one would expect that or worse from Radio Caynaagood. Shameful people. Dadkaasi sida ay u nool yihiin ayaan ka yaabay, waxba iskuma falaan.

Halkan gaban yar baa qalan Halkan gaari baa wadhan Halkan geesi baa yaal Halkan waxa ku gawracan Guurtidii xulka ahayd Dhankan culimo gaariyo Gadh-cas iyo wadaad iyo Golfof iyo raq baa taal Gaadiidku waa naxash Gadh hayeena waa mawd Waxa geeddi lagu degey Godadkiyo xabaalaha Dhulka hoose loo guur. This is a rough translation... An infant is decapitated here and here the mother's body Over there a warior lay And on this side we have the elderly beheaded On the otherside the remains of the religious and intellectuals can be seen The Coffin is the main transportation here Makeshift cemetery is the destination Mr. Death is the tour-guide six feet under is the main accommodation ...

The recent meeting in Kenya by Kenya and Ethiopia exposed a number of things. 1. Meles and Kibaki have a hidden agenda about Somalia (Meles is acting the male partner in this relationship) 2. Col. Yey is their little puppy dog which comes handy in the backseat whenever they feel like going out for a drink...

The quote you highlighted reflects the opinion of a representative from the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency. It is not even comparable to to the popular USAID. Trying to downplayed it eh? ehehehe Shift on Somalia may make peace harder

I use Somaliland.com. With a small amount of money, you can send SMS Txt to any mobile phone user in Somaliland. It comes handy when you want to just let your family members know that you send money through Dahabshiil for example.

^^LOL @ two giants Sxb, Ever stood in one corner of a street and took a long look down the road as it gets narrower and smaller. Not that it is necessarily smaller or narrower than the one near you sxb, its about the perspectives.

It seems the Contact Group is getting the message right this time. ------------- By Simon Johnson Stockholm - International donors said on Tuesday they were ready to help rebuild Somalia, but only if the interim government and Islamists could agree to share power in the Horn of Africa nation. Host nation Sweden acknowledged at an International Contact Group on Somalia meeting in Stockholm that the Islamists, who seized the capital Mogadishu from United States-backed warlords and large swathes of the south this year, enjoyed broad public support. "In order for the Somali people to get a decent life, (the Islamists and interim government) will have to find a way to share power," International Development Co-operation State Secretary Annika Soder told reporters. " (The aid) will happen when there is a legitimate and legal transition government to deal with ," Soder said on the sidelines of the meeting. " Unfortunately, our judgment is that there isn't one any longer as the transition institutions, and particularly the transition government, have been seriously weakened and the (Islamists) have broad and deep public support ," she said. Soder said the Contact Group, which includes the United States, European nations, the United Nations, African states and the Arab League, wanted to send a strong signal of support for planned talks in Khartoum this week between Somalia's two sides. The Islamists' rapid rise has threatened the interim government's authority from its provincial base in the town of Baidoa and triggered widespread fears of a regional conflict. Regional power Ethiopia backs the interim government and rival Eritrea has been accused of arming the Islamists. The talks in Khartoum will be the second round between the Islamists and the interim government to try and defuse tensions between the two sides vying for authority in the country, which has been in a state of anarchy since 1991. Islamists leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed travelled to Khartoum on Sunday but returned to Mogadishu on Tuesday. Islamists spokesperson Abdirahim Ali Muday said Ahmed had gone to Sudan only to prepare the ground and that a delegation would be sent soon. In June, the interim government and the Islamic Courts movement recognised each other in their first direct high-level talks. The interim government, formed in 2004 with international backing, has been racked by months of infighting and has been too weak to move from its temporary seat in Baidoa. Soder said the Contact Group was ready to hold a formal donors' meeting in Rome, led by Sweden and Italy, but the Khartoum talks were the only obvious path toward solving Somalia's problems. She did not give any information on how much money was on the table for reconstruction or how it would be distributed. Somalia has been mired in lawlessness since 1991 when warlords ousted dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then began fighting each other for control of the nation of 10 million. The interim government has been the 14th attempt at imposing central rule since then.

Part I By Jamal Gabobe When I was first approached about attending last year’s SOPRI convention I was initially reluctant to go because I thought the program gave too much attention to the internal political situation in Somaliland and not enough emphasis to promoting Somaliland’s cause in the United States, an area in which Somalilanders in the United States are sorely lagging and that they can actually do something about. But upon further discussion with the organizers of the conference, I was persuaded that I should go, and that we would continue the dialogue over there. So I went. I flew to Los Angeles on a gorgeous summer day. Although I have lived for almost three decades in the West Coast, and have been many times to Northern California, this was my first visit to Los Angeles. I stayed at the Hilton hotel where the conference took place. Before the conference started I kept running into some old friends. I also saw Sillanyo, Edna and many others of Somaliland’s illustrious sons and daughters. At times it seemed as if Somaliland’s elite was temporarily transplanted to Southern California. The conference was organized in panels, and because of the large number of panels, some sessions were scheduled for the same slot of time. So I had to decide which sessions I should go to and which ones to skip. One session that I had already decided, even before I left for Los Angeles, that I must attend, was Dr. Mohamoud Tani’s presentation on the “The Street-Smart Politician versus the Book-Smart Politicianâ€. Tani lives in Canada and through the years we have talked a couple of times on the phone, but we have never met prior to this conference. Although he spent many years in jail for his political beliefs, he still keeps a vivacious spirit. I asked him how he came up with this intriguing title. He said: “I knew these two guys in the UK, neither of whom had much of a formal education. They had a friend with university education. One time, while I was visiting them, one of them asked me if I knew the meaning of the word institution. I told him yes, but why do you ask. He told me there is this educated fellow who, once in a while, comes to chew qat with them and that he keeps mentioning this word “institution†and they didn’t know what it means. Not long after this conversation, one of the two uneducated guys became a minister in Somaliland. I began to wonder what do these uneducated people know that makes them succeed in Somaliland’s politics while some of my highly educated friends have failed to secure positions in the government.†“And did you find the answer?†I inquired. “Yes,†Tani replied, “These uneducated, barely literate guys, know the society. They can level down with the people. They also work together and have their own networks, which they jealously protect, and won’t let people like you and me into.†“Since we know where a political system run by ignorant people is going to lead, what’s the solution?†I asked “The solution is that there should be a certain quota for the educated, a sort of affirmative action, so that they can be part of the system,†Tani said, but before he finished he started laughing, perhaps realizing the absurdity of the idea. I laughed too. It was indeed an absurd idea, but a situation in which the illiterate are winning the competition against the educated is also absurd, and can’t be lightly dismissed. It must be dealt with, and that was what Dr Tani was doing, dealing with it as a serious problem that needs a solution. continues with Part 2 Source: Somaliland Times

