Your point is well taken. Many of us have read the report you quoted as well as the others that preceded it in past years. The security cooperation between Somaliland and Ethiopia is well documented even by Somaliland and Ethiopian government officials. There's nothing secret about it (as well as security cooperation with Djibouti, U.S.A, France, U.K., among others). Somaliland,being a poor, under-developed, post-conflict fledgling state accepts help from anywhere it can and openly states that in official communiques. All of that is granted/given, but my challenge to you is to show proof of Ethiopian armaments transhipping through Berbera. The Arms Control Report (annually issued to the Security Council) is one of the more comprehensive reports of arms shipments in the peninsula that we have access to. Yet in your search, you failed to find any accusations/suspicions that Ethiopia brings armaments through the Berbera 'corridor'. As a matter of fact, this same report in that section clearly states: "Somaliland is currently not an active belligerent in the Somali conflict, but its claim to independence and dispute with the Puntland administration over Sool and eastern Sanaag regions could potentially lead to armed conflict in future." You've shown us you can do a word-search on the report (let me guess, you found the report and then searched the word Somaliland within the text) yet you nibble around the edges of country-to-country security training without delivering the smoking gun of arms shipments through Berbera. I humbly await your proof.

Your point is well taken. Many of us have read the report you quoted as well as the others that preceded it in past years. The security cooperation between Somaliland and Ethiopia is well documented even by Somaliland and Ethiopian government officials. There's nothing secret about it (as well as security cooperation with Djibouti, U.S.A, France, U.K., among others). Somaliland,being a poor, under-developed, post-conflict fledgling state accepts help from anywhere it can and openly states that in official communiques. All of that is granted/given, but my challenge to you is to show proof of Ethiopian armaments transhipping through Berbera. The Arms Control Report (annually issued to the Security Council) is one of the more comprehensive reports of arms shipments in the peninsula that we have access to. Yet in your search, you failed to find any accusations/suspicions that Ethiopia brings armaments through the Berbera 'corridor'. As a matter of fact, this same report in that section clearly states: "Somaliland is currently not an active belligerent in the Somali conflict, but its claim to independence and dispute with the Puntland administration over Sool and eastern Sanaag regions could potentially lead to armed conflict in future." You've shown us you can do a word-search on the report (let me guess, you found the report and then searched the word Somaliland within the text) yet you nibble around the edges of country-to-country security training without delivering the smoking gun of arms shipments through Berbera. I humbly await your proof.

Your point is well taken. Many of us have read the report you quoted as well as the others that preceded it in past years. The security cooperation between Somaliland and Ethiopia is well documented even by Somaliland and Ethiopian government officials. There's nothing secret about it (as well as security cooperation with Djibouti, U.S.A, France, U.K., among others). Somaliland,being a poor, under-developed, post-conflict fledgling state accepts help from anywhere it can and openly states that in official communiques. All of that is granted/given, but my challenge to you is to show proof of Ethiopian armaments transhipping through Berbera. The Arms Control Report (annually issued to the Security Council) is one of the more comprehensive reports of arms shipments in the peninsula that we have access to. Yet in your search, you failed to find any accusations/suspicions that Ethiopia brings armaments through the Berbera 'corridor'. As a matter of fact, this same report in that section clearly states: "Somaliland is currently not an active belligerent in the Somali conflict, but its claim to independence and dispute with the Puntland administration over Sool and eastern Sanaag regions could potentially lead to armed conflict in future." You've shown us you can do a word-search on the report (let me guess, you found the report and then searched the word Somaliland within the text) yet you nibble around the edges of country-to-country security training without delivering the smoking gun of arms shipments through Berbera. I humbly await your proof.

Twisted, Substantiate that allegation that Ethiopian weapons were unloaded from Berbera or passed through Somaliland territory. Let's not engage in hearsay. Almost everything that goes on in the region is now under the international microscope. There's a whole UN Security Council Committee devoted to Weapons Flows in Somalia. This committee has for years documented weapon transfers to every different faction in Somalia as well as weapons in transit through the Somali peninsula. These reports never mention Ethiopian weapons transhipping through Berbera. Yet the same reports have documented Ethiopian transfers of weapons through the borders of Southern Somalia both for themselves and different factions within the South. So please bring forth this proof that you have of Ethiopian weapons moving through Somaliland territory. We're waiting....

