Where do these people come from and where do they get their research from? Are many so called academics able to get by on these less than rigorous arguments? Therefore, coastal regions and ports connecting to the wider economies of the Indian Ocean and Horn of Africa have never offered protection to pirates. Indeed, they have often engaged actively in counter-piracy – for example Somaliland and the various Islamist administrations in Kismayo. In contrast, the Puntland and Central Somali pirate coast is arid, supports only nomadic herders and has no infrastructure to integrate it with regional trade routes. This means that there aren’t many other activities for local elites to tax. It is no surprise that they welcome pirate dollars in principle. One - piracy is down over 90% because communities and the Puntland state saw it was not in their own interest. No roads, trade or any other positive developmental impact was a necessary pre-requisite to this reduction. Two - Somaliland is also arid and supports nomadic herders and has no infrastructure to integrate it with regional trade routes. It is that communities there and the administration provided no opening for piracy. And because fishing is not a substantial livelihood as it is on the Indian Ocean coast where most of the fisheries resources of Somalia lie. And where illegal fishing has been of epidemic proportions. The root cause of piracy was illegal fishing but the transient nature of pirate cash and all the associated ills have made communities realize that the negatives outweigh the positives. And thus the reduction.

^Tallabo - why do you assume he(the father) isn't on their radar already? Why are you calling for further blanket scrutiny(and possibly more?) for the Muslim community in the UK? Do you think Muslims don't get enough harassment and problems with intelligence agencies in the UK already? I'm tired of the fake moral equivalency of the Arab Muslim vs Non-Arab Muslims. Just because many Arabs can't see beyond their own problems doesn't mean Muslims get a free pass to ignore them. Che - what is glossing over a serious issue? That adolescent girls get caught up in heroic derring-do and a religious appeal and make a foolish decision like this. Believe me these girls will pay dearly for this either over there or back in the UK if they ever make it out. Throughout history - young people have got caught up in faraway causes that represent something bigger than themselves. The best that can be done is to educate them about the realities on the ground and channel their youthful passion in a positive way to support oppressed Muslims in organized drives through mosques or MSAs. Layzie - being her usual Ann Coulter-ish self!

Are these so called governments - federal and regional - even aware of these developments? Have they started telling pastoralists of the consequences of another ban? Are they taking preparations to offset the impact a possible ban will have on tax revenues and the national economy? Zero accountability and there is virtually no responsible media to hold them accountable and ask the tough questions.