"Heesta calankiinna miraheeda maxaa waaye?" It goes something like "Ashahaad culus ayaad ku caantee, calankaygow cimrigaa ha jiro"...

Duke, sxb, just say it, you missed a lot the old divided city of Mogadishu and the warlord bloodsuckers. No more fantasiyo and partying eh? Qofkii Mogadishu ka naxi jiray ee u damqanjiray maanta wuu ku faraxsanyay isbedelka ka dhacay. Ninkii ku farxijiray siday ahaanjirtayna maanta waa ka naxsanyay. That is how it is. Indhocade waxba ha ku hoos dhuumanin - Indhocade chose to be on the side of the victors and he is reapping those fruits. But what you should be concerned about is the defeated warlords that are holed up in the ghetos of Galkaio and Baydhabo. Those are the ones that need to be finished, for they choosed the wrong side in this righteous war against tyrany and stooges.

It is a great day for Mogadishu and its residents. Well done to the ICU for doing what the 16 or so called peace conferences couldn't. What is left for them today is to concertrate on their gains and strengthen their positions. This includes of not falling into the Ethiopian trap of drawing the ICU into a clanish war. The ICU has time on its side, it can wash a finger at a day for all it wants until it gets to where it wants, they do n't have to wash all the hands in one go. By going it slow, it will frustrate the Ethiopians more and in turn will cement the ICU's gains. Good news from Mogadishu.