Twisted, Substantiate that allegation that Ethiopian weapons were unloaded from Berbera or passed through Somaliland territory. Let's not engage in hearsay. Almost everything that goes on in the region is now under the international microscope. There's a whole UN Security Council Committee devoted to Weapons Flows in Somalia. This committee has for years documented weapon transfers to every different faction in Somalia as well as weapons in transit through the Somali peninsula. These reports never mention Ethiopian weapons transhipping through Berbera. Yet the same reports have documented Ethiopian transfers of weapons through the borders of Southern Somalia both for themselves and different factions within the South. So please bring forth this proof that you have of Ethiopian weapons moving through Somaliland territory. We're waiting....

Twisted, Substantiate that allegation that Ethiopian weapons were unloaded from Berbera or passed through Somaliland territory. Let's not engage in hearsay. Almost everything that goes on in the region is now under the international microscope. There's a whole UN Security Council Committee devoted to Weapons Flows in Somalia. This committee has for years documented weapon transfers to every different faction in Somalia as well as weapons in transit through the Somali peninsula. These reports never mention Ethiopian weapons transhipping through Berbera. Yet the same reports have documented Ethiopian transfers of weapons through the borders of Southern Somalia both for themselves and different factions within the South. So please bring forth this proof that you have of Ethiopian weapons moving through Somaliland territory. We're waiting....

Duke, Serious question for you: Why not use the 2000-3000 Puntland troops that have now returned from Mogadishu & Baydhabo to secure the peace. They have better training (thanks to the UNDP for the police and Ethiopians for the Army troops) than the local militias that stayed behind in Puntland. Or are those being saved for a possible assault on Las Anod??

AZ, You're absolutely right about solar power but one step at a time; little by little we can increase the pace and learning curve. This is a good start if what JB says about the price differential between the gas and charcoal is correct. Gives an alternative that's not clean fuel, but environmentally cleaner than the previous alternative (charcoal). For those of us,who travel throughout the African continent, we see what's occurring in other African states. These type of endeavors are always funded by Western NGOs or Bilateral Aid Governmental Agencies with Western nationals taking the lion's share of the profits. Maybe, I'm speaking too soon since I'm assuming that it's a Somali owned enterprise. But so far, impressive!

The pictures of the holding facility(for the gas) are quite impressive. It's amazing what Somalis can achieve given peace and law&order. Our brothers & sisters from other regions should take example and see their potential if the environment was the same, rather than engaging in name-calling and fault-finding. Hopefully peace will be achieved in the rest of the Somali peninsula. JB, thanks for posting the pics. Makes one feel one is wasting one's time in the West

What idiotic statements by Samater supporters!!! To compare Rayaale with Samater. The proponents of the attempted genocide against a particular clan in the North fled for their lives when their regime fell. Up to now, none of them will set foot on the land of that clan due to the issue of personal safety. M.Ali Samater stands at the pinnacle of those that are left from key decision-makers in that regime. Mr.Samater was the First Vice-President, Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and Prime Minister in the course of that regime. He's quoted on Western airwaves as having given the order for the bombings of Hargeisa and Buroa (with the given justification of uprooting anti-revolutionary forces - i.e. the SNM). Even Colonel Tuke who personally killed many in the Gabiley area cannot be compared to M. Ali Samater. To school the Guulwadayaal in this Forum, it's called 'Chain of Command'. The higher you are in the chain of command, the more culpable you are for the crimes committed. Now it's also true that Dahir Rayaale was a minor Colonel in that region stationed in Berbera. In other words, he was a colluder like significant parts of the neighboring clans. Right after the takeover of the SNM, he didn't run or flee but was able to walk around with his former foes in safety. He stayed and shuttled back & forth between Borama and Hargeisa engaged in business as well as taking part as a representative of his clan in the peace conferences taking place at the time. Now those who know Somalis will admit there would have been little possibility of Rayaale staying alive in those days among a hostile clan which had overwhelming power, fresh from a victorious war. Now those who throw the fabrication of Dahir Rayaale as a war criminal use selective reading of a report written by a humanitarian agency which mentions that Dahir Rayaale was a Colonel in Berbera at the time of the war to base their allegations on. The report is completely unclear on what role Dahir Rayaale played in any happenings during that time - it only states his position and rank at Berbera at the time. I write this not to defend Rayaale, but rather the honor of those who were killed and their relatives. It's cheap propaganda to imply that they would let the killers of their loved ones walk around. People, for once, use that thing in between your ears for once!

AT, Fair enough. Just wanted a clarification on your current posting vis-a-vis previous postings.

