He is not fully in charge, Shiekh Hotel and Sakkiin were running the show and stifled his efforts. Besides, he cannot do miracles and he has done enough to creat a cohesive cabinet.

A very good move by the one light in the dark place. Sheikh Hotel needs to be challenged and his pretense of being 'President' stopped. He is incompetent and he should step aside.

Somaliland: An enclave of one secessionist clan hijacking others By O. H. Omar Northern Somalia Unionist Movement May 17, 2010 The one-clan based secessionist enclave calling itself Somaliland, otherwise known as the NW region of Somalia to the rest of the world, will once again commemorate its unilateral declaration of secession from Somalia which it proclaimed on 18 May 1991. If the past is any guide, one can expect to be treated to more of the same old triamphalist fanfare to warm the hearts of its despondent and despairing followers: the usual rituals will be staged claiming that recognition is round the corner; self-righteous mantra churned out ad nauseam justifying why the enclave will never again rejoin Somalia; exaggerated achievements trumpeted for the international and domestic public consumption; Somalia roundly portrayed as doomed and defunct; and the mendacious claim reiterated that the secession is supported by all the clans of former British Somaliland, when in reality it is an enclave of one separatist clan hijacking all the others by force in order to get away with the secession. What is doomed is not Somalia as the secessionists cherish and pray. Sooner or later, Somalia will emerge from its prolonged strife as other countries before it have done. Nations as different as Lebanon, Northern Ireland, Nigeria (the Biafra secession), Congo ( the Katanga secession), Sri Lanka (the Tamil secession), among others, have all gone through similar or worse conflicts and have in the end pulled through intact and stronger. Rather, what is doomed to failure is the one-clan driven secession which is opposed by all the other clans in former British Somaliland, by the rest of the Somali people in Somalia and, by all the regional and international organisations which routinely reiterate their support for Somalia's unity and territorial integrity. As such, the question is not about the secession's ineluctable failure but how soon will its supporters realise that, after chasing a mirage all these years, they have come to a dead-end leading them no where. It is in everybody's interest that this year's commemoration will be the last and they return to the union fold. What is mind-boggling is the rationale that the separatists give to justify their secession. It is not based on any legal or constitutional basis but simply on the ludicrous reasoning that they were at one time a separate entity under British colonial rule and that this fact alone gives them inalienable right to renounce the union with Italian Somaliland and go their own way as a clan. And not only that, but also to drag with them all the other clans belonging to the area as if they were their property and had no free will or choice in the matter. One has to recall that those clans who were forced to be part of the British enclave had never existed before as separate people, nor had any exclusive bonds that set them apart from those in the rest of the Somali territories in the Horn of Africa other than that they were colonised by the British and the others by different colonial powers. Far from constituting a distinct people, the clans in former British Somaliland were a microcosm of the clans in the other Somali territories, each having stronger blood ties with its kindred clans across the artificial colonial borders. As such, a bygone foreign occupation cannot give God-given right to any one clan to put the clock back and break from the Somali State, forcing in the process all the other clans in the area to succumb to the secession. If that was allowed to every clan in Somalia, or anywhere else in Africa, it will be a recipe for the end of the nation state as we know it, and that is why the African Union and the wider international community are deadly against it. It is also important to remember that while the secessionist clan has accepted British colonial rule in 1888, through bilateral treaties, the people in the now unionist regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC) have by contrast refused from the outset to be part of the British colony. Their Dervish resistance movement, under Sayed Mohamed Abdalla Hassan, had fought against British colonial occupation for over 20 years (1900- 1920). Even if the British finally managed to defeat them militarily, thanks to the collaboration of the secessionist clan, the SSC people never formally signed to accept British colonisation. In the absence of a binding bilateral treaty with the British, the SSC regions and people were therefore not bound to remain as part of that entity once Britain's colonial rule ended. Such being their