Mielmi, I can tell you that the Diaspora invested heavily in Ilka-jir candidacy of PL's presidential election and to carry the torch in a decisive manner. One of his promises, as I remember, was that he will form a new admin or support the Maakhir movement if he loses the candidacy because Faroole's public records were all well-known and his role and ties to the organized crime of Piracy. Faroole also raided PL's assembly in Garowe right after he was fired for stealing large sums of money from the state. The capital Garowe went choas and piracy took firm roots in the region following that incident in which dozens of people died. I remember the former president Mr. Ade and his VP considering proposals to move the capital from Garowe to Bosaaso. Most of the international media attribute the rise of Piracy to Ade Muse's policies but it was actually Farole who incited his sub-clan and subsidized the criminal activities in Garowe and Eyl. All in all, Ilka-jir has failed in his mission. He lost both credibility and trust from his constituency and he will therefore be held responsible for framing the false pretext under which Galgala was invaded.

Well-written and well-argued piece--the experience of a research team member. Xudeedi, the news I have is that the clueless Gen. Ilka-Jir is on a huge public pressure to produce real evidence as to the bogus claims of his boss. His popularity thus far has gone rock bottom. He has betrayed the people whose name he used for personal ambitions of political patronage. As for the Galgala's economic potential, PL's current and former admins have never steered any developmental programs to this growing town. In fact, PL denied the town its share of aid that the international donors assigned for the region by attempting to strip it of its administrative jurisdiction and lumping it with the rest of Sanaag region, thereby denying any type of public services and whether international agencies can open up offices or visit there. Its industrious inhabitants, however, proved to be entrepreneural and independent with their farming skills to the point of self-sufficiency until Faroole spread false and misleading information abt the town and denied it a market access to its booming trade.

Originally posted by Libaax-Sankataabte: At every setback, there is an opportunity. Reform must be the next step. The PIS monster must be tackled. LST, great point, I want Puntland State to prosper and be a model for good governance to the rest of Somalia. And as you have done it consistently, we should not be afraid of its good critics in order to arrest all manner of social ills such as clannism, nepotism and corruption as well as the current institutional pathology. It will take time to correct many problems, but I plead with the brothers in here to keep a good guard of what we are already blessed with and work together towards the cohesion of communities. According to the UNDP and the UN General Assembly, The three current legal frameworks under which Somalia is being ruled are the Transitional Federal Charter (2003), the Puntland Charter (1998) and the Somaliland Constitution (2001). The Joint Needs Assessment which was carried out in 2006 identified institution building as one of the major challenges in re-establishing trust in the state and enhancing its capacity for development. Oodweyne, your knowledge of the community is laughable and dismal in outlook. If you only knew some of their various roles in the creation and advancement of Puntland, you would have been ashamed of your silly assertions. I suggest you avoid the divide and destroy rhetoric you play @ SOL and many of the deragatory phrases you have been employing since yesterdays like "hapless community" "much-aggreived" etc.

Listen here when Faroole opposed the Majihan deal. Atam and Faroole were on the same page How the powerful Maakhir community were united on this front An Indepth Report with analysis and pics of communal conferences Col. Jeenitaag, he and Sheikh Atam were the principal leaders behind that Majihaan front.

Xudeedi, glad to see your thoughts. Keep it coming. You are right our people were united on the Majihan conflict. Col. Mohamouud Jeenitaag, an expert in military tactics and of weapons design, was sent from Erigavo. However, I believe this particular conflict took on a different role as many from outside the community joined the ranks of Atam's forces. All in all, the underlying issues that led to this war like the independent PIS and its murky operation, how to develop and manage our resources, structural reform, and territorial rows, need to be resolved.

Oodweyne, you are deluding yourself by reducing the Galgala conflict into a long clan feud in whose theaters were exclusively faught by two clans. That's the laymen's argument saxib. You live in the shaddows of the past and the fruits of unreflective passion. Neither forces were exclusively made up of a single clan as you wrongly perceive. It's of multiple actors and of causation---one of which is PL leaders' calculated efforts to realize ambitious designs. This is the basic truth I have it for you unless you are woefully uninformed of the issue or have an ax to grind, saxib.

Duke, I have said it all along that the conflict was triggered by mutiple outstanding issues. Among them are territorial rows, natural resources management, the injustices perpetuated by the PIS, and foreign intervention. If I had said anything different from these points, you are free to show me. I have been consistent. Xudeedi, Atam does not have a full support from the capital of Haylan region, Dhahar. This issue is about Galbeedka Bari. He had already sat down with the elders from the latter region. Gen. Ilka-jir has NOT actually ruled out any possibilities for further talks on BBC, yesterday.

