burma (read China-Burma Relations Playing with Fire by Donald Seekins) China's construction of 13 dams in Burma was recently halted after International pressure on China on the impact of the environment. Another strategic advantage Puntland+Maakhir has over Somaliland is the untapped oil and metallic resources, CAl Madow sceneries come to mind too.

Now, you're a sensible man (other than when it comes to your first love). As a sensible man can you really not see the hopelessness of the argument 'no negotiation unless the Ethiopians leave first'? Is your hatred for 'the defeated lot' that strong that you can't even see a silly argument when it is put before you? Well Said Ngonge

It is only Allah who takes and gives the soul. However, it is wiser for humans not to take their present health and well being for granted but prepare for their long-term social needs and what would or might have a substantial effect on the whole country. His great leadership is essentially needed at the moment. I wish him the best of luck.