Hear, hear...

Saaxiib, adaa dadkan kala yaqaana ee Why don't we send you there as PeaceKeeper?? Just when you think the mayhem is over, allies turn their guns on each other. Too confusing always (magacii Soomaaliduna wuu dhintay). No wonder Djibouti took the name of the city...

And what's with the comment about 'Noble Blood'? Little old me, noble blood? Never says I. From poor nomadic stock

^^ Xiin, I must really get under your skin Like I said, I'm not your enemy right now... Back to your point/my point: Which you totally missed! Harlem & Brooklyn are both NYC ( in case you didn't know). Now Tupac(and his producer Suge Knight) is most famous for being the public face of West Coast rap/hip-hop, not NY/East Coast. His 'beef' was with the East Coast represented in the '90s by Biggy Smalls and his producer at the time, P.Diddy. It was a time that Rap had become commercially very viable for recording corps. in the US. So the misrepresentation on your part was: bringing a Tupac/NY connection to the equation which is irrelevant given that he stood for the prestige of the West Coast. As irrelevant as looking at Joseph Stalin's Georgian birth (born in modern day Georgia). Stalin is universally known as the strongman of Russia/Soviet Union. It's as irrelevant as the fact that many Somalilanders on this board were born in Xamar, in the days of unity but still feel their loyalty towards Somaliland. I can go on and on... But you get the point, FINALLY. Take it easy, Haji, and check with your younger cousins who might be Hip-Hop/Rap heads Or even better, drop a line to Kashafa He will certainly bring you out of your ignorance. A Little Bit of Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing...

Some might feel I'm nit-picking but it's extremely annoying how things are always put out of context with no fact checking by some. Come on, people, use that education you've been blessed with. And if you don't know, you don't know. Don't over-reach for what you don't know. Example 1: Originally posted by Malika: If the case is for Somalia to be an Islamic state,erm..It is the only country in the world that is going to implement Sharia law,markaa what is the purpose of Alshabaab wagged war? Blatantly incorrect. Several states have claimed instituting Sharia across the globe. The devil is in the details and interpretation, though. Saudi Arabia is taken as the poster child for this process (though, not all citizens are equal before the law in that land) Example 2: Originally posted by xiinfaniin: Remember Tupak S a kid from Harlem dared to compose a hit album against a rival, stronger group and ultimately died for it. Once again, incorrect and completely out of context. Born in Brooklyn under the name Lesane Parish Crooks, Tupac Shakur received the name with which he came to be known to the world from his mother (Black Panther activist Afeni Shakur) in tribute to Incan revolutionary Tupac Amaru. His biological father had separated from his mother before his birth, and his stepfather was imprisoned for armored car robbery when he was two years old, leaving his family to struggle frequently under conditions of extreme poverty. While a teenager in Baltimore, Tupac developed an interest in performance; eventually he managed to gain entrance to The Baltimore School for the Performing Arts, where he studied acting and ballet. Before he could complete his education, however, he was forced to relocate to California. While on the streets of Oakland, Shakur drifted into the gang life, accumulating a criminal record with eight arrests by the beginning of his twenties. In a more constructive vein, he began to developing the skills as a rapper he had first started to explore during his years in Baltimore. By 1991 he had landed a job as a dancer and roadie for the group Digital Underground, later making his recording debut on their This Is An EP Release; but by the end of the year a successful solo career was already underway with the release of 2Pacalypse Now. The following year his acting ambitions were realized through a prominent role in the hip-hop film Juice. Now, this has very little to do with the topic on this thread but it is a worrying trend on this Forum that members post blatantly inaccurate information to buttress their arguments and very few call them on it. Xiin, the other day, relocated the origins of Poetic Intellectual Property from one corner of the Somali Peninsula to the other side. Now how can your arguments be taken seriously when there's a body of evidence indicating inaccuracy, falsehoods, and sheer fabrications. Argue with Kashafa on the extremity of his viewpoints but reinforce your points with reality and facts, not fairy tales and the make-believe. Brotherly advice, as usual.

Wow!!! The amount of venom this article has generated... Interesting... Nothing has changed since the 1960's

We're well aware of that, my friend. Just tell them not to wear Diric's this time (when they're attempting to sneak away). It's very unbecoming

Thanks, MMA. I better watch my P's and Q's...