nationalist past, it is inconceivable they will ever agree, or bow, to secession and leave the union for which they had made incalculable sacrifices. Alas, history repeats itself, and it is the same people who played a treacherous part in the defeat of the Dervish free fighters who are once again bent on Somalia's dismemberment, this time in collaboration with its worst enemy, Ethiopia. Once the end of the era of colonialism was on the horizon, and independence was finally approaching in the 1950s, the clans faced three options about their future: they could go their separate ways, or form a new independent nation or else opt to unite with Italian Somaliland in order to fulfil the aspiration of Greater Somalia which almost all Somalis of the time yearned for. Not surprisingly, it was the union with Italian Somaliland that they all agreed on, and it was solely for this purpose that they sought independence from Britain which it granted accordingly. Contrary to baseless secessionist propaganda, the newly-independent four-days old territory was never admitted to the UN nor recognized by any single country for the simple reason that it never sought recognition in the first place but only to unite with Italian Somaliland. The critical importance of the control of the unionist regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn to the possible success of the secession has been uppermost in the strategy of the one-clan based separatists (better known as Somalidiid) from the time they declared their breakaway from Somalia. Though invariably wrong on most of their calculations, they have been right for once to see the SSC regions as the lynchpin that binds together north and south Somalia. And as long as these SSC regions remain part of Somalia, the clamour for recognition by the residual secessionist rump in Somaliland would sound hollow and not make much headway with the international community for whom all one clan-based secessions are reminiscent of those in Biafra, Katanga and their likes. This forms the backdrop to the invasion and occupation of the SSC regions by the secessionists in October 2007. Unfortunately for the separatists, the sons and daughters of the Dervish, who refused to succumb to the might of the British Empire, will not surrender to one clan occupation and its crimes against the union . Though opposition to one-clan-driven secession is the bedrock of the Charter of the African Union, the separatists remain blinkered, bigoted and so far averse to peaceful dialogue and reconciliation. Having despaired of any political gain from their campaigns of the past 19 years, they continue to bank on illusory hopes. The delusion still persists that the insurmountable wall facing them could be breached if only they could get recognition from one or two bribed corrupt African leaders, or from Ethiopia in return for the shameless collaboration they provide against the ****** National Liberation Front (ONLF). Out of desperation, it has now jumped on the "war on terror" bandwagon, actively peddling the area's coveted strategic importance to any interested western power. No stone has been left unturned in the search for recognition and even Israel has been wooed. These moves are unlikely to be more successful than those they undertook in the past. The people of the unionist regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn, betrayed by Puntland, remain true to their history as defenders of the Somali homeland against alien invaders and colonisers and continue to pay heavy sacrifices in defending Somalia's unity, this time against its internal clannish enemies. Despite the odds they face in terms of the strength of the enemy, yet no other groups in Somalia, whether clans, organisations, or individuals, have come to join or aid them in the defence of Somalia's unity. Worse, the Somali governments established in Embegathi in Kenya and in Djibouti, for whom the defence of the country against its external and internal enemies were their raison d'être, have been indifferent to their responsibilities, shamelessly engrossed in their own political survival and personal pecuniary pursuits. Thus, the battle to maintain the unity has been left by default to the SSC people which they heroically shoulder. No matter how long it takes, they will defeat the enemy of unity and banish the bane of secession from Somalia's body politic once and for all and consign it to the dustbin of history. O. H. Omar NSUM Excecutive Committee Web: www.n-sum.org Email:admin@n-sum.org ____________ Northern Somali Unionist Movement (NSUM) is a grass roots Somali organization whose members and supporters hail from Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions in the Northern regions of Somalia(formerly British Somaliland) and whose clan in these regions do not identify with the one -clan-driven secession calling themselves” Somaliland”. NSUM stands for the promotion of peace and unity among the long-suffering people of Somalia.

