You have to feel right at home wherever you go. A wife in Mogadishu, a Wife in Djibout, a wife in Hargeisa, ... you got me. Integration laga hadlayaa waa sidaa. Is-dhexgalka faham.

I am a collector of passports. Already got Ethiopian Passport (Dad's business license requirement), my wife is got Djiboutian passport. We both have Somaliland passport. And soon, I will add Somalia's passport. Maalinba meeshay ka shidantay ayaa laga hilaacaya.

Just making it obvious. So they do not disappear.

The forum was eerily quiet for months. And all of a sudden it is teeming with life. Where is the damn aerosols?

That is not the point. The point is there are laws and anyone that breaks those laws will face it. It is simple as that. Just b/c you see few individuals who get more than their fair share of news coverage doesn't mean there is support them. Far from it. In fact, most of these people that you see are either in it b/c of opportunity i.e. money making. Or by youth rebellion - i.e. trill of being an outlaw. You see Coldoon is a misunderstood indivitual. He is as Somalilander as anyone else. You can actually look up his youtube account and find a lot of Somaliland songs that he wrote and directed. Neither he nor the Government de-escalated what could have been resolved very simply. He is rebelling the government not because he is against Somaliland but just because he wants to highlight that the government cannot tell him what to do.

@Timacadde There was one incident which took place at the Presidential Palace where by Axmed Dhagax melitias crossed the riverbed one night and drove away President Tuur's personal vehicle. It is very important to remember that neither President Tuur nor his Vice President had heavy security detail at their residence. Save a body guard or two. The President and VP were lived like any other citizen without the fanfare of armed melitia flanking the shoulders.The vehicle was returned within few days, and clan elders apologised for the incident. Another important thing to remember is that, over the course of 30 years there has not been a single political assassination or even traditional leader assassination in Somaliland. That is a huge feat, which shows even at the height of civil war, there was "lafta gur oo xarago ha ka tegin" which means the political leaders were not targets.

It is absurd.

Waa arin fiican awoowe.

Why don't you just say that I am a dedicated Somalilander? Mise Kulmiye ayaa ku shidaysaa... you wouldn't mind if I was a Waddani member would you? waar ileen

This is not a matter of whether Mogadishu is good or bad, it is about where they can make money. Yes, there is a lot of money to be made in Mogadishu. But that doesn't necessarily translate that it is better. It is just that a lot of corruption, black money as well swindled money from legimate causes are being mismanaged in Mogadishu. It is a wild wild west. There are a lot of risk, but there is also reward.

Kuwan ma xishoodaan? Commonsense is not common for them.

Funny you talk about being trapped fuusto? Well I am sure you are living in a dream, not in the real world. This is what happens when people do not make use of their brains. Well show me the one who has more freedoms than Somaliland? I mean, you cannot even go to the masjid without fearing of getting gunned down, shreded into bits or kidnapped for ransom. You cannot travel between streets, or between villages or towns or regions. I mean, come on. The only way Mogadishu residents are able to travel outside Mogadishu is by Air. How many people can afford Air travel? So, come again? who is in a foosto? Somalilanders can walk, if they so wished, by foot from one corner to the other corner without fear or even a second thought of anything happening to them. They can travel by land to neighbouring countries if they so wished.

Indeed, the funds are there, the interest is there, the business people are circling. Why it isn't it going ahead? my guess is as good as yours.

Who will have the last laugh?? I have no doubts who that will be.

@galbeedi I am friends with South D!r community here in Melbourne, some of whom are related to Professor Ibbi etc. They tell me the horrors in Banadir area as well as riverine regions. Upto this day, their farmlands are occupied and their villages burnt down or fully uprooted the original inhabitants. The old saying goes 'you don't know what you've got, til it is gone'. The folks from Awdal should really be thankful that the wise heads prevailed and peace won the day. Don't be 'caasi', thank Allah for his 'nimcooyinkiisa' of which 'peace' is at the top. You do not know how much these Southern D!R community would have loved to have enjoyed the same peace and development.