Hence, your point is:the real problem in the South (former Italian Somaliland)is communal failure not elite/leadership failure. So political leadership in Somaliland is irrelevant and it's only due to strong clan elders and a traditional adherence to the law learned from a British colonial heritage that maintains the Somaliland boat. Did I properly understand your point?

AT, That's quite unfair from a logical point. Sometimes you make sense, other times you're consumed by 'ficil'. Rayaale and Warabe are able to keep their part of the peninsula in peace while maintaining law & order - something that the rest of the Somali population cries out for. You can have issue with their stands and policies but they definitely cannot be put in the same league as those you've mentioned who have very little to show for decades in the game. Most of them have been tested and failed in their brief tenures of position and power. Could we at least agree that's fair without resorting to emotionalism?! P.S. Weren't you advocating for Waraabe in a previous post? How much you admired him? Then you bash him the next day as lower than.... Your inconsistencies in 'mabda' are quite glaring!

AUN. Samir iyo Imaan to his family. The photos of Muxaafid with Mucaarid standing together always reminds of the built-in civility within the Somaliland society that allows it to prosper and progress in a tough environment.

For one who has wrongfully nicknamed himself Garyaqaan, you seem bereft of a sense of justice or righteousness in your defense of these men. As for the ex.Colonel Tuke whom you seem to have promoted to General (inflation of titles seems the norm with your likes), we both know he's not walking around the environment freely but had to beat a hasty exit out of the USA. Both you and I also know the damage the case did to his household/family! I'll leave my point at that juncture. Either way tell Samatar (since you're neighbors and pals), that as administrations change and old hands at the Pentagon fade into retirement, his past utility is less remembered and he becomes more expendable by the powers that be in his new homeland. He will understand exactly what that means even though I doubt you will. So just pass it along, verbatim

Speaking of 'calaacal', what's with all the crying and cursing? Samatar will get another day in court and if he beats this one again, there will be another case brought and another case, etc. One thing is guaranteed though, he will never have a night of peace in the U.S. which is the reason he rarely ventures out of that McLean,Virginia residence of his. The man avoids most Virginia Somali functions as those of you from the area or contacts in the area know - out of fear of those terrible 'Northerners'! So the hunt continues, ladies and gentlemen. Do your best, for we will certainly do our best to hunt down those who murdered our loved ones. But you're more than welcome to donate your hard earned money for his legal defense - He most certainly will need it (legal fees are quite expensive in the U.S.)

Gentlemen, AT's argument for Awdalites being anti-Somaliland is based on two premises - contacts with a few diaspora Awdalites and a media interview with a disgruntled Awdal elder. First, in examining diaspora leanings, it's never been a good barometer for what's happening on the ground. Relevant proof of that is the inability of all Puntlanders in this Forum to predict Faroole as the winner of the recent competion for leadership in that troubled region. The Somali peninsula today is increasingly inhabited by a new generation under 25-yrs of age who are only familiar with the post Siad Barre era and measure things according to the realities currently in existance rather than nostalgia over 'cappuccino at Bar Jubba'. As for the elder interviewed recently by some media outlets, he expressed issue with the greater numbers reported by some regions in the voter registration drive in comparison with the numbers reported by his home region of Awdal. This is simply the usual regional jockeying for influence that's common in all democratic one-man-one-vote systems around the world where greater electorates represent greater political clout. He angrily stated that the people of Awdal will not give up their inalienable rights as citizens of Somaliland in exchange for currently occupying the Presidential seat. No where in the interview is opposition to Somaliland expressed, only exasperation with his region's allotment of registered voting population base within the Somaliland state. To surmise anti-Somaliland leanings from this is far-fetched and devoid of proof thus far. What's obvious from AT's argument is not logical reasoning but rather frustration with the cold, hard fact that Somaliland is the only political construct within the Somali peninsula that has endured and strengthened in the nearly two decades since the fall of Siad Barre. I sympathize with the usual frustration this causes for Somalis not from Somaliland to see everything you construct fail while your neighbor, with a few stumbles along the way, continuously pulls ahead. Yet this is the situation within the Somali peninsula known as the Horn of Africa.

Originally posted by xiinfaniin: If nothing else, they should’ve denied him the presidency for clannish reasons to restore some political credibility for this failing state. A sad day for Puntland - regardless of the diatribes of its sons and daughters on this Forum, the political elite there can always be counted on to stumble in their strategy. The old clan domination game of the '60s has been understood by all Somali clans and only those who offer something to the smallest of constituencies within their midst come out winners in the end. This will only further strengthen Somaliland's push to wean the border clans from their old clan allegiances with their cousins across the border. The game is only getting more interesting - at least for one side!