Good news. Omer is a cool and serene guy, the kind of person Somalia needs. Bad for him to have such a lousy president though. Adan Madoobe doesn't deserve to be a watchman let alone a Minister.

Omar Abdirashid was with the wrong crowd. Sheikh Hotel, Adan Madoobe, Cabdi Qaybdiid etc etc waa reer-miyi aan wax baran. Markaa markii horeba wax isqaadan kara ma'aheyn. Intay noocaasi soomali madax u yihiina wax hagaagayaa majiro. Macallin-Dugsi miidhan baa Minister ah oo wax uu kala garanayaa jirin. Qaar kood markii lagu yidhi war why don't you prepare an Action Plan for your Ministries, waxaa laga hayaa inay yidhaahdeen " wixii soo socdaa waa qayb oo Ilaah unbaa og. Kolkaa Tawakaltu cala'laah is our work plan."

Brazil played badly in all games in 2006, except against Japan, with the reserve team playing. Brazil lost because Ronaldo could not run, and because the rest of the players were ageing and not fit. On Ronaldinho,it is not that he was just dropped out of no where. He played in most of the qualifying games, but was poor. Now, his Milan form could be different, although I still saw his role against Man U was negative for most part. Felipe Melo is not doing good for Juventus. My argument is the form for the national team is historically different than the form at the club levels. Maybe it is because those players who were not good at the club level were rested. I don't know. But come June, you may open you mouth in awe, with the performance of players like Robinho and Melo who you think are not up to it. Maicon is better than Leonardo, Kaka is better than Rai and Mazinho, and the entire defence is better than all those who played in 94. They may win or not, but when comparing things, it is good to do it objectively and not with nostalgia.

I like her for being a believer in Somali unity. Her motives for being pro-unity are not for me to judge. But you have a valid point. She should have spoken against Abduallhi Yusuf. I think she sang for him instead. Lately, she is getting becoming more of an activist for SSC. And that is why I am saying she needs to be careful.

Did you hear the local political 'experts' analysis. Udub basbaas bay is marisay...looooooooooooooooooooooo!! Norf sent me this in PM.

loooooooooooooool@ Kabilla hooyadii waxay aheyd islaan langhade ah oo iligaa la' oo rer-Brazil ah, oo Maradonaa abti u ahaa!

Horta Alia ma Saado Cali inanteedaa mise eedo ayey u tahay. Sado is a wonderful singer and a patriot. Maasha-allah! But she should be careful in not overdoing the 'Libdhimaysid Laas-Caanood' bit. That was good one, but she risks being seen as a clanish at the end.

For Bob and Tuujiye, This goal is scored not by Maradona, not by Messi, but by Nilmar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioVpQBktVwQ This other one is scored by Grafite And just in case you think Nilmar's mesmerising goal was just a fluke, please see here: Kolkaa, dadka yaan la iska aflagaaday just because Norf watches Kevin Doyle week in week out in the EPL.

If he said that (Ibra) waa nin fiican. There is nothing else you could have said if you were in his position.

Ninka uu ku tiiriyey ma Ibrahimovic'baa? Ngonge, where did you get this from? What are they implying?

In name yes the strongest. But he fields Pique, Marchena, Ramos and Capdevedia (as I expect) in defence, they will not be the strongest at the back. The medifield is the best in the world right now, but if teams employ Inter tactics, they are done. Afterall, it is Barcelona's midfield. The attack is fearsome only in name. Both Villa and Torress are past their best, as the world cup will prove.

Raamsade, wuxuu cilmi u qabaa diin majirto in la yidhaa oo kaliya. Ok. there is no religion, there is no God, Islam is fake. Haye, maxay kale? Please tell us something new. Mise adiga takhasuuskaagu waa intaa uun?

Ghana is the best hope for Africa, but they will not win the world cup. Otherwise, I agree Domenich seems to have something against France itself. War haduu doono Ribery reserve ayuu ka dhigi doonaa, waa oday wareersan. I think Holland picked a very good side. On paper, they are the team to beat. But Brazil can do it. All the way SAMBA!

Cameron wuu yaabi doonaa? Riyaale is who unbaa ka soo hadhi doonta. Markuu Somaliland maqlana, he will send his thanks to Sheikh Sharif, intuu kala garan waayo.

Abdikarim Sh. Muse, along with Sulub Abdi Ahmed, is one of the finest commanders of the ONLF. Alxamdu-lilaah, he is alive. Sad for Axmaro-boot-lickers like Passerby.

