^Yes your highness! I will confine myself to ignorant serfdom.

Iska dayaa Che. Tuulo Che and B-town are close - so he is only repping his cousins. What the hell is there in Garissa though to invest heavily? Am I missing out here?

Vague? Really? I was trying to show you where the problems lie but the onus is on you prove your case: Don't you have to demonstrate they are indeed of the same political thinking before a merger is done? Don't you have demonstrate an interest in forming a union exists in both Puntland and Galmudug? Don't you have to demonstrate that Galmudug is looking to itself to solve its problems and has the apparatus and popular support of a state thus meeting the requirements for a 'merger'? Others on this thread have talked about why Galmudug is not a state in the very rudimentary criteria one uses for Somalia. Unless of course you think that assertion of a state equals actual existence? I won't rehash this stuff. If you need a long post on why there is not much there there - let me know. Whatever Galmudug's claim on the city - the objective should be to build trust and cooperation in order to improve the security of the city. At which point if there is a maturation on both sides and grassroots agreement, to make Galkacyo a politically united city. You can agree with the Galmudug administration on certain parameters and procedures for Galkacyo to move beyond the current problems. Why that must entail regions merging is beyond me really? How you jump over making an agreement on the city of Galkacyo and its security to making an agreement on a region wide merger escapes me? Why you think the Galmudug admin will reject a Galkacyo based agreement and will accept a region wide merger makes no sense to me?

The guy is smiling so big cause he still can't believe he snagged her. And she's like meh.

Somali pirates, Paul said, are a group of terrorists.. Terrorists? Everyone is a terrorist nowadays. I mean someone looks at you the wrong way on the bus. S/he is a terrorist! Now the question is how to derive an income stream from these positive results. Perhaps in exchange for a percentage of the dollar value of their catch - Somali pirates can continue to 'protect' the coastline.

^And why is it growing so quick? Is that even possible since it isn't Qardho or Burco? Nice pics.

^Unless of course your tuulo is more insignificant than Qardho or Burco. At which you will be excused for claiming Mog Haha Blessed. Was thinking same

Xiin, 1. It's not about either side objecting. It's about both sides wanting it especially Galmudug. You have a very odd metric to forming a political union. If both sides don't raise a big ruckus than that is tantamount to agreement. I don't think that makes any sense. And it's not about what Galkacyo residents want or not - you are proposing a whole region join - it means it matters what Alula, Dhahar and Buuhoodle think too. Or you just wanna bypass all that? 2. Adeer neither you nor I are in Somalia doing polling data so we both have to arrive at judgements using our intelligence and our knowledge. There is no entity in Somalia that has managed to create a political apparatus that looks inward and tries to accomplish the responsiblities of a state apart from Puntland and Somaliland(and Somaliland is not in discussion since they have chosen to remain apart from the rest). Thus you come to the conclusion that the rest of Somalis in Galmudug and other parts of the south are still looking to Mogadishu for direction. Otherwise they would have done something already. Additionally Galmudug still lacks the minimum requirements to be actually considered a federal state. They are MIA. With what would you have Puntland merge? 3. For a merger to be entertained both sides have to see benefit in it and to want it. And that is not about political image. Two administrations can share a city adeer. A level of cooperation and goodwill is needed to do so though. Nor am I wishing an entire community away. Don't know how you came to that conclusion. Ultimately I'm telling you to focus on the problem at hand - Galkacyo security. And to propose solutions that address that specific problem rather than coming up with far-fetched plans that do little to address the fundamental issue. And that bear no connection to the political and social realities of Somalia today.

^I thought this sort of talk was confined to troll section. Has the virus escaped?

^Adeer - you are wrong. The only objection is not they are rer hebel or not. You are making a red herring to score a political point. The objections have been noted and if you want a recap, here they are: 1- There is no grassroots basis for a political union - the people have to want it - the elders have to show interest and negotiate for it 2- The 2 regions are not of the same political thinking - one is firmly federalist and wants to manage itself and the other is still trying to get off the ground but looks to Mogadishu for political direction 3- One has little capacity and ability to project itself and indeed little grassroots backing while the other has advanced in those areas Capacity and size are not matters for discussion when you propose a merger. They are a reality that you acknowledge before a proposed merger and take into account. Additionally - a merger implies a meeting of equals more or less. In the business world - there are other terms that would be more appropriate to what you are suggesting. A takeover, an acquisition etc. BUT... At the end of the day - folks have to want to be part of a political entity and the folks in the political entity they are joining must desire a union. One last point - why do you need to merge regions if the problem is Gslkacyo security? Surely there are other ways of addressing that without proposing this. It seems you have a big blindspot here.