^Mielmi, you are wrong there. Sheikh Atam's forces were made up of several clans as the man is Sheikh. He got direct support from various sub-clans of PL in order to fight, not the state of Puntland, but the PIS's injustice, and in the process resolve the disputes over farming land and halt the grand ambition by some PL leaders to sell mineral rights exploration to foreign companies. From the other side, the PL forces were led by Gen. Ilka-jir, the VP, and the deputy Minister of Security who is from Galgala himself. ^these are facts! Hadalada fadhi ku dirirka iska ilaali. HD

Indeed Peace-Action.

Originally posted by Jacaylbaro: [QB] Ramadan Karim ....... But the struggle to a sustainable peace & development should continue ,,, [/b] Insha'allah it will..ti all over Somalia, from Mogadishu to Hargeisa.

Time to bring the warring parties to the same table and deal with what has in the first place led to this war. Issues PL must deal with in an order of priority. 1. The Galgala conflict and its root cause. 2. Dealing with PIS and how to peacefully transfer its resources and control to the state. The power of the purse belongs to the State for it to get a full control of its institutions. PIS, according to ICG, is the most powerful institution. 3. Attacking all pirate bases within Puntland or cutting off the logistics that abet this criminal activity in the hope of freeing up the hostages and ringing down the curtain on its financiers. 4. Reaching out to the people of SOOL and devising a new strategy on how to bring the city of Las Anod into the fold of Puntland. If that is not possible, the state must rather aid than obstruct the freedom fighters and their ideal solution.

A/C, ramadaan Kariim, hana lays cafiyo. Time to do good deeds. As to the issues facing the motherland, we should do our part in sparking a genuine debate on how to resolve and not fuel the fire that sustain them.

No it's an adjunct explanation to distinguish the two community's history of self-rule and territoriality. I used quotation marks .

Oodweyne, are you saying Col. Abdisamad is the Dick Cheney and that Gen. Ilka-jir fits well the character of Major Gen. Collin Powel. Lol.. I'm sure you know very well Gen. Ilka-jir's family history and descendent line.

-- The 1992 Al-Itihad Uprising against the State of Puntland (most of the insurgents being from Nugaal and Mudug). The State crushed the insurgents killing many of them inside Garowe. LST, in 1992, was there such thing as the "State of Puntland" unless you meant it the small city administration of Bosaaso? It was the SSDF led by Col. Abdullahi Yusuf vs. al-Itihaad. And that was perfect step for the "SSDF" and its political and military leadership to take, in order to maintain a firm grip on its domain of influence. However,the Galgala environs come not under the "SSDF"'s clannish configuration as far as political history and territoriality is concerned. The international "British Somaliland" border line, which co-incides with the clan's border passes near Bosaaso. It was Mohammed Siyad Barre (AUN) and his regime that designated these areas of Galgala and Bali-Khadar under a new administrative division, that means the region of Bari. I have no objection with the SSDF's rhetorical line taking strident military actions to crash insurgents within its power domain as a solution, but to extend that similar mentality of territorial aggrandizement into another region of former British Somaliland puzzles me, in fact. By contrast, The short-lived Ade Muse/Qardho uprising was to many considered a power competition between personalities championing clan-interests garbed as common interests of the former "northeastern protectorate of Italian Somaliland," to be precise. (Each used "Puntland" as its organization's identity and purpose and was thus saving it from the other) That insurgency also had a near complete support from the people of Qardho and Waaciye until both sides of the conflict agreed to enter into a process of peaceful negotiated settlement spearheaded by Sultan Said and Boqor Burmadow and other notable elders and politicians. Above, I don't think the current PL leadership would be able to win this war or crash the locals unless a forward-looking approach of solution comes into the overall picture. That the people of western Bari region are accomodated and made to believe that they have a political stake in the state. As of now, they seem to have the upper moral position to reverse the dictates of an incompetent and corrupt state that tolerates CARE, a private militia within its jurisdiction and another independent security regime whereas it treats as hostile the private militia of another clan led by a local warlord.

Dambarsame, we can agree to disagree but do refrain from the use of "eastern Sanaag". Reer Maakhir make up 85% of Sanaag and live in east, west and south of Sanaag region as well as western side of Bari region.

No one is siding with any group. I have all along promoted comprehensive peace and attending to the roots causes that led to this war. It's the likes of you and others that entertain deragatory terms against reer Maakhir. Re-read my comments. This has been an issue of substantiation. Gen. Ilka-jir is actually the main guy behind this declaration of war, its military strategy, and how to perfectly execute it, but he hasn't been clear with his intentions. Gen. Ilka-jir, the Dick Cheney of Puntland...

dambarsame, considering this false scenerio and allegations that reer Galgala are behind the instability in Bosaaso, wasn't the mayor of Galka'yo who recently lambasted the southern part of the city as directly responsible for the killings and mayhem in the city? However, PL feels emasculated in this conflict other than to live with it. This is just to show you that this conflict of Galgala/Bosaaso is nothing but a political gamesmanship plotted from outside PL in order to destroy its peace and turn the inhabitants against each other. The Gal'ayo war wasn't winnable, so they have to live with it. It's sad that in this conflict a large section of SSC and of Maakhir are believed to be serving their own interest in this resource war and control of one's domain of influence.