That uncalibrated honesty regardless of who's listening is why 'anti-Somaliland' individuals prefer Faisal Warabe. It's also for precisely that same reason that his involvement in politics worries many Somalilanders. He's honest, too honest at the risk of revealing national security matters. His attachment to the Somaliland cause is beyond doubt though not always phrased in the most diplomatic of manners. The man should have a speech writer though, to vet his public statements.

Impeachment Proceedings Begun Against Somali Leader Yusuf's Two Years of Rule Backed by Ethiopian Army, U.S. By Stephanie McCrummen Washington Post Foreign Service Thursday, December 18, 2008; A20 NAIROBI, Dec. 17 -- Somalia's parliament voted Wednesday to begin impeachment proceedings against President Abdullahi Yusuf, another sign that his U.S.-backed government is unraveling. "This is the end of the government. This is it," said Mohamed Amin, a member of an opposition coalition that has a majority in parliament. Yusuf's government began disintegrating almost from the start two years ago, when it was installed with the might of the Ethiopian army and help from the United States. At the time, the United States and Ethiopia viewed Yusuf -- a warlord known as a tough and wily survivor -- as a viable alternative to an Islamist movement that had taken over the capital of Mogadishu and that they accused of having links to al-Qaeda. The transitional government and its elaborate system of clan representation was to be Somalia's first functioning central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a dictator and then turned on one another. But Yusuf quickly proved to be a brutal leader devoted to the interests of his own clan, and his forces have killed and kidnapped political opponents, among the human rights abuses that other parties to the conflict also carried out. Yusuf and his Ethiopian backers have faced a relentless insurgency made up of clan militias and, increasingly, a radical Islamist faction known as al-Shabab. The group, which the United States has designated a terrorist organization, has in recent months advanced on cities and towns across a swath of southern Somalia and much of Mogadishu. Yusuf's forces control just a few blocks in the capital. Now the president is losing what tenuous political support he had. The Ethiopians announced last month that they would withdraw from Somalia at the end of the year. U.S. and U.N. officials appear to be shifting their support to his main rival, Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein, who helped broker a peace deal that in theory gives substantial power to an opposition coalition. Yusuf fired Hussein this week, but the parliament rejected the move and voted to extend his term. On Wednesday, lawmakers accused Yusuf of blocking the reconciliation process and voted to begin the process for his removal. "He is committing suicide in terms of his political calculation," said Ali Said, director of the Center for Peace and Democracy, a Somali group operating in exile in Nairobi that promotes democratic government and human right s. "He will become isolated." One U.S. official put it more bluntly. "Yusuf is finished," the official said on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned this week that Somalia could descend into "chaos" when the Ethiopian troops leave the country, and efforts to rally a U.N. peacekeeping force to replace them have been unsuccessful. The looming question is what happens next in Somalia, where more than 1 million people displaced by two years of fighting are now facing drought, hyperinflation and a dearth of humanitarian assistance. Across the border in Kenya, the Dadaab refugee camp is bulging with tens of thousands of Somalis as busloads of newcomers arrive almost every day. On Wednesday, Somali lawmakers signed what is known as the Djibouti agreement, which substantially increases representation in parliament of moderate Islamists who were pushed out of Mogadishu by the Ethiopians, as well as members of the vast diaspora, intellectuals, clan elders and others. The leader of the opposition coalition, Sharif Ahmed, recently returned to Mogadishu after nearly two years in exile and is trying to persuade clan elders and their militias to stop fighting and back him. "He is there selling the Djibouti agreement," Said said, adding that support for the Shabab would plummet after the Ethiopians withdraw. Others see the situation as far more bleak. "The military situation on the ground is completely different from the political picture," the U.S. official said. "It's just a matter of time before the Shabab move into Mogadishu." If that happens, the next phase of Somalia's perpetual conflict would probably be a bloody power struggle between various clan militias and the Shabab. The rise of a radical Islamist group in Somalia would amount to the very scenario that Bush administration officials had sought to avoid by backing Yusuf. The Shabab has thrived under the banner of fighting the Ethiopians, whom it views as proxies for the United States. But other than the exit of the Ethiopians and an end to U.S. involvement in Somalia, its goals are unclear. In some areas it controls, the Shabab is demanding strict adherence to its brand of Islamic law. Two months ago, for example, Shabab militiamen stoned to death a 14-year-old girl who had been raped after accusing her of being promiscuous. Special correspondent Mohamed Ibrahim contributed to this report. Washington Post Link

Red Sea, Thank you for the pictures! Ignore the taunts of those who are unable to move forward. The current situation in Somalia proper has brought great frustration to them so their continuous lashing out is 'predictable'.