^Cara - way to break it down. But you still have haven't answered whether you will run off with a 0.5 Farax should the opportunity arise? PS - 0.5 thing was in jest!

It seems to me then the more sensible proposal is looking at ways of politically uniting the city rather than entire regions. Why not start there?

Open and shut case akhaaro ha idin ka sarto! Good luck lads.

^It is not a good idea because there is not a common political basis that would justify such a merger. The creation of Puntland was a grassroots movement that took time and thought. And look at how many deficiencies there still are. What you are proposing here is highlevel chess game of moving pieces. It simply is not a reflection of the reality on the ground. To be quite honest as to capacity - there is a difference in the 2 entities. Capacity entails responsibility. Ultimately you need to be able to carry out your responsibilities well before taking on new responsibilites. As to Galkacyo and its security issues - why not ask the folks in Ceerigabo how they solve their issues? I don't think folks in Galkacyo are less primitive than they are.

^Hearts are thawing in Sweden miyaa?

This is neither a good idea nor is it feasible in the short-run or long-run. Galmudug has yet to develop a functioning admin capable of generating revenue and collecting taxes. Nor has it been able to unite a large segment of the populace it claims to really support it. Puntland has enough on its plate without expanding territory and responsibility. The issues surrounding Galkacyo can be resolved in other ways.

What makes a fabric Islamic? Is it the writing that is on them? Is your shirt, pants, shoes Islamic? Need they be Islamic for you to be a good Muslim? Must you replace them? The Islamic flags carried by our Prophet (PBUH) belong to every Muslim. They don't represent an individual nation or a particular movement but the larger ummah. That is the distinction you fail to make. BTW - who said anything about swearing loyalty to any goverment?

^You and your friend above you are confusing symbols of state and the state itself with Islam which is a way of life. This whole loyalty thing is a red herring. Can you be loyal to your family/spouse/friends while at the same time being loyal to Allah and his Messenger and their commandments? Of course. So goes with a state. It's not either/or.

Che - you asked why should anyone(presumably Somali refugees) go to Djibouti? The response is how is it worse than going to Yemen where people die to go to?

There is no case. You and they have presented none here.

There is no case. You and they have presented none here.

There is no case. You and they have presented none here.

^LOL. Ilahayow na badbadi.

The withdrawal was greeted with jubilation in the al-Shabaab stronghold in the southern port of Kismayo. "It is our great pleasure to see WFP and the other spy agencies suspend their involvement," Sheikh Ibrahim Garweyn, head of public affairs, told Reuters. "We will never allow them to come here again. We have great land and we can grow our own crops." Contrary to the Sheikh's upbeat assessment, the lawless country which has been without a functioning central government since 1991 has not historically been able to feed itself. After nearly two decades of constant conflict even a good harvest meets less than a third of the country's food needs. An epic drought has struck the region and left nearly half the population in need of food aid. This has meant WFP feeding an estimated 2.6 million people countrywide. Analysts have linked the attempt to blackmail WFP to a critical funding shortage in the Islamic insurgency. The network of young fighters has built its formidable force on the back of a reliable monthly pay cheque of $300 which has proven to be a powerful recruitment device. However, in recent weeks Somali sources say that word has gone out to regional Shabaab commanders that they must pay their own way, leading to a surge in extortion from businesses and aid groups. Article

The withdrawal was greeted with jubilation in the al-Shabaab stronghold in the southern port of Kismayo. "It is our great pleasure to see WFP and the other spy agencies suspend their involvement," Sheikh Ibrahim Garweyn, head of public affairs, told Reuters. "We will never allow them to come here again. We have great land and we can grow our own crops." Contrary to the Sheikh's upbeat assessment, the lawless country which has been without a functioning central government since 1991 has not historically been able to feed itself. After nearly two decades of constant conflict even a good harvest meets less than a third of the country's food needs. An epic drought has struck the region and left nearly half the population in need of food aid. This has meant WFP feeding an estimated 2.6 million people countrywide. Analysts have linked the attempt to blackmail WFP to a critical funding shortage in the Islamic insurgency. The network of young fighters has built its formidable force on the back of a reliable monthly pay cheque of $300 which has proven to be a powerful recruitment device. However, in recent weeks Somali sources say that word has gone out to regional Shabaab commanders that they must pay their own way, leading to a surge in extortion from businesses and aid groups. Article