Somaliland Policy & Reconstruction Institute (SOPRI) promotes Somaliland to increase the awareness of the international community about Somaliland’s indisputable right for statehood. The more the Somaliland case is strongly pushed in Africa, Europe, North America and Asia by the the efforts of the government and the Diaspora communities acting in concert; the earlier the quest for recognition will be realized. SOPRI’s has so far focused its work in the United States. We hope to inspire other communities to engage in similar activities in the key countries where Somaliland interest must be promoted. As you are aware the second Somaliland convention will be held in the nation’s capital on September 8-10, 2006. We applaud the members of the host committee, who on top of their normal very busy schedules, admirably accepted to shoulder the demanding responsibility of organizing the 2006 Somaliland Convention. They went in earnest to raise funds from Somaliland business leaders and the Diaspora communities, selected appropriate venue that can accommodate hundreds of participants, selected and contacted speakers, formulated a three day program covering political, social, economic and environmental topics to be discussed in panels running concurrently to maximize use of time and undertook the logistics of enabling the invitees to arrive and depart in timely manner. The Committee members, who deserve all of our gratitude, are listed on the SOPRI’s web site: www.sopri.org SOPRI and the Somaliland Communities who sponsored the event extended official invitations to the following speakers, discussants and panelists. We want to clarify not everyone in this list is confirmed attendance yet, we would post the confirmed list later. INVITED SOMALILAND SPEAKERS: 1 - Somaliland Government Delegation led by President Dahir Riyaleh Kahin. 2 - Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi "Cirro", Chairman of Somaliland Parliament 3 - Abdilaziz Samaleh, Vice-Chair of Somaliland Parliament 4 - Suleman Guleed, Chairman of Guurti (Upper House) 5 – Fuad Adan Adde, Minister, Somaliland Government 6 - Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud "Silanyo", Chairman of KULMIYE Party 7 - Faisal Ali Farah, Chairman of UCID Party 8.- Mohamed Bullaleh Ismail, Secretary General of UDUB Party 9 – Eng. Hussein Mohamud Jiciir, Mayor of City of Hargeisa 10- Mohamud Ahmed Hassan, Mayor of City of Burao 11- Abdi Shide Bile, Mayor of City of Borama 12- Mr. Saeed Daud Elmi, Mayor of City of Berbera 13- Ahmed Haji Nur, Mayor of City of Erigabo, 14- Ahmed Ali "Adami", Chairman of Somaliland Election Commission 15- Abdirahman Aw Ali, Vice Chair, Kulmiya Party 16- Mohamed Osman Fadal, Vice Chair, UCID Party 17- Mohamed Saed Mohamed "Gees", Director, The Academy of Peace & Development 18- Abdillahi Adan (Congo), former Executive in the Arab League 19- Dr. Saad Sheikh Noor, Somaliland Representative in USA 20-Mohamed Kahin, Executive Committee Kulmiya Party 21-Abdi Biehi, Executive Committee Kulmiya Party 22- Dr. Mohamed Abdi Yusuf(Dr. Gabose), A Former Minister of Interior 23- Mustafa A. Jama, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley 24- Abdirahim Abbey Farah, former Under Secretary General - United Nations 25- Professor Hussein Adan (Tanzani), University of Holy Cross 26-Dr. Hussein A. Bulhan, MD, 27-Amina Milgo Warsame, Excecutive Director of Naiad Umbrella Organization 28-Dr. Mohamed Abdi Yusuf"Gabose", Former Minister of Interior 29-Dr.Ahmed Hussein Esa, Director IPRT 30-Dr. Aden Ismail "Bergeel", MD 31-Dr. Hussein Hanfi, MD, Howard Hospital, Washington DC 32-Dr. Fauzia Aden Abrar, MD, Minneapolis, Minnesota 33-Eng. Mohamed Hashi Elmi, Former Minister of Commerce 34-Ibrahim Megag Samater, Professor of Economics, Japan 35-Shukri Bandare, Member of Somaliland Commission 36-Ragia Abdillahi Omar, Human Right Activist 37-Mohamed Hashi Damac(Gaariye), A poet 38. Mohamed Sh. Hassan Tani, Africa Development Bank 39- Edna Adan Ismail, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs 40. Osman Abdillahi Egal, Head of Kulmiya Party Hargeisa 41- Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, A Poet 42 –Ahmed Sh. Abdillahi, member of election commission Representing the business community, invitees include 1 - Mohamed Yassin (Olad), Chief Executive Officer Daallo Airlines 2 - Abdirahman Awl, International Consultant 4 - AbdiKarim Mohamed Iid, Chairman Telsom Company (Telephone Company) Representing Somaliland North America Communities: 1 - Somaliland Community Leaders in Minnesota 2 - Somaliland Community Leaders in Columbus, Ohio 3 – Somaliland Community Leaders in Seattle, Washington 4 – Somaliland Community Leaders in Toronto Canada 5 – Somaliland Community Leaders in Ottawa, Canada 6 – Somaliland Community Leaders in California 7 _ Somaliland Community Leaders in Texas 8 _ Somaliland Community Leaders in Mid-West 9 _ Somaliland Community Leaders in East Coast 10 _Somaliland Community Leaders in Southern States 11_Somaliland Community Leaders in Arizona 12. Various Somaliland Communities Leaders in Europe SOPRI is proud to have sponsored last year a successful convention participated by many Somalilanders and Somaliland supporters. The convention contributed to the promotion of the interest of Somaliland as well as contributed to a successful and peaceful parliamentarian elections. The full report of Los Angeles Convention is available on our web site. www.sopri.org We would like to reiterate that SOPRI strictly adheres to a high ethical standard which is to promote solely the collective interest of the people of Somaliland and to consciously avoid the appearance of any action that may be construed as promoting the interest of one political party or individual over another party or individual. We ensure that our actions are transparent and beyond reproach. Such values will create trust and confidence amongst all of us in our journey to accelerate recognition for the state of Somaliland. For details about the conference agenda, conference registration, registration fee payment types, and hotel reservations; please visit the web site http://www.sopri.org SOPRI EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Saeed Megag Samater President & Founder Prof. Amina H. Adan Vice-President Adan H. Iman Director

Easy there boys, lets be realistic here. There are two completely different groups here and have almost nothing in common, besides both wanting to become the top dog in Somalia. The reality is that, even the TFG's main backer Atto Meles said that it would be very unlikely for the ICU to join the TFG. His point was that he wouldn't allow that to happen, because in his eyes nobody in the West will deal with a government which includes Aweys. So, in effect, that is one major hurdle for the TFG. If there is going to be any power-sharing, it will come as a great cost in both politically and diplomatically to the TFG, and by the look of it, the last thing they want is to kill whatever little legitimacy they might still have around. Anyways, it would be interesting to see how the events unfold in the next couple of weeks or so.

Belgium Appologizes for Attempt to Ditch Deportee Hargeisa (The Rep) – "The Belgian Embassy in Addis Ababa officially apologized the attempt of three Belgium Security men, to ditch a deported Somali – from Mogadishu area – on Tuesday at Egal International Airport in Hargeisa. The Embassy in an official letter to the Republic of Somaliland promised that such an action will not be repeated," this was stated by the Deputy Commander of the Immigration Department. Mr. Mohamed Osman Noor added, "The apology, a condition attached to the release of the security men, was handed to Somaliland representative in Addis Ababa on Tuesday evening". The 3 Belgian Security men were released on Thursday and left for Addis Ababa, on the same day. Mr. Francois Vandes Zande, one of the 3 security men told the media that they were treated well and were allowed to contact their families. In previous such incidents security men from West European countries, who accompanied deportees, were put back in the plane that brought them to Hargeisa with the deportee. According to highly reliable sources, the case of the 3 Belgium Security men differed, because the TFG is said to have told the Belgium Embassy that Hargeisa is under its jurisdiction. The demand for official apology was the manifest that Somaliland is a separate state. Minister of Civil Aviation and Air Transport, Mr. Ali Mohamed Warran-adde told the media, if the deportee that was to be illegally ditched was a Somalilander, that he would have been treated in the same way. The security men who were held in a room at Ambassador Hotel told the media that they were not aware that Somaliland and Somalia were 2 different countries. This is not the first time that Ethiopian Airlines to bring deportees that were to be ditched in Somaliland.