And some Puntlanders in this Forum have argued with me that the A/Yusuf family has no assets in Kenya. Tsk..Tsk...

My friends from Puntland, You're taking this far too personal.So let's look at facts that we can all agree on. It was decided at the recent meeting of Puntland Isims that since no Puntland Armed Forces exist currently, a militia of 300 men should be immediately formed for Garowe city for election purposes that would keep the deteriorating security situation under control for the upcoming elections. This force would have to be created from scratch since no such force currently exists within Puntland. The warlord style practice of Presidential candidates travelling around with their own technicals and militias would no longer be tolerated in Garowe according to the Isims' declaration. The same was previously arranged in Galkacayo when Ade Muse handed over security matters to the local leadership a few months ago. Ade Muse has continuously apologized for the lack of salaries for the Puntland administration for the last year. Now if Puntland is such an economic powerhouse, where is the money going? The TFG when it's had access to funds has been directly funded by the E.U. via UNDP (security forces and civil service) so Puntland is definitely not paying those salaries. Somaliland on the other hand does not miss a month of salary for any of its civil servants (not to mention the robust security services). Now Somaliland receives no supplementary budgetary assistance from international organizations or nations - but does this through purely its own revenue collection systems. Additionally since people are people (no people are innately better than any other), when extreme poverty pushes humans to the edge, they usually turn to crime out of desperation. Hence, the piracy issue and the inability of the Puntland administration to do anything to correct the problem. The Puntland leadership at the highest level has admitted that they are powerless to stop the pirates right in their midst. In fact,according to all news reports (both Somali and foreign), the pirates due to their wealth are the strongest force within Puntland currently. That's why even Abdullahi Yusuf had to appeal to them to release the Yemeni ship. He didn't order them to release the ship nor did he arrest them as any head of state would have done if he had the power. My friends, Puntland is a paper tiger, and no amount of propaganda can cover that up. The facts are there for all to see. Your defense of your homeland is admirable, but your leaders have let the cat out of the bag a long time ago.

Mr.Abu, Shame that you took examples that are open to debate for demonizing. I welcome the debate though. While you took the example of Mogadishu/ICU-rule era as clutching at straws, I'll explain why that's an analogous example. It's only fair to compare Mogadishu to towns/cities in Somaliland & Puntland during a period of peace rather than daily warfare. Civilians never repatriate to a war-zone. The only such period Mogadishu has experienced since '91 is the 6 months of ICU rule.

Ridiculous children who know nothing about the realities in the Somali peninsula! Puntland can never break away. Just not economically feasible. No resources to sustain itself. The economic engines of the former Somalia have always been the North(Somaliland) and the South (Hiraan&below). Hence, the obsession with those from the Puntland elite to always rule Mogadishu & Kismayo. You will never see Puntland elite settle down in Puntland geographically. Hence, why the entire leadership spends the majority of the year traveling around the world instead of staying in Garowe or Bossasso. If you look at all the economic powerhouses of the Somali people (in terms of the Global Money Transfers and Telecoms) the largest and most successful are originally from either the North or Mogadishu and southern environs. The population concentrations are there as well as the economic resources. Liban Boqor in his interview with VOA a few months ago when attempting to justify his deal with a UAE co. to manage Bossasso port referred to the fact that Bossasso is not a deep water port hence unable to handle real container ships (similar to Eel Ma'an near Mogadishu, during pre-Islamic Courts days). The former Somalia only had 3 deep water ports (Mogadishu, Kismayo, and Berbera). Somaliland for at least the last 10 years had large amounts of its diaspora returning with their entire families from the West and Arab States to resettle. The Mogadishu area had a huge influx of resettlements coming from the West in the 6 months of Islamic Courts rule. Yet in more than a decade of peace there's no sign of returnees from the diaspora coming back with their entire families to resettle in Puntland. Only ambitious adventurers who wish to make a quick buck either through using Puntland as a stepping stone to Mogadishu, or signing resource deals with wildcatters return to Puntland. None of these Puntlanders ever bring their families to resettle in Puntland. They leave them safely in Dubai, London, Toronto, etc. These are the facts, Ladies and Gentlemen. So enough with the childish taunts of each other and let's deal with the realities of our present condition!