I found this opinion article on a pro-Somaliland webiste, namely Awdal News Network. I will stress that this is someone's opinion and I don't wanna hear any crap about its authenticity . You want more info, e-mail the writer (his email is available at the bottom). Here's the link: http://www.awdalnews.com/wmview.php?ArtID=4474 December 29, 2004 - 00:43 Maxaad ka Taqaanaa Xidhiidhka u Dhaxeeya Axmed Siilaanyo Iyo Cabdilaahi Yusuf? Yaase Dirtay Sifir? HIGHLIGHTS: Axmed Siilaanyo waxa uu ahaa ninka keliya ee soomaaliga ah ee arki kara ama soo booqankara Cabdilaahi Yusuf taas oo u ahayd naruuro iyo nasteexo cabdilaahi yusuf inuu arko walaal soomaaliyeed oo soo booqday maadaama aanay cid kalaba loo ogolayn inay arkaan Cabdilaahi. Warar Xogogaal ayaa sheegay inuu Cabdilaahi Yusif ku tiraabay in aanu gudi karaynin abaalkii uu xiligaa u taray Axmed Siilaanyo. Xidhiidhkaasi halkaas kuma uu sii dhamaan ee waxa uu sii xoogaystey xiligii uu Cabdilaahi dhakhtarka u yimi london halkaas oo isla markii uu siilaanyo maqlay in cabdilaahi landon joogo dhakhtarkana ku jiro, uu ku galaa bixiyey Booqashooyin Isdaba joog ah, Xidhiidhkaa isisoo taraaya ee u dhaxeeya labada nin waxa uu dhaliyey in cabdilaahi yusuf ku caawiyo lacag dhan 100,000 oo dolarka maraykanka ah taas oo siilaayo kaga qayb qaatay doorashadii madaxwaynaha ee uu ku guuldaraystay. BY: Cabdi cabdilaahi (LIbaax-Ciile.) London Libaaxceeli@yahoo.com

Originally posted by dawoco: Why are we all surprised and disgusted with the behaviour of this arab man when many of our somali men do the same thing on a smaller scale, though they can't afford it. Mention anything about Arabs and our very own SOL Arab League team is ready for another exciting session of compare/contrast. And of course, whenever the organization's motto of compare/contrast comes up, the back-up singer(s) hum: Originally posted by Classique: Dawaco dear keep up the great words Originally posted by OG_Girl: ^^^ Dawaco, thumbs up girl. Salam Indeed, two thumbs up.. ..for the guy who married 58 women!

^^ Just say Sultan Ali Shirreh wrote a letter from the grave supporting Somaliland's secession - then GEDIID won't feel so minuscule. And thanks for sharing the history link. Very interesting.

^^ LOL HORN - This report seems awefully uncertain of what its reporting. I'm not sure its believable. For example: " It is said that Egypt was not satisfied with last week's meeting in Khartoum of the Sanaa regional alliance attended by Sudan, Ethiopia and Yemen." Who said? Seems like he-said, she-said nonsense. ANYWAYS, you made the point that for this TFG to survive, it needs both the support of Ethiopia and Egypt. You also stated that Abdiqassim's TNG failed because it didn't receive any help from Ethiopia. The latter point isn't totally correct. Abdiqassim's government wanted to empower civilians as opposed to warlords - the real power in Somalia. Why did his fail? Because Yalaxow, Ina Caydiid, Caato and numerous other Mogadishu-area warlords were against it. The TNG's failure had much more to do with Mogadishu-area opposition than Ethiopia. If he couldn't leave a two-neighborhood area, how did he suppose to rule the entire nation? As far as this TFG goes - Ina Yeey knows Ethiopia is the real deal. Ethiopia is much more influential than Egypt, simply because Ethiopia has much more interest in Somali national affairs than our brothers down the Nile. Ina Yeey also wants the help of Western donor nations - and Ethiopia has the ear of the West.

XOOGSADE - SXBow I don't wanna keep talking about a dead guy (Caydiid Sr.). So I'ma just say this: No, I wouldn't accuse him of anything. Men like him, Ina Yeey, Riyaale, Caato etc. - tii Alle baa u hartay. I believe the best thing we can do to such men is get rid of them - somehow, someway, forever. We can't get back what we lost, but we can try to make sure men like them never surface in Somalia again! So, NATIONALIST, you would punish Ina Yeey after all?

I didn't know they changed the Women Forum's name to the Jerry Springer Show. W likes X, but X is doing Y, and Z wants to get with W.

It's his life - who are we to judge? I don't understand how a man's marital life can be controversial. Nosy people!

Accuse Aideed Sr. of what? The man merely spoke and acted upon centuries-old bitterness a certain Somali bloodline held for another one. QUDHAC iyo wixii la fikrad ah - I didn't apologize for anyone because I didn't do anything. I'm not here to defend Cali Samatar or any member of the old Somali regime. The point is it happened in the past - if ALL people who were members of the former Somali dictatorship are brought to a court of justice, I'm all for it. But why pick-and-choose? P.S. If you think that Somali people failed as a race, try asking for an exit visa. The population growth rate is above 3% - I'm sure you won't be missed.