^^ Castro, caafimaadka ka waran sxb? Recovering well?

4)Riyaale: what passaport, he is travelling? does he care? not really What makes you think President Rayaale would use that useless Somali Passport which even Kenya banned from its country? FYI: Somaliland has its own passports.

UK - Somalilland joint statement source The leader of Somaliland, H.E. Dahir Rayale Kahin, visited the UK as a guest of the British Government and had talks with the Minister for Africa, Lord Triesman, about bilateral and regional issues. Accompanying Somaliland Ministers also met senior officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Home Office and the Department for International Development and had detailed follow up discusions. The two sides agreed to remain in close touch and to make further visits to increase their cooperation on issues of mutual concern. Both sides stressed their commitment to promoting peace, stability and democratic governance in the Horn of Africa, so that the humanitarian and developmental needs of the region's people can be addressed.

Somaliland President calls on Lord Triesman Source: gnn.gov.uk Kingdom - Today, Lord Triesman met the leader of Somaliland, H.E. Dahir Rayale Kahin, who is visiting the UK as a guest of the British Government. Accompanying Somaliland Ministers also met senior officials in the Home Office and Department for International Development. After the meeting Lord Triesman said: "I had an excellent meeting with H. E. Dahir Rayale Kahin this morning. The United Kingdom has good relations with the Somaliland authorities, who have achieved stability and established democratic institutions in a troubled region. We want to work with them to consolidate those achievements and assist in Somaliland's development". Somaliland: The former British Protectorate of Somaliland united with Somalia after independence in 1960, but broke away after the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991 and seeks international recognition as an independent republic. UK Support: DFID run a £15.5m programme covering Somalia as a whole. However a large portion of the project portfolio (both development and humanitarian) is specific to Somaliland. Here the UK is providing significant support (approx £5m/$9m), through UN and NGO actors, to Somaliland's overall democracy and governance strengthening including rule of law and justice sectors; and the education sector including increasing girls' enrolment and the quality of education. As the UK's programme grows, we expect to increase our support to basic services, good governance and economic recovery. It is estimated that about 40 percent of all international aid to Somalia (about $170 million per year) is spent in Somaliland. The security situation in the North ensures that agencies can work more effectively than in the South. H. E. Dahir Riyale Kahin: from the ruling Unity of Democrats (UDUB) party, won Somaliland's first multi-party presidential elections in April 2003 with a slim majority. He was appointed in 2002 by Somaliland's council of elders, following the death of his predecessor Mohamed Ibrahim Egal. On taking office he said his priorities would be to ensure the territory's continued security and to press for international recognition for its independence. Voters went to the polls in September 2005 to elect a new parliament; MPs had hitherto been chosen by clans through a process of consultation. Somaliland's leaders saw the election as the culmination of a democratic process which, they hoped, would better the chances of international recognition. Press Office, Downing Street (West), London SW1A 2AL GNN ref 137047P

