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

^Adeer you said - 'Leave the food at the front door and it will be distributed.' It's the last line of your post on page 1 of this thread. I don't know how you missed that. This is what happened in 91/92 in Somalia and warlords and their henchman appropriated the food and sold it on the common market while tens of thousands starved to death. This is in the public record. A starving man usually doesn't set conditions for those alleviating his starvation - that is if he is rationale and has his own welfare at heart. You've heard the saying - beggars can't be choosers no? I'm afraid this is a simple matter of common sense. Additionally - what has brought about this changing set of conditions? Shabaab has had control of these areas for years but now new rules have to be introduced. Why - is there any reason they have purported to make that you can enlighten me with? What have they said that convinces you they have a good reason to impose new conditions on these aid agencies? Why are you so convinced they're right? Perhaps the article below can shed some light on why Shabaab has introduced these new rules.

^Adeer you said - 'Leave the food at the front door and it will be distributed.' It's the last line of your post on page 1 of this thread. I don't know how you missed that. This is what happened in 91/92 in Somalia and warlords and their henchman appropriated the food and sold it on the common market while tens of thousands starved to death. This is in the public record. A starving man usually doesn't set conditions for those alleviating his starvation - that is if he is rationale and has his own welfare at heart. You've heard the saying - beggars can't be choosers no? I'm afraid this is a simple matter of common sense. Additionally - what has brought about this changing set of conditions? Shabaab has had control of these areas for years but now new rules have to be introduced. Why - is there any reason they have purported to make that you can enlighten me with? What have they said that convinces you they have a good reason to impose new conditions on these aid agencies? Why are you so convinced they're right? Perhaps the article below can shed some light on why Shabaab has introduced these new rules.

^Adeer you said - 'Leave the food at the front door and it will be distributed.' It's the last line of your post on page 1 of this thread. I don't know how you missed that. This is what happened in 91/92 in Somalia and warlords and their henchman appropriated the food and sold it on the common market while tens of thousands starved to death. This is in the public record. A starving man usually doesn't set conditions for those alleviating his starvation - that is if he is rationale and has his own welfare at heart. You've heard the saying - beggars can't be choosers no? I'm afraid this is a simple matter of common sense. Additionally - what has brought about this changing set of conditions? Shabaab has had control of these areas for years but now new rules have to be introduced. Why - is there any reason they have purported to make that you can enlighten me with? What have they said that convinces you they have a good reason to impose new conditions on these aid agencies? Why are you so convinced they're right? Perhaps the article below can shed some light on why Shabaab has introduced these new rules.

I think an equally sad bunch of negroes here are trying and failing at a game of one-upmanship.

I think the habaar is out of line totally. And yes Khayr was wrong in what he wrote. I think you do have a style of your own and it is very funny at times. But you are making it hard for admin and the average reader to excuse your words simply as a unique style.

I think the habaar is out of line totally. And yes Khayr was wrong in what he wrote. I think you do have a style of your own and it is very funny at times. But you are making it hard for admin and the average reader to excuse your words simply as a unique style.

I think the habaar is out of line totally. And yes Khayr was wrong in what he wrote. I think you do have a style of your own and it is very funny at times. But you are making it hard for admin and the average reader to excuse your words simply as a unique style.

^Not in a proper manner adeer. At least she should stop the habaar if she insists on the personal insults.

^Not in a proper manner adeer. At least she should stop the habaar if she insists on the personal insults.

^Not in a proper manner adeer. At least she should stop the habaar if she insists on the personal insults.

Abu-Salman - the SOL Djibouti Tourism Minister.

^LOL - you are too ridiculous!

^LOL - you are too ridiculous!

^LOL - you are too ridiculous!

^How is it different from voyaging to the deserts of Yemen? At least in Djibouti they speak Somali. Well sort of.

^Leave the food at the front door eh? Isn't that how 500,000 people starved to death in 1991-1992? The idea that a starving man can dictate terms for those feeding him is ludicrous. And to dress that up as a question of sovereignty is even worse.

^Leave the food at the front door eh? Isn't that how 500,000 people starved to death in 1991-1992? The idea that a starving man can dictate terms for those feeding him is ludicrous. And to dress that up as a question of sovereignty is even worse.

^Leave the food at the front door eh? Isn't that how 500,000 people starved to death in 1991-1992? The idea that a starving man can dictate terms for those feeding him is ludicrous. And to dress that up as a question of sovereignty is even worse.

Our Dr. Paulson is quite the drama queen not unlike some one else ehem ehem. The whole plane sighed a relief indeed. It would a be a fair world if those who are proponents of profiling were the ones who were constantly profiled. Here's to Layzie and much profiling for the new year.

^Nin murqo waweyn soo ma tahiid? I mean you've reached the promised land as far as skinnies go. What is with all the continued dieting? From Wikipedia: The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet primarily used to treat difficult-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet mimics aspects of starvation by forcing the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Sheh - good luck to you. I don't know how you keep that up when faced with Somali get togethers which feature either bariis or baasto. On the whole diet thing - you need to find a happy medium and stick to it. I think that if you're constantly trying new things or futzing with various aspects of your diet - then you may issues that a diet, any diet, won't solve.

^Is that a yes you're right khalas or a stop bombarding me khalas? I'm sure Xiin won't stop till he adds your scalp to his trophy case.

I understand what you're saying. But I don't think Djibouti will ever be a big enough place to do anything meaningful for Somalis or Somalinimo. It's a state whose existence depends on rent seeking from western governments who see a security threat in the Horn of Africa.

^A little late in the day. It's gonna take some time to swing this ship around even if Shariif's TFG can get things moving in the right direction (which it isn't currently). And this virus can never be fully eradicated once it has taken hold.

^Come on 'Abdur-Rahmaan Abu Zubayr sounds so much more fitting for a Muslim international outlaw than Roobow! Jihadis care about image too yo! No street cred with Bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri and co!