Brazil stay focused - Argentina look muddled Tim Vickery, BBC's South American Football Analyst Dunga's announcement of his Brazil squad for South Africa was a crushing defeat for the nation's media in one of its favourite sports - trying to force the inclusion of big names players on to the plane for this summer's World Cup. But it was the perceived excesses of Brazil's stars that undermined their campaign in Germany in 2006 and paved the way for Dunga's appointment. He took over with a message that individuals might win matches but groups win titles. Over three and half years later, coherence has been maintained. Before the squad was announced, clips were shown of some of Brazil's recent triumphs. Then came a declaration for Kaka, paying tribute to the spirit of union of the current team. It was a giant hint that there would be no last-minute surprises. So no place for Ronaldinho. On form and in shape, he would surely be a useful one-man Plan B to have on the bench but he can hardly complain of lack of opportunities. Dunga carried him around for almost three years before finally losing patience. It is a tough thing to say but the only person responsible for Ronaldinho's absence is Ronaldinho himself. At 30, he should be an automatic choice but he has spent the last few years betraying his own extraordinary talent. Ronaldinho may have been the focus of international attention but the local media had switched generations in its campaign, piling on the pressure in favour of the Santos pair of support striker Neymar, 18, and attacking midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso, 20. For all the undoubted promise of Neymar and Ganso, there are elements of nationalistic delirium in this movement. The pair were outstanding in the Sao Paulo State Championship but this is a bit like selecting someone for a World Cup on the basis of some good games in the Carling Cup. Significantly, and Dunga was quick to pick up on it, the pair struggled towards the end of last year when asked to step up a level. Ganso was a relative disappointment in the World Under-20 Cup while Neymar was an absolute disappointment in the World Under-17s. Their time will come but, as he made clear, Dunga is not in the business of giving anyone experience for 2014 but is being paid to win the World Cup now. And, of course, one more new face would mean one less space for a group of players who have earned the right to be in South Africa. Whatever we might think of his approach, Dunga can point to the results achieved. In the last two seasons, Brazil have won 18 of 23 games, suffering only one defeat, which came at extreme altitude. Adriano has been part of that process but he, too, misses out. He is another one, though, who can have no complaints. He received support and opportunities from Dunga and assistant Jorginho. After his problems with depression and alcohol, Adriano was allowed to play his way back into contention. A squad place was his. He has thrown it away by repeatedly not turning up to train with his club, Flamengo, as well as his off-the-field antics. As Dunga said, if he let Adriano get away it he would be running the risk of losing command of the group. This focus on the collective underpins everything that Dunga does. It explains the eminently sensible position to name his 23 straight away (seven reserves, including Ronaldinho and Ganso, were added later). Other teams still have to whittle down from 30 - a traumatic process that jangles nerves and threatens to undermine morale at a crucial stage. One of them is Argentina. It is hardly surprising that coach Diego Maradona is not as far down the line as Dunga in terms of consolidating his group. He has had much less time in charge - and it is often forgotten that he took over a team in trouble, which with one win in the previous seven games was already struggling to qualify. Maradona got them over the line and would seem to have made progress since. It is highly likely that his planned starting line-up in South Africa will be the team that won away to Germany some two months ago. From the chaos of the qualification campaign, a first XI and a general method of play has emerged. But the rest of his party looks a bit of a mess. It speaks volumes that Brazil named their 23 in a well prepared and orderly fashion while Argentina apparently needed a lengthy last-day meeting to finalise the 30. Under Maradona, Argentina have toured the country playing a number of matches with only home-based players. This has the advantage of taking the team to the provinces and of giving Maradona more experience on the touchline but it also might have cluttered his head with excess information. He has been looking at more players when he might well have benefited from narrowing down. Ten of his 30 are based in Argentina. Boca's lumbering centre forward Martin Palermo looks set to stay in the 23. But can he really make an impact at the World Cup? And is he needed as well as Higuain and Milito? It means someone has to miss out - probably Lavezzi of Napoli, such a slippery player on the counter-attack. At the other end of the field, Garce of Colon is in while Zanetti of Inter Milan is out - a baffling defiance of common sense. There are lots of wide midfielders but the area that looks especially deficient is central midfield. Fernando Gago's lack of playing time with Real Madrid has cost him a place while Maradona is not a fan of Esteban Cambiasso, who, in fairness, was one of the least effective members in the side before he took over. To my mind, the strangest omission is that of Ever Banega, a midfielder of superb passing range who can drop back and mark. He would be an ideal deputy for Juan Sebastian Veron, who at 35 might struggle for gas. Brazil's choices, then, are methodical, well thought out, coherent. Some of Argentina's look scattergun, products of whims of inspiration. And the wonderful thing is that neither guarantee results - football has never been an exact science. Wabilaahi Tawfiik, May this talk some sense into the heads of Norf, Bob and Tuujiye.

This is a very bad news for me if Terry is out. I wanted him to play, and caught for pace. But it is even better if King is his replacement. Iska-soo-mar defence iga dheh!