'Maanaan Ogayn in Somaliya kala Go'day, Sidaas ayaanu ku Keentay Hargeysa' Wareysi khaas ah oo Jamhuuriya la yeelatay Saraakiisha Belgium-ka ah ee xidhan Hargeysa (Jam)- Xukuumadda Somaliland ayaa xidhay saddex sarkaal oo u dhashay dalka Belgium, kadib markii gacanta lagu dhigay 1:00 duhurnimo ee shalay, iyaga oo Madaarka Hargeysa si qarsoodi ah ku soo gelinaya nin mastaafuris ah oo u dhashay Soomaaliya. Wasiirka Wasaaradda Duulista Hawada iyo Gaadiidka Cirka Somaliland, Md. Cali Maxamed Warancadde, oo xaqiijiyey xadhigga saddexda nin ee reer Belgium, ayaa qabashadooda ku sababeeyey in ay ku xad-gudbeen sharciga socdaalka ee dalka, "Maadaama," ayuu yidhi; "ay si fasax la'aan ah dalka ku soo geliyeen qaxooti, isla markaana ay iska dhego-tireen digniinno hore loogu siiyey in aanay cid keenin." "Markaa haddii ay intaa ku dayn waayeen, waxaanu tusaynaa in aanu ciqaabi karno, iyagana dhibaato uga iman karto," ayuu yidhi Md. Warrancadde. Wasiirku waxa uu caddeeyey in ay dib ugu celiyeen ninka Soomaaliga ah oo magaciisa lagu sheegay Cali Xasan Cabdi, halkii uu markii hore ka yimi, iyada oo ay qaadday diyaaraddii keentay oo laga leeyahay dalka Itoobiya. Sida oo kale, Wasiirka oo la weydiiyey sababta ay u haystaan saraakiisha reer Belgium, mar haddii ay celiyeen ninkii la isku haystay iyo diyaaraddii siddayba, waxa uu tilmaamay in saddexda nin ku xidhan yihiin qol ka mid ah hoteelka Ambassador. "Waxaanu dareensiinaynaa in aanu dawlad nahay," ayuu yidhi Md. Warancadde. Hawlwadeenno ka tirsan Jamhuuriya oo tegay Madaarka Hargeysa, ayey u suurtogashay in ay la kulmaan saddexda sarkaal oo xilligaa ku sugnaa huteelka lagu xidhay ee Ambassador, isla markaana waxay su'aalo ka weydiiyeen dhacdadan. Saddexda sarkaal oo magacyadoodu kala yihiin; VANDE ZANDE FRANCOIS, WOYTS KRIS iyo GRYSOW PAUL, oo sheegay in ay yihiin saraakiil ka tirsan hay'adda amniga u qaabilsan dawladda federaalka Belgium, waxa ay xuseen in aanu wax dembi ah gelin ninka ay wadeen, hase yeeshee, loo haysto been-abuur uu sameeyey, "Isaga oo," ayey yidhaahdeen; "dalkayaga ku soo galay baasaaboor foojari ah, sidaa darteedna lagu qabtay Madaarka Belgium, lana xidhay." Saraakiishu waxay sheegeen in ay amarka mastaafurinta ninka Soomaaliga una dhashay degaanka Muqdisho oo ka soo baxay Wasaaradda Arrimaha Gudaha Belgium, uu ku-talogalkiisu ahaa in lagu celiyo magaalada Xamar. Balse, markii ay Addis Ababa yimaaddeen in ay waayeen diyaarad Muqdisho tegaysa. " Maanaan ogayn in Soomaaliya kala go'day, cidina nooma sheegin. Sidaa darteed, ayaanu is-nidhi Hargeysa ayaa idiin fudud. Waxa kale oo jirtay codsi uu ninka mastaafurka ahi soo jeediyey, kaas oo ahaa haddii Hargeysa la geeyo in uu markaa sid fudud Muqdisho u tegi karayo ." Weedhahani waxay ka mid ahaayeen jawaabo ay bixiyeen saraakiisha la qabqabtay. "Xidhiidh labada dal ka dhexeeya oo arrinta khuseeyaa ma jirin. Sidaa awgeed, waxaanu jawaab ka sugaynaa dalkayagii oo aanu qaylo diranay," ayey yidhaahdeen. Ugu dambayn, waxay sheegeen in haddii Somaliland ku adkaysato go'aankeedan oo u diido dalkooda, in markaa dib loogu celinayo waddanka Belgium. Hawshan tahriibinta ah oo aan ciddina ka war-hayn, balse lagu baraarugay, kadib markii diyaarad yari ay si kedis ah u soo cago-dhigatay Madaarka Hargeysa, iyada oo isku dayday in ay tuurto ninka Soomaaliga ah, kabacdina ay deg-deg u duusho. Hase yeeshee, waxa markiiba u diyaargaroobay shaqaalaha duulista hawada, iyaga oo ciidamada ammaanka madaarka qaabilsanna ku wargeliyey in aanay hayn warka diyaaraddan, fasaxna aanay weydiisan hay'adda iyo xukuumadda Somaliland midkoodna. Wasiirka Duulista Hawada, Md. Cali Maxamed Warancadde, oo waqtigaa ku sugnaa Madaarka, halkaas oo uu kula shirayey shaqaalaha wasaaradda oo ay hoostagaan madaaradu, waxa uu isla markiiba wasiirku amar ku bixiyey in la qabto diyaaradda iyo cidda la socotaba, sidaasna waxa lagu kashifay tahriibka sharci-darrada ah oo dalka lagu soo gelinayey ninka qaxootiga ah ee aan dembiga lahayn. Ma aha markii ugu horreysay ee fal noocan oo kale ah ka dhaco Madaarka caasimadda, balse waxa jiray isku-dayo hore oo waddamada Yurubta Galbeed qaarkood ku doonayeen in ay Somaliland ku soo daadiyaan qaxootiga Soomaali ah ee dembiyada ka galay waddamadooda iyo weliba dadka guuldarraysta qaadashada aqoonsiga qaxootinimo ee reer galbeedku bixiyaan.

Belgian police cleared to leave Somaliland Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:47 PM GMT BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Three Belgian policemen detained in Somaliland after accompanying a deported man have been cleared to return home, Belgian police said on Wednesday. A police spokesman said the three officers were given their passports and plane tickets back on Wednesday afternoon. "The three members of the Belgian police were freed an hour ago," the spokesman said, adding that they would fly to Addis Ababa on Thursday and then take a plane back to Belgium. Conflicting reasons were given for the arrest of the three, who had their passports and plane tickets confiscated and were being held at a hotel. A Somaliland minister said they lacked entry visas and were being held at Hargeisa's upmarket Ambassador Hotel in what he called a "humanitarian gesture". Belgian police had said they were being held due to an administrative problem. Somaliland, which is not recognised internationally, broke away from the rest of Somalia in 1991 after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted by a clan militia.

Somaliland nabs Belgian officials The authorities in the breakaway region of Somaliland say they have detained three Belgian immigration officials in the capital, Hargeisa. The three arrived on a flight from Ethiopia with a man they had deported from Belgium, Somaliland's Aviation Minister Ali Warran Ade told the BBC. He said they did not have visas to enter Somaliland or the prior consent necessary to deliver a deportee there. The minister said they were being held in a hotel pending investigations. Mr Ade said the deportee had been sent back to Ethiopia on the flight on which he had arrived. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia after the overthrow of dictator Siad Barre in 1991. Somaliland's self-declared government is not recognised by any other state, although it is credited with bringing peace and a degree of development to the territory, amid chaos in the rest of Somalia.