Originally posted by Fu-Fu: faaan iyo faatu dhug weynaaa Put down that bottle of Hater-Ade immediately

Link Only in Somaliland

Not all Somalias are created equal By Shashank Bengali | McClatchy Newspapers Thu May 14, 6:20 am ET The money-changing market in Hargeisa, Somaliland When I've gone to Somalia, the first question I've had to grapple with, as a foreigner and therefore ransom bait, is how many armed bodyguards to hire. Not so in Somaliland. The first serious question asked of me after I landed recently came from the helpful young clerk at the cell phone company. "Do you want to get Internet on your phone?" he asked. Somaliland was almost a pleasure to work in -- not as hot and pirate-infested as Puntland, not as likely to be fatal as Mogadishu . Walking through the main market there, I didn't get that heavy pulse-pounding you usually feel in Somalia, like someone could be after you or the car in front of you could explode . And yet Somaliland is still, technically, Somalia. The regional government has been trying to get African and Western countries to recognize its independence, but so far in vain. While this irks experts and aid workers, African countries are still trying to maintain the rhetoric of a unified Somalia -- and the U.S. and other Western countries aren't going to take the lead in recognizing Somaliland. This is unfortunate. Somaliland has earned the right to decide its own fate by doing an admirable job governing itself, creating relatively robust economic and political systems in the midst of chaos. This hasn't exactly sat well with the extremists in the south, who staged coordinated suicide bombings in the capital, Hargeisa, last October -- the most shocking violence here since the civil war of the early 1990s. The government swiftly instituted security measures, and now buildings frequented by foreigners and top officials are barricaded and most expatriates don't venture outside after dark. The economy is stable but sluggish, which is what you get when foreign banks aren't free to open branches, and officials insist they need access to direct foreign investment to decouple it from the rest of Somalia. Shipments are regularly delayed because the main port, Berbera, still registers for insurance companies as part of Somalia. When I was there, the main cell phone company, Telesom, had run out of SIM cards. But, they assured me, they could put Internet on my phone. I sat in the airy second-story customer service center, surrounded by a whirring bank of computers, while the guy worked on my phone. He fiddled with it for 10 minutes before I realized he had no idea what he was doing. When I walked over he was staring at the keypad blankly. "Have you ever programmed one of these before?" I asked. "No," he said finally, and handed the phone back apologetically. So the BlackBerry has yet to reach Somaliland. But it will.

The editors of the website are frequent readers of this Board. Easy to trace...

^^^ Was very effective in bringing down in Adde Muse's leadership!

Advice taken, Che

Originally posted by wacdaraha_aduunka: Mintid why are you so bothered with his posts I thought you didnt have anything to do with anything called Somalia let alone its capital? Oh, and one more thing Mr. Wacdaraha - After I get my recognition, I plan on expanding into my Southern neighbor. It's dangerous to have open, ungoverned spaces around. Syria into Lebanon, Rwanda into Congo-Zaire, etc. You know what I mean

I'm not bothered at all. Duke is true blue Puntland man. I understand that. I understand the struggle to gain leverage for that objective. There's nothing wrong with that. The only time I intercede is when he posts fabrications to which I try to present the facts (as I know them, since I'm just a mere human ). But the endless repetitions of talking points gets boring and takes up much needed bandwidth. These talking points should be sent to global institutions not this 'Board'. I must admit he's made some painful observations about the Sharif gov't in the last few days, though But his continuous gloating only serves to win more enemies for Puntland (since he's the self-appointed spokesman). Now, please, answer in a civil manner if you're going to respond. I'm still recovering from Xiin's continuous name-calling As if I'm to blame for the crushing of his latest dream

Meiji, You make a lot of sense with that last posting but I'm afraid it's going over people's heads...

Western wire services have reported that Al-Shabaab & Xisbul Islam have acquired access to upgraded weapons, including long-range artillery more powerful than their typical mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. This has contributed to AMISOM moving their logistical base to the prison ward headquarters in Mogadishu.

Indonesia Denies Reports It Offered to Lead UN Peace Force in Somalia Thursday, May 14, 2009 By: Ismira Lutfia The government on Thursday denied media reports that it had offered to lead a United Nations peacekeeping force in Somalia, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said. Reuters reported on Wednesday that UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy told the Security Council that Indonesia had offered to spearhead peacekeeping in the Muslim country. United Nations officials have reportedly insisted that a Muslim country be in charge of any UN force sent to the volatile African state. Indonesia, while a secular country, is home to the world’s largest Muslim population. Indonesia has informed the United Nations “that it would be ready to provide troops and to take on a lead role in a UN peacekeeping operation in Somalia,” Le Roy was quoted as saying. Speaking on the phone from Manado, Faizasyah said no such commitment had been made by Indonesia to the United Nations. “However, we are committed to participating in all UN peacekeeping missions as we previously have done so in accordance with the UN mandate,” Faizasyah said, adding that sending peacekeeping troops to Somalia, let alone leading a UN force, remains a serious issue regarding the current situation in the country. “We will have to carefully consider the technicalities and the mandate to send troops there as the conditions will be hard for us,” Faizasyah said, adding that sending troops to Somalia was different from sending a peacekeeping force to other places such as Sudan and Lebanon. “[At this point] it is not possible for us to send troops there [somalia],” he said. More than 1,100 Indonesian soldiers are participating in UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, which comprises a total of 13,000 UN personnel. The Indonesian military has also deployed five peacekeeping missions to Congo, with the first mission departing in 1960. Under the United Nations, Indonesia has deployed peacekeeping personnel to conflict zones around the world, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Kuwait, Mozambique and the Philippines. Reuters reported that Somalia has been a byword for anarchy since a dictatorship was overthrown in 1991. Currently, large parts of southern and central Somalia are under the control of hard-line Al Shabaab insurgents and allied Islamist fighters. Years of conflict in Somalia have confounded 15 attempts to establish a central government, killing tens of thousands, displacing millions and creating a security vacuum that has spawned piracy and other criminal activity. Source: Jakarta Globe, May 14, 2009