By Kate Kelland LONDON(Reuters) - Saudi Arabia suspects a virus that has killed hundreds of people there may have arrived in camels from the Horn of Africa, and could ban such imports until it knows more, the kingdom's chief scientist told Reuters. Any ban on the camel trade with the region would badly hurt the already fragile economy of Somalia, which is a major livestock exporter to Saudi Arabia. Tariq Madani, who heads the scientific advisory board of the Saudi health ministry command and control center (CCC) - set up to handle the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS - said scientists are currently testing camels at sea ports before authorities allow them in. MERS was first identified in humans in 2012 and is caused by a coronavirus from the same viral family as the one that caused a deadly outbreak of SARS in China in 2003. More than 700 people in Saudi Arabia have contracted it and 292 of them have died, according to latest data from the Saudi health ministry. "We do have suspicions that the disease may have been imported through camel trade from the Horn of Africa, but we haven't proved it yet," Madani told Reuters in a telephone interview from Jeddah. He said the final decision on a ban on camel imports from the region lies with the agriculture ministry. Officials there could not be reached for comment but Madani said the ministry "hasn't yet released an official ban for the importation of camels", although colleagues there had told him such a move is "under consideration". "We have always imported camels from the African Horn.... but we will stop that until we get more information on whether they are infected or not," he said. Saudi Arabia has previously been criticized for its handling of the MERS outbreak, which public health experts say could have been under control by now if officials and scientists there had been more willing to collaborate on studies into how the virus operates and where it is coming from. Much more scientific research is needed to nail down the source of the MERS infections in humans and exactly how it makes the leap, but preliminary studies suggest the virus's animal reservoir is likely to be camels. Viruses frequently jump from animals into people in what are called zoonotic events - and while many of them peter out, some can develop into human epidemics. "Since this is a zoonotic disease we are collaborating with the ministry of agriculture to answer the question of whether these camels imported from the African Horn are possible sources of infection," Madani said. LIVESTOCK EXPORTS Saudi Arabia is by far the biggest market for livestock from Somalia, with at least 70 percent of Somali exports going to the kingdom. The rest go mostly to other Middle East states such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Yemen, Qatar and Egypt. Somalia exported about 4.7 million animals in 2013. Sheep and goats account for roughly 80 percent, followed by camels and some cattle. Most exports go via two Gulf of Aden ports - Bossaso and Berbera - in two breakaway regions of northern Somalia, but the animals come from all over the country, with some arriving across porous borders with southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. Madani said that while Saudi Arabia does have some domestic camels, most of those used for meat and trade are imported from the Horn of Africa. Lisa Murillo, an expert in virology and affiliate scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States, said she had analyzed data on human MERS cases in the Middle East and camel imports from the Horn of Africa - and found striking correlations that cry out for further investigation. As a result of her findings, Murillo says she has developed what she acknowledges is a "very speculative hypothesis" - that the number of MERS cases in Arabian Peninsula countries is related to the number of camels imported into those countries. "That correlation just leaps off the page," she told Reuters in a telephone interview. "The most important thing we need to be doing right now - outside of Saudi Arabia and the UAE - is looking for human and camel cases of MERS in the Horn of Africa - particularly in the ports of Somalia," she said. "If it turns out to be in camels there, why wouldn't it be in humans there as well?" Madani said teams of scientists working under his leadership at the CCC were doing exactly that in Saudi. "As we speak we are doing a study on camels imported from the Horn of Africa," he said. "We are taking samples from them in the sea ports before they are allowed in, and we're also taking samples from people handling them to test them for antibodies." STRUGGLING SOMALIA Murillo said data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization on national camel stocks in 2012 show there were 7 million camels in Somalia compared with 260,000 in Saudi Arabia. Experts say that if Saudi Arabia does ban imports from Somalia, it could have a severe impact on a nation struggling to rebuild itself while an Islamist insurgency rages. A previous Saudi ban on Somali livestock exports in 2000 - the concerns then was rinderpest and Rift Valley fever - hammered the economy before it was lifted in 2009. From 2 million head shipped in 2008, exports jumped to 3 million in 2009 and hit 4.8 million in 2012, according to an EU official. "It would be very serious, quite devastating," Ernest Njoroge, Somalia program officer in charge of livestock and fisheries for the European Union. "In the year 2000, there was a total ban of the livestock and that was very very devastating." Some African traders grumble that exports are already looking weak in 2014, although the peak export season is only just starting. Most shipments are made before the Muslim holidays of Eid el-Fitr - at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan which begins this coming weekend - and Eid al-Adha which follows a few weeks later. Njoroge said it would become clear how the trade is doing only in about October or November. "Most Somalis depend on livestock and when there is no export there is an economic crisis, particularly for the pastoralists and traders," said Ahmed Hussein, a livestock trader speaking to Reuters by telephone from Baladweyne, a town in central Somalia. He said business was slow. "When livestock is exported there is circulation of money. Now since there is no export, the livestock price is down locally," he added. Abdisalan Omar, a restaurant owner in Mogadishu, said male camels for export can sell for $700 to $900, but go for $400 to $500 when sold for domestic consumption. (Additional reporting by Edmund Blair in Nairobi, Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu and Angus McDowall in Riyadh; Editing by Simon Robinson and David Stamp)

I wish them all luck and a better life ahead. However - these presentations to the media - of 'I will be killed if I go to Somalia' - are false. Millions of people in Somalia live peacefully and get on with their lives. Coming to the West is not the be-all and end-all of happiness and a fulfilling life - and any refugee that comes here with that mentality is sure to run into a wall of depression and dashed dreams.

^LOL - this had me puzzled for a bit. Anything that rises above clan sentiments is good.

Awalba Soomali waa loo talin jiray - this is a done deal with the powers that be putting their stamp of approval on it. This is a good step notwithstanding the cries of unrepresentativeness and the never ending 'we are missing'. It reminds me of the transitional government chosen in Embagathi and its tenuous foothold in Jowhar/Baidoa and how it slowly and eventually came to acquire legitimacy. This is a starting point for a large southern constituency to get its act together and play a definitive role in shaping their own future and that of Somalia instead of perpetually standing on the sidelines.

^It hasn't to do with Business 101 - if you establish a competitive market with good pricing and distribution people will come to you from Kenya, TZ, Rwanda etc. Where was Islii 20 years ago and why can't that regional marketplace be recreated in Mogadishu or Gaalkacyo or Hargeysa? It is fundamentally that Somalis don't see investing in their own country as a national duty and the only way to really safeguard your wealth. There are also security issues in the south and the inevitable clan issues. it always amazes me when some guy from the south thinks that his wealth and property may not be safeguarded in SL/PL but thinks it right and proper to put it in Islii or South Africa.

Kenya is a complete shambles. The government can't even identify the perpetrators correctly. And where did these gunmen go? And if they weren't Somalis - why all the news reports of folks being asked if they were Somalis/Muslims? I'm pretty sure a Somali person would recognize another and would not need to ask him/her. And this cock-up isn't the first - the Westgate scandal where there was a mass of conflicting reports coming out of the various government ministers followed by a complete absence of details regarding exactly what happened and how.