Bloodied, the Israeli soldiers retold their story. --- Hezbollah proves tough foe for Israeli army By Joel Greenberg Tribune foreign correspondent Published August 14, 2006 HAIFA, Israel -- Leading a column of soldiers in the early-morning darkness in the village of Markabeh in southern Lebanon, Lt. Yonatan Lehrer and his point squad walked into a Hezbollah firestorm. Gunfire, anti-tank rockets and grenades ripped into the Israeli troops. Two soldiers flanking Lehrer were killed, and an army doctor who rushed to treat the wounded died when a grenade exploded in his face. Blasts sent shrapnel tearing through Lehrer's cheek, mangled one of his hands and blew two fingers off the other. As the casualties were moved back for treatment, Hezbollah guerrillas gave chase, hurling grenades and firing at the soldiers as they evacuated the dead and wounded. "They ambushed us," Lehrer, 22, said, recounting the Aug. 4 incident from a hospital bed in a room decked with banners of his Golani Brigade and pictures of his fallen comrades. "It was the first time I encountered such intensity of combat, face to face." After more than a month of fighting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army is emerging bloodied from a war with an adversary that put up tougher resistance than expected and could continue to harry the Israelis until their expected replacement by Lebanese troops and a beefed-up UN force. In ground fighting and in rocket attacks on Israeli towns and cities, Hezbollah demonstrated an ability to fight back and inflict casualties despite punishing Israeli artillery and air assaults, naval shelling and ground assaults that the army says have killed more than 500 guerrillas. In interviews at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, wounded Israeli soldiers described a well-equipped and highly motivated enemy that often stood its ground and fought to the death rather than retreat in the face of the Israeli onslaught. Instead of confronting the Israelis head-on, the Hezbollah fighters used guerrilla tactics, moving in small groups and trying to surprise the Israeli troops with ambushes from houses and scrub-covered hills. "They know the terrain very well, they have up-to-date equipment, including night-vision gear, and they are true believers in what they are doing," said Staff Sgt. Gur Nedzvetsky, 21, a paratrooper wounded in the village of Ayta al-Shaab. "The most important thing is to be prepared emotionally for battle, and in that they are very strong." Hezbollah's most effective weapon in the ground fighting was an array of Russian-made anti-tank missiles, which the Israelis say were supplied by Syria and Iran. The missiles proved effective in penetrating the armor of Israel's Merkava tanks and smashing through houses in which Israeli troops took up positions. "We are talking about a variety of rockets and missiles that are state-of-the-art," said Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser, who until May was head of the research division in Israeli military intelligence. "They use the anti-tank weapons both as an artillery piece and as an anti-tank missile." The missiles have a tandem warhead that first detonates the Israeli tanks' explosive armor plates that are designed to neutralize incoming missiles, then blasts into the tank. The guerrillas are armed with RPG-29 rockets and the Metis-M anti-tank missile system supplied to Syria by Russia, as well as an Iranian-made version of the Russian Konkurs anti-tank missile, Kuperwasser said. According to Israeli army accounts from Lebanon, Hezbollah fighters also have used the laser-guided Russian Kornet anti-tank missile, with a range of up to 3 miles. "This is not a militia. This is a well-equipped infantry division using guerrilla tactics but operating according to a military doctrine taught by the Iranians," Kuperwasser said. He added that Israel was not surprised by the stockpile of weapons held by Hezbollah because it had been tracking the accumulation of rockets and missiles across the border. "We knew very well what Hezbollah had, and we more or less knew the quantity," he said. "We knew that fighting against them was going to cause casualties." But it is unclear whether ordinary Israelis were prepared for how high that price would be: at least 113 soldiers dead so far, and 39 civilians killed by Hezbollah rockets fired into northern Israel. A recent public opinion poll indicated that most Israelis do not believe their army has won the war with Hezbollah, and there has been mounting criticism in the news media of the way the war was waged. There also have been questions about the performance of the army, which for the last six years has been engaged in putting down a Palestinian uprising and fighting militants in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. That has been a very different sort of mission, sometimes resembling police work and at other times consisting of street battles with ragtag militias of the various Palestinian factions. Staff Sgt. Ron Naveh, 21, a wounded paratrooper, said that fighting Hezbollah, with its organization and weaponry, was something else entirely. "There's a huge difference," he said. "The Palestinians are untrained; they just pick up their guns and fire off bursts without aiming. Here you have trained soldiers who don't just shoot. They aim, and they hit. They're a kind of army." Lehrer, the wounded lieutenant, shared that view. "You can't compare this to Gaza," he said. "That's a game compared to what's going on in Lebanon." ---------- jogreenberg@tribune.com