Originally posted by xiinfaniin: Mintid, I say otherwise. These verses trace their origins in Mudug Valley as far as I know. LOL @ Maskiin Xiin. I knew of your deep clannist leanings but this is one for the history books! "Trace their origins in Mudug Valley" - Ma waxaa baad maanta la shir timid? To the point of co-opting others' history as your own clan's? Secondly, you clash with many viewpoints on this Forum yet with 'moi' it's a bit different Why so personal, dear fellow? Your deep, personal animosity in my direction can be felt through the IP traffic It's not that serious, son... ----------------- As for Peace Action, do you think I would have picked the pseudonym from that famous poem if I didn't know every bit of history behind it? Think for once, man...

Very correct, Duufaan. Xiin lost points in the 'Suugaan' department. I'll have to reconsider his previous postings on that subject. I took somethings he posted about poetry down South at face-value but will now have to verify from other sources.

That history is well know in Somaliland. I almost posted the name for you but then your sarcasm stopped me A true mark of a man is his behaviour when the going is tough... Gone are the 'Muslim beer-laxawsi' and 'Midnimo Soomaaliyeed' - all that's left is this remnant of Xiin Like the beast of burden you named yourself after, I fear that you, too, shall flee into the cold, dry desert...

I see you're still holding a grudge in my direction, Xiin If only name-calling could change the current direction of things! I must've really gotten under your skin in the past month. You used to stay above the fray in the past Today, I'm not your enemy. Save your resources for the real battle at hand...

Now you've shown your true folly and ignorance just when I was beginning to give you credit. Southern man, ku lahaa... And I thought you were a student of 'sugaanta'. Disappointing... The originator of those verses was a well known fighter and caaqil, you buffoon (and he wasn't from anywhere close to the South - far from it) But I won't add to any more of your problems, you've got enough to deal with for the moment. Good luck...

Those with discerning eyes will understand why I've highlighted certain areas of his interview... -------------------- ------ INTERVIEW-U.N. envoy "destroying" Somalia - Aweys 14 May 2009 12:40 PM Reuters News English © 2009 Reuters Limited * U.N. envoy "destroying" Somalia, Aweys says * Presence of foreign militants exaggerated * No talks with interim government By Abdiaziz Hassan MOGADISHU, May 14 (Reuters) - Hardline opposition leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys accused the U.N. special envoy to Somalia on Thursday of "destroying" the Horn of Africa nation, and dismissed talks with the interim government. Aweys is seen as an influential figure among insurgents in Somalia where he has headed numerous Islamist groups since the 1990s including the Islamic Courts Union that controlled Mogadishu and much of the south in 2006 before being ousted by Ethiopian soldiers later that year. The 62-year-old cleric told Reuters in an interview that U.N. envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah was harming Somalis by only supporting the weak transitional government. "It is a surprise to see Ould-Abdallah destroying Somalia when he, as a Muslim, has an obligation of being honest of what he has to do for Somalis," Aweys said. "He consistently defends the government policies as if he is the president of this country, and he is not playing his role of engaging every side of the conflict." The world body was not immediately available for comment. Since the weekend, some of the fiercest clashes in Somalia for months between opposition and pro-government forces have killed at least 139 people and wounded more than 400 others. Aweys along with President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed led the ICU, which briefly ushered in a time of stability in Somalia before being ousted in December 2006. "This war is between Somalis who tasted the sweetness of being free and stability and aides of foreign enemies against their interest ... It is a political war ," he said. Somalia's 18 years of civil conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. FOREIGN FIGHTERS Aweys -- whom the United States accuses of links to al Qaeda -- said reports that foreign militants had flocked to Somalia to aid insurgents were embellished. "It is possible that young, excited Muslim men had arrived in Somalia individually, but it is unfortunate to exaggerate this as a hideout for foreign fighters," he said. "As Somalis, we reach our own decisions, and we had not requested any organisation or governments to come and fight along with us." Western security agencies have long feared that Somalia with its porous borders and lack of central rule could become a haven for terrorist organisations and could breed extremism. Aweys has denied rumours that he has links to terrorists. He reiterated that he would not enter into talks with the government until African Union peacekeepers leave. The presence of foreign soldiers has been a sticking point for opposition figures since Ethiopia's 2006 invasion. "The troops who came to keep Muslim leaders away from the leadership have to leave the country. (Then) we are granting every Somali that there will be no fighting. We will sit together and solve everything through dialogue," he said.