So he simply went west and founded a base in El Afweyn, I thought he could find base in Erigavo.

Sidoo kale ayaa sheegay in ay ciidamada gaaraya 40 nin ay isu soo dhiibeen isla markaana ay haatan hayaan. C/laahi Axmed Faarax ayaa sheegay in ay shacabkii maanta aad u kaceen isla markaana ay iska difaaceen The people of Col. Abdisamad shouldn't be held responsible for the Galgala/Boosaaso disaster. I see some of reer Sanaag are pointing fingers at him and his clan. It's war time, so no finger pointing or who is right or wrong... Guys, keep us updated.

Originally posted by Peace Action: quote:Originally posted by Nassir: No one wins in war, only a son dies.. I agree with your second statement. Good, then let's give moral boost to the elders and promote peace.

Peace-Action, our differences stem from an issue of substantiation, questions of disputed facts and definitions. It asks us to examine and look up at the available evidence as to whether Atam is leaning towards al-Shabaab or a local leader who is defending his clan's territory from PL's intrusion or its leaders coveting for what rich resources lie beneath this territory. It's not an issue of evaluation. Our difference (believes and ideas) is not about whether al-shabaab is wrong or right, good or bad, desirable or undesirable. That we agree on its undesirability is not in doubt. It's not also an issue of policy or how to address a demonstrable need. BUT it's an issue of substantiation, and thus far the evidence we have is that Mr. Atam distanced himself from any type of reliationship or political coordination with the radical Islamists in the South. He answered three times after the VOA anchor newsman, Mr. Ali Harare, asked him whether he is al-Shabaab or not. He answered negative in all of three questions. al-Shabaab as well denied to be part of this conflict since this whole issue of Majihan and Galgala preceded the rise of al-Shabaab. Sheikh Atam was fighting the former governor Mohamed Muse Hirsi over the mineral rights and oil exploration in the region. So why would Faroole now redefine the nature of this conflict and galvanize his clan or the unsuspecting masses about the invasion of a different region. Do we not care about the looming disaster?

^You are as radical as Peace-action and Thankful. No one wins in war, only a son dies..

The elder stated, “Our message to Puntland and the international community is to attend to this conflict in a peaceful manner and this war hype should be suspended. We would like to pronounce to the world that we are hopeful and can resolve this in a peaceful manner, if the administration cooperates accordingly. We have spoken to Atam and his men and they are expecting our visit to Galgala in the upcoming few days.” Good call, but it won't make any difference to Faroole and his cronies. The elders have done their job by exhausting all avenues to peace overture. It's time reer Sanaag defend their motherland. Politics has no permenant friends nor permanent enemies but only enduring interest. They should have known it long time ago by forming their own admin that determine what other elements must occur.

If there is no such thing as Eastern Sanaag, then you tell Ilka-Jiir to go to Erigavo (the city he was born in) and tell me what happens. This statement alone shows how bitter and desperate you sound. You are using one individual Gen. Ilka-jir as a benchmark to measure who lives or settles where. In other words, you are clutching at straws by mimicking the tired, hackneyed phrases of the secessionists. If the source of your bitterness revolves around the myth and ad hominem argument of Erigavo as always serenaded by our seperatist brothers, then I am afraid it's pointless to further engage with you in any meaningful discussion. I know at times myths influence the laymen into a frenzied state of mind as it goes "Makhiris migrated their homeland of Erigavo only to establish themselves in Bari region and that they are here to overtake us soon unless we force them back to their origin". I'm sure many misinformed individuals or the reasonable masses would fall for such malice and therefore throw caution to the wind. Would they, however, believe if one tries to apply breaks and thrusts upon them facts on the ground that Makhiris don't set the political agenda in Ceerigaabo in a way that is exclusive of other communities whom they share lands and a common history eventhough they happen to be the predominant residents of Erigavo as they own most businesses and hold important responsibilities that maintain or improve the security and the natural progress of the city? As to the issue of Atam's alleged affiliation with al-Shabaab vs. Farole's grand ambition to invade Galgala and sell parts of Maakhiri Territory to foreign companies, is neither you nor me to stop. The people in that region would decide for themselves what is at stake: their common interest to live together in peace and harmony. The political ambitions of Faroole should not outweigh any consideration for rational introspection or common sense. Mr. Atam was not al-shabab when he faught Ade Muse over the mineral rights granted to Range Resources. Over 20 people died in that conflict. Atam was a clan- militia leader at that time up against another "warlord". What has changed this time? Will this terror-card now peddled by an alleged pirate chief turned president, Faroole, haunt his administration down or no big mess? Time will tell.