Roda Mizan is one of the young progressive new writers. She wrote many particularly impressive articles posted in many Somaliland website. In this article, she writes about her recent visit to Somaliland. She talks about in details about what impressed/depressed her while she stayed in her hometown of Borama, Awdal. Nice read... ---- Awdalnews - http://www.awdalnews.com - Editor's Choice Roda Mizan - Returning to a different homeland - July 19, 2006 - 00:38 Awdalnews Network, 19 - July - 2006= Returning home after many years of absence entails mixed feelings. They include fear and expectation, nostalgia and excitement but as the famous saying goes one can never go home again, not at least the home in one's memory. This is the feeling of nostalgia for the past, for childhood and for old memories that Roda Mizan had wished to find, or feared not to find on her way to the motherland and particularly to her native town of Borama . If another name for home is peace as another adage says, Roda said she found not only peace at the homeland but a homeland in peace. " Peace has made everything beautiful in Somaliland ," says Roda. In an effort to find out the perspective of an expatriate returning home after many years of absence, Awdalnews Network caught up with Roda Mizan, a poet, a social activist, a founding member of the Dallas-based Amoud Foundation, a great contributor to a number of humanitarian organizations and educational projects in Borama including Amoud University and a charitable person who sponsored several orphan students to complete their studies at Amoud University. Following is Roda's account of her encounter with the homeland: Overpopulated and crowded city The first thing that strikes you is how crowded Borama has become; vehicles everywhere, all kinds of small and four-wheel vehicles. You cannot take two steps without bumping into a car. Most of the vehicles are right handed and they come as second hand from the UAE. Taxis and buses ferry people to the various parts of the town. The town is overpopulated and most of the people are either new comers who migrated from surrounding villages and remote towns and countryside or new generations that grew up in my absence. There is a hygiene disaster in the town. It is the worst thing and it is thrown everywhere. Heaps of garbage dumped everywhere as well as millions of plastic bags lying, flying around; an eye sore and environmental disaster. The government ban on using plastic bags did not work. There is no garbage dumping places or ground. There is no town planning, and shanty houses pop up anywhere and anytime. No roads lead to Borama Borama will soon be an isolated town due to the situation of its roads. Tarmac road from Hargeisa to Kalabaydh, from Kalabaydh to Dilla has lots of potholes which is worse than a rough road. From Dilla to Borama and from there to Djibouti it is rough road with valleys and mountains. It is the worst in the country. Borama will become inaccessible. It was the biggest disappointment I found. The only good thing about the rough road was that it gave me a chance to enjoy the beautiful scenery as mountains and valleys were covered with greenery due to the rainy season. The whiff of homemade pancake (loxoox) People still eat the traditional Somali pancake or crepe (loxoox) for the two meals: breakfast and dinner. It was so nice to wake up with the whiff of the freshly baked morning bread. I felt like my mother would wake me up to go to school. It was like I never left home. But sometimes people eat beans, and baked bread. There are more vegetables and fruits then used to be in the old days. I saw lots of papaya, banana and mango everywhere. I saw a cultural revival in several areas such as traditional folklore dances. There is a new folklore troupe that has revived the Zayili dance. The troupe, which comprises men and women, perform both the traditional genres and new forms of Zayli. They are hired for weddings and other festivals and are extremely popular. However, they need financial help to buy uniforms and instruments and to establish their own center. Young women were fashionably dressed and beautiful. Everywhere you go you see the beauty of youth. They constitute the majority of the city's population. But I also noticed many women smoking the Hubble-bubble and chewing Qat, even young women. Islamism and education Extremism is not conspicuous but Islam has taken root. No woman can go out without a head cover. Even young girls cover their heads. If a woman goes out without a head cover she will be subject to nasty comments from here and there. Although not visible, radical clerics often intrude into women's affairs and women’s NGOs. One of the most visible things I had noticed is the sheer number of mosques and schools that have sprang up in the recent past. You will see a mosque and a school in every corner of the town. I heard that the Ministry of education was planning to apply Ministry approved curriculum to all Schools of the country, beginning with the coming academic year. The education sector has made great strides. From Amoud University to primary schools, the education system has quantitatively and qualitatively improved. I don't think its standard is less than other place in the region if not better. Active women and idle men From my arrival at Hargeisa Airport to Borama, all I saw was men chewing qat everywhere and women carrying water and children, selling goods on roadsides, sidewalks, under trees and in open places. All that men do is to chew qat, sometimes robbing women of the little cash they earn to feed their children and keep the household running. Business is booming in Borama. Small groceries are everywhere; the streets are dotted with open air African markets selling all kinds of merchandise, mostly run by women. The former Mayor of Borama Abdirahman Sheikh Omar said during the foundation laying ceremony of Al Hayat hospital that a one day boycott of Qat will save the town $20,000 which will be enough to build any of the badly needed public project. One positive development in the life of women was the fading away of the bad tradition of women circumcision. Thanks to the efforts made by the late Annalena Tonelli who established Women against Female Genital Mutilation and new religious attitude that branded FGM as an anti-Islamic tradition, young women of our country will soon be liberated from such a cruel practice. Water everywhere and enough electricity Borama has the best water supply. In Hargeisa I have experienced shortages of water but not in Borama. One can take a shower anytime of the day or night without any fear of running out of water. The electricity is also good although not as good as the water supply. The weather has become unbearably hot. May be partly due to the increased population and vehicles and partly due to the global warming, Borama is unusually hot. Without the availability of water, the summer would have been unbearable. I am sure people will soon need air-conditioning. Clean and well run public hospital Women suffer from lack of health care projects. There are no MCH centers, no maternity hospitals. Despite that the Borama public hospital was at its best. I have never seen Borama hospital as clean and as well managed as it is now. All the different parts of the hospital including the emergency room and the pediatric clinic were well managed and unusually clean. They even have a good x-ray facility. It was wonderful and people attributed this mostly to Nimo Haji Abubakar. She even planted trees in the hospital's courtyard. Who ever was behind this improvement, it is an effort that deserves praise. I hope they would maintain such good work. With the upcoming Al Hayat hospital, which I attended its foundation laying ceremony, the Annalena TB hospital and several private hospitals, it seems the town will have a reasonable health care system in place. There is a great HIV/AIDs awareness going on, focused on the religious side. They emphasize abstinence as the only way to check the spread HIV/AIDs. Talking about safe sex is a taboo and many considered it as promoting sinning. AIDs patients are treated as untouchables. Sometimes people who die of other reasons are rumored to have died of AIDs. There is a lot of education needed in this area. Popular online news I was amazed how popular Awdalnews Network is among Borama community. People, particularly the youth are glued to the Internet. I have attended a number of events during my stay in the town and everywhere I go people were telling me that they had read my name on Awdalnews. In the absence of cinema and theatres, the youth are heavily dependent on Awdalnews and other online journals as source of news and entertainment. People go to Hargeisa for government The government is in Hargeisa. People still go to Hargeisa for everything. Only the municipality and police are community-based. Everything else is in Hargeisa. Tribalism is acute and in the open. People cannot distinguish between politics and tribalism. The elections have left deep divisions among the community to the extent that people from different clans don't talk to each other. Admirable NGO work I admired the work done by community based NGOs and have attended several meetings including the foundation laying of Al Hayat Hospital, the orphanage center, the inauguration of the recently established umbrella organization and the naming of Borama Airport. I was disappointed by the lack of women representation in all these meetings. Countryside and greenery I saw a beautiful countryside in all the areas I have visited. I even saw the wild life still surviving such as dik- diks, rabbits, foxes and hyenas and tortoises. Roda Mizan could be reached at: rodamizan@hotmail.com