Ok, now coming back to what the year 1991 means for Ex-Italian Somalia. There is a famous phrase in South Somalia which goes '91kii aa loo noqo ha". This is a phrase which captures both the horror and the ordinariness of violence which grimmed South Somalia upto this day. It is a phrase that is meant to instill fear, evoke emotion and most horridly used as a political 'ploy' when necessary.

A déjà vu, all over again. This time round, the target should be the borders.

Waa kuula eekaan kartaa. Laakin sidaa maha. Communique lagu heshiiyay waa intii TV laga sii daayay. Laakin Dawladda Djibouti ayaa laba dhinac oo kala fog dedaal ugu jirtay in mid tanaasulo. Aakhir, Muse Biixi ayaa Ismaciil Cumar Geele ka codsaday in Cheeseman ka ogolaado qodobkaa. Sidaa oy tahay, waa iska caday in aan wax rasmi ah oo communique ah oo saxeexan labadda dhinac ku oolin. Wali maha mid sax ah, kolka loo eego processka caalamiga ah. Saxeex kuma yaal. Waa face saving. Runtii balanta 45 cisho ka dib ayuunbay kala cadaanaysa. Hadii lagu kala kaco waxan oo dhan waa waxba kama jiraan.

Sxb, wax faham. Cheeseman waa ka dul baroortay odeygii IOG. Mudo ku dhawaad 1 usbuuc/week ah ayaa comminuque u dabranaa Cheeseman. Qodobkaa 'isku socodka' waa ka dul ooyay. Finally, odeygii IOG Muse Biixi ayuu ka codsaday in ogolaado. But that comes at a price. You will learn later.

Camel leasing was the brainchild of Somalilander from Canada. He became so successful with this new idea of leasing milking shecamels from nomads and in return giving them a guaranteed monthly income. It is a win win. Now the idea has taken off with USAID now promoting beyond Somaliland or Somalia.

In the game of chess, there is a well known move called 'the deadly pawn sacrifice'. At this moment, it is just words on a piece of paper. The most significant development will be announced at the ministerial meeting scheduled in 45 days. If that meeting breaks down, then those words o paper will be meaningless.

@galbeedi So coming back, you have listed a number of events which stretch from 1991 until 1996. These events are not joined or continuous as you would loved to portray them. They are discrete and in most cases do not relate to each other. I will leave fact checking for TRO AJT above. But I am coming back to gist of this post, which is about what the year 1991 signifies for Somaliland vs Somalia. For Somaliland, 1991 signifies the end of a dark era and start of new chapter. From military front, it signifies when the SNM forces fully captured what used to be known as 'North Somalia' and defeated the facist bloodsucking dictator. From the political front, it signifies an era of reconciliation between warring clans, peace building, and declaration of Independence, and embarking on a long journey of nation building. For the people, it signifies an era of returning from Refugee camps, start of rebuilding the shuttered lives and livelihoods, and looking forward to a hopeful brighter future. . We are not denying that there were hiccups and pitfalls and tough testing moments, but the overall spirit of those years was one of positive. 1. Organising of mulitiple peace conference from corner to corner from Sanaag to Awdal and in between. 2. Peaceful elections/selection of Parliament and President/VP President. 3. Demobilisation and disarmament of clan melitia 4. Printing of Somaliland Currency 5. Opening up of major road networks including Demining of roads, removing of clan melitias checkpoint 6. Creation of Police force and National Army etc etc All of those things were established between 1991 and 1996. And each one of them is a huge task in itself. Just so you can put this into perspective, Puntland who has been relatively peaceful when compared to South Somalia, is still not demobilised its clan melitia. There are bigwigs who have their own clan melitia inside major towns. From 1996 upto now, there has been uninterrupted peace and development. Which is why Somaliland is able to withstand a major political upheaval such as the recent presidential election which has left people divided and politics in loggerhead. And it is the same reason why Somaliland gov't guarantees peace and security from corner to corner in all areas under its authority.