Originally posted by SmithNwestern: And after all this..They still control LAS ANOD Las Anod's sovereignty was never in question. These soldiers know what they're doing - its a mere wake-up call for the adminstration. Funny tho - I do remember another person posting something similar to this in an identical fashion. I believe the titles were similar - written as if they were an invitation for a New Year's party in Puntland. Well I guess its back to waiting mode for you folks - who expect doomsday is nearby for Puntland.

^^ SXBow, neither Col. Tukeh nor Cali Samatar killed 50,000 people. Tii Alle baa ragaan u hartay. You can try them in court but you'll ultimately fail. There's no human rights court set up for Somalia - for if one is opened, I believe Riyaale the Runner, Siilaanyo, Qaybe etc will all be included as de facto members of the former Somali government. Cali Samatar was merely a MEMBER of the Somali government - much as the aforementioned people who are now MEMBERS of the Somaliland regime. Either charge em all or let the old man die in peace.

God - what I wouldn't do to qualify as a Scarce Resource! Right now, I'ma common product. You can find me at the following places: *Coffee shops *Donut shops *Anywhere the BBC is on *In front of Somali-owned restaurants *Anywhere you hear loud talking!

Originally posted by Bachelor: Is this going to hurt CY and MZ's relationship? What about CY and his prime minster? You bring up a valid point. But this is how I tend to think of it: neither Abdullahi Yusuf nor Melese Zenawi care for these 4.5 Parliamentarians. So how can their bickering hurt the relationship between CY N MZ or CY n Ghedi? I just don't think these Parliamentarians have the respect for the average Somali - forget the career politicians.

Originally posted by Baashi: It was Ethiopia’s long arm that reached out to tab Musse Yalaxow, Hassan Qalaad (Allah yarxama), and Mohammed Dheere and managed to challenge TNG I of Arta in Mogadishu...These obscure personalities, with Ethiopia support, have become a force to reckon with. Ethiopia support helped Abdullahi Yussuf regain control in Puntland. Ethiopia gave RRA the upper hand in the Bay area conflict. The political grouping of SRRC was created by Ethiopia’s friends. Ethiopia gave them an effective regional representation and provided them all the logistics of military hardware to make their militia competitive in their respective area of influence...remember SNM, USC, and SSDF would not have done well without the Ethiopian base to wage war and without Ethiopian and Libyan military support. Couldn't have said it any better. Ethiopia is the regional powerbroker in the Horn of Africa region. Col. Ina Yeey is smart enough to recognize that. All this fake panic about Col. Ina Yeey and his plans to let Ethiopia rule Somalia - its simple drag-queen disguise the opposition has decided to wear. I don't even like the guy - but I have solid facts for my dislike. To say Col. Ina Yeey will serve as Ethiopia's puppet in Mogadishu is to forget the man's military past: he led Somali military forces into Ethiopia in the 1977-78; and his 30-plus years rebellion to LEAD, not to follow! Are we to believe that he now considers Ethiopians our brothers? That's the stupidiest premise I've ever come across. It's politics: in politics, you give and you get. Zenawi himself - while he was opposing Mariam and the Derg regime - lived in Mogadishu and travelled on a Somali passport. Did the Ethiopians consider him to be a Somali puppet? Undoubtedly, some did. But some wisely knew he needed a base of operations - what better place than Somalia to launch his rebellion? He scratched their (Somali gov't) back, and they scratched his. Ina Yeey hasn't lost his objective - and it doesn't include anyone but himself as Master. Bring facts or save the drama for Oprah!

^^ Fulay dhulka ku dhigtay camal miyaa? I jus said I stand corrected on the Afgaduud comment. Funny tho: none of the diehard Puntlanders wanna discuss the issue of the unnatural closeness between Ina Yeey and M.A. Hashi. The way I see it, Ina Yeey'll still call shots from Nairobi to lead Puntland into another term of rampant corruption and favoritism. I guess some of you want to continue down that path..

^^ I second that. When the issue is divided between intellect and emotion, any logical person will say intellect. But sometimes emotions overpower any logic or intelligence.

Originally posted by x_quizit: Personally it has revived my spirit, reawakened my committment to my faith, and I congratulate the youth for putting the conference together in order to unite the ummah. ...Dr. Tareq also called for women to take on leadership positions, how the issue of voting was a non issue since women back then have always voted-example-when ppl had to choose btwn Uthman and Ali, a man went to every door, asked all men and women, for who they wanted, so he admonished his native Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for holding back women and their rights that Islam has long ago granted. Looks like the conference left a permanent (and positive) mark on your faith. And that was the entire objective. Secondly, I'm glad Dr. Tareq talked about the issue of voting. Some of the Muslim nations today seem to downplay the role of women in Muslim society, getting