Where does this come from? I can't help but think there is a serious mental deficiency. When you're far away from a cause - it may look heroic but the murder and terror of ISIL in real life should disabuse any rational person of these notions. Harper and his laws to revise Canadian citizenship may be on the right track.

^I heard it's epidemic in Somaliland and that you've suffered from it in the extreme. BTW - did that library get off the ground or did the crabs get it?

^Are we to believe then the UN Monitoring group is from a specific Somali clan or works for one? This is the problem with Somalis - we've reached a level where we accuse non-Somali organizations of qabyalad when we don't like what they say! Poor Johnny - I see you're still unable to deal with the facts in the report and again resorting to tangents re what I find problematic. You're but a hair away from MMA and his UN qabyalad argument.

^Why not question the merit of every social community organization and the funding they receive? Why just the Somali ones? Somalis always like to bring other Somalis down. If a non-Somali organization saw fit to give money to these folks what basis do you have to question that? Why can't we be satisfied that a few Somali men will get extra money to pay for their post-secondary education. Sheesh.

^Not sure if you choose to put your head in the sand deliberately or this is based on naivete. The security situation in Mogadishu has deteriorated since Culusow took over. Pushing al shabaab out of more places in the south has come to a standstill. That is new. The question is why? I was being gentle in using 'hints at' but here is the direct quote: The monitors’ report said “a key adviser to the president, from his sub-clan, has been involved in planning weapons deliveries to al Shabaab leader Sheikh Yusuf Isse … who is also from the President’s sub-clan.” It is best to deal with this head on rather than tangent to nonsense regarding Baghdad and Kabul.

What a moron with even worse moron family. I feel sorry for the poor bastard that is married to her. Waxaa hoosta laga so galinaya inkaar and you don't know the backstory.

^Khalad. Diversity in PL should be based on the 9 regions - one minister from each. Better to have every beel 'angry'. And every citizen is represented by their duly elected MP regardless of clan. If you need something see your representative. Let's move on from this tired game. If the individuals in this video spent their shir in raising money for a school or well - it would be useful - instead they piss and moan unjustly about something that has no impact on their comfortable lives in London.

^All this vitriol and negativity against clan based states is interesting. Peace, stability, progress has occurred there in the last 20 years without a central government. If judging by what works - real clan based states are way better than anything else seen in more than two decades in Somalia. And for some places ever - Bosaso and Bari in general have seen by far more infrastructure and progress in the last 20 years than at any time in the 30 year period from independence to the collapse. Denying this reality and equating it to mass hysteria shows the low mental calibre of the author of the original post.

Not quite sure what the ferment in Somaliland these days is about. Surely corruption allegations and mismanagement existed pre-Silaanyo. At the same time the ruling party supporters can't dimiss all the opposition their rule is causing. Clearly - they've pissed off some powerful constituencies. But then vote them out in the elections - the Somali propensity for buuq when the alternatives isn't much different is quite amazing.

While many UN reports on Somalia are ill-informed or incomplete - it is interesting to see the key aspects of this report borne out in Somalia. The fight against al-Shabaab has become virtually non-existent and the security situation has declined in Mogadishu under this administration. Why? This report hints at links between the current crop and top al-Shabaab. It's best to deal with those facts rather than engaging in empty dismissals.

Johnny B sees no wrong with this govt? Security situation has gone downhill big time in Xamar since Sheikh Shariif. Good ol Shariif - If he was to return to power - there would be mass hysteria Beatles style in the country.

^This is bullshit. No 'reer' deserves anything. No reer's worth is determined by the number of MPs, ministers or other government posts. This is a holdover from the mentality of a government post being translated into money and influence for fellow clan members. And the folks who clamour about this are caloosho-u-shaaqesteyaal blowhards. Dadka shaqo ha raadsadaan.

Good for her. But perpetuating this 'desert' image is a disservice. Somalia wouldn't be exporting livestock to Saudi Arabia if it was a desert.

'Ahmed el Melki, alias Al Somali était un voisin du député Brahmi ' He is not Somali - He is a cousin of the guy he's accused of assassinating. Why our name must be dragged in the mud is a mystery.

^Remarkable people doing great work in the community? Hmmm - but they're having trouble communicating their positive agenda to members of the Somali populace that is most impacted by failure/drop-outs in school. Clearly - they're doing something terribly wrong. I would have assumed they'd get counter demonstrators in support of the taskforce to present an alternate picture. Instead they seem really flat-footed and caught unawares. I've been following the CSC too - I know Ahmed Husseien. There are plenty of Somali run NGOs - each of them has its share of criticisms. I'm not sure the CSC has done anything that singles them out for a disproportionate share of the blame.

'Extensive research at a field level' is conducted is the claim made in the video as part of the methodology to come up with the rankings. I question whether that was in fact done in Somalia.