Xoog Adeer, look, meesha adiga ayaa qabyaalad aan loo jeedin soo galiyey. Adiga ayaa wax kale kuu gayaamaya oo marmarsiiyo u baahday. Somaliland hadaad wax aad ugu soo gabato weyday, ayaad desperately trying to twist things. If my mere mentioning of the name Hargeisa is enough for you to vomit that kind of nonsense about Somaliland, ilaahay ha ku daweeyo. Besides, it is not my aim to change anyone's mind about Somaliland, the facts about Somaliland are out there for anyone who is sane enough and frank enough to know more about it. NOt the sick indivituals who are akin to the much disliked Bull from Doollo, who is said "indhahiisu wax san ma arkaan, dhagahiisu wax san ma maqlaan". If you know what I mean. I bet rer Bulxan's airline is as crappy as any other airlines operating in Somalia" If the country is crappy itself, crappy is what it gets my dear.

George Galloway on Aljazeera Tv ---------- The following are excerpts from an interview with British MP George Galloway, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on August 8, 2006. TO VIEW THIS CLIP: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1228 Interviewer: "There is identity or harmony - and some even say subordinate relations - between the American and British policies, in a way that sometimes seems detrimental to British interests, or even to the popularity of the British prime minister. Could you explain this, at least from your perspective?" George Galloway: "Well, it's the same kind of relationship that Ms. Lewinsky had with the former U.S. president. It's dishonorable, disreputable, unequal, and humiliating for a once great country to be the tail of the American dog, when the head of the dog is as crazy as Bush is. It's very degrading for us. Our foreign ministry knows this very well. Our ambassadors in the Arab countries know this very well. They tell Mr. Blair, though not loud enough, not courageously enough, but he's not listening to them, because he has this special relationship with George W. Bush, which is not only degrading but is placing our people in danger. Our interests are being sacrificed as a result, and the name of our country is being dragged through the mud everywhere in the world. We are now the third most hated country on the earth, after the United States and Israel. This is not a place that most British people want to be." [...] "I'm very sorry that so far we have not been able to remove this prime minister, who has committed so many crimes. I'm very sorry that so many people in the Arab world have had to suffer as a result of this special relationship between Tony Blair and George W. Bush." [...] "Two of the Arab world's beautiful daughters, Jerusalem and Baghdad, are in the hands of these foreigners, these occupiers, and nothing can be done by the Arab rulers, because they are in bed, fornicating with the foreigners, who are occupying and using these beautiful Arab daughters as they will." [...] "You know, I don't want to embarrass any particular Arab ruler, but once I spoke to a prince. I told him there were three British newspapers on sale for 100 million pounds - The Daily Express, The Sunday Express, and The Daily Star. Three important newspapers. 'Why don't you buy them,' I said. 'You could make a foothold for a decent point of view on the Arab world, if you were to buy these newspapers.' He could have bought them, but he didn't have the courage to buy them. He'd rather spend the money on other things. You know, in London, there is enough money thrown onto the roulette tables of London's casinos by Arabs, which could buy media in America and Britain, and transform the landscape. But I tell you, the good news is this: In the desert, just a few drops of water can transform the landscape. All we need is a few drops of water, because the American and British people have no faith, no trust, in their leaders. They know that the policy of their leaders is leading them to disaster. We need to intelligently apply the resources that we have, and people can contact me, to my e-mail, through my website, georgegalloway.com. I have many ideas on how we can do this. I just don't have any money." [...] "Walid Jumblatt was a friend of mine, and his father was someone that I greatly admired. But now I'm ashamed that I sat in the house of Walid Jumblatt, and took coffee from his cups. I think that the mistakes that Mr. Jumblatt made, not only in the last few weeks, but especially over the last 12 months, when he did his best to divide the people of Lebanon from the people of Syria, and to encourage the Franco-American imperial plan for Lebanon, was a shameful act. I'm sorry to say that, because I have many times sat in his house. It pains me to say that, but of all the actors in the Middle East region, the one who has really let everybody down is Walid Jumblatt. I hope that he will wake up one morning, realize this, and correct this mistake, because he has wounded the Arab nation, and this is not something that should ever be done by someone who carries the name of Jumblatt." Click Here to support Frontpagemag.com.