Brazil will benefit because few teams have strong strikers in this world cup. The team that has the best defense will win this world cup and I think we all agree on the strength of Brazil defence. I agree with Ngonge that Lucas and Denilson of Arsenal should have been included. Norf, While on paper Agrentina has a better attacking names, what they will do will depend on what the rest of the team members do. I think you are missing the fact that only two of the strikers will appear in the line-up any one time and also the fact that these players played Brazil more than three times in the last couple of years and have been beaten on each occassion. Norf judges how good players are by looking at how big the clubs they play for are. That makes sense. But in the World Cup South Korea and Mexico are tough teams which the likes of England and France will fear. Yet, how many players do they have in big clubs? War, I can't wait for this world cup. It will be a learning experience for Norf and Co. Ngonge Maradona and the whole of Argentina were criticising Zanetti and their team because they were not delivering.

OZ, why do we sometimes tend to believe in myths. Both Zanetti and Riquelme were in Argentina squad long enough to win something, and they didn't. And I will argue with top class players on their side all along. The same goes for those who dramatise the impact of Ronaldinho. Was he not there in 2006? Zenetti is protected in Inter by a veru good midfield who allows little to pass to the defence. If exposed to fast strikers, he lacks the pace.

Aniga inaadeerkay ayaa last week shil gaadhi galay oo COMA galay. He wake up only once and they say he said "inaan Coma ku jiro ha loo sheego hebel (my name)." And since then, wax hadal ah lagama hayo although Doctors said he is not in coma. I had the feeling he is exaggerating his situation. Si aan yeelo ayaan garan la'ahay (ileen waa beentii ma odhan karee).

by the way, for Tuujiye's benefit, Zenetti, Cambiasso, and Gabriel Milito have no places in the Argentina squad. Samuel is there, but we don't know he will be in the last 23 list (or he will be a substitue for DeMicheals if he goes). Lool coloccini, Jonas Gutterrez, Maxi Rodriguez, Heinze, Veron etc etc. What a poor back line and midfield. What is fearsome is the attack, but Argentina will woe the fact that their team is not balanced. too many good strikers, but elsewhere there is scarcity of talent. What we don't know is how the local players who are selected from Argentina league will do. If they turn out to be good ones. maybe Agentina will have a chance. Argentina squad: Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar), Mariano Andujar (Catania), Diego Pozo (Colon) Defenders: Nicolas Burdisso (Inter Milan), Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich), Walter Samuel (Inter Milan), Gabriel Heinze (Olympique Marseille), Nicolas Otamendi (Velez Sarsfield), Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle), Juan Manuel Insaurralde (Newell's Old Boys), Clemente Rodriguez (Estudiantes), Ariel Garce (Colon) Midfielders: Javier Mascherano (Liverpool), Sebastian Blanco (Lanus), Juan Sebastian Veron (Estudiantes), Jesus Datolo (Olympiacos), Jose Sosa (Estudiantes), Maximiliano Rodriguez (Liverpool), Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina), Juan Mercier (Argentinos Juniors), Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle), Javier Pastore (Palermo) Forwards: Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Diego Milito (Inter Milan), Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli). I reckon Argentina's starting 11 will be: Romero (GK) DeMicheals Otomandi Heinze Burdisso Mashcerano Veron Jonas Gutteruz Angel De Maria Higuain Messi Lool of all that talent upfront, he will take only four. And I think they should be Tevez, Messi, Milito, and Higuain. But it is hard for Maradona to drop Palermo (who he promised to take him to the WC after the Peru game - Maradona waa fooxle, wuu ka faashadaa ninkan) and Wiilka uu sodoga u yahay ee Aguero. Inay gabadhu isku marto ooy tidhaa lama reebayo ayaan ka yaabi!

Those are my words, but if you read them elsewhere it means lots of people agree on the limitations of Ronaldinho. And I don't pretend my analysis is original, lots of commentators have been saying it. But, on Brazillian wanting a team that plays well but loses, I am not sure. The 94 and '02 teams are respectd and loved more than the artful team of 1982. By the way Dunga calls that team of Zico, Socrates, Falcao, Cerezo "specialists in losing". If you go to Brazil team world cup blog, most comments are that if Dunga wins the World Cup, his selection will not an issue. That tells you Brazillian's no more prioritise joga-bonito over cups. They want to win and their game plan must evolve. That is what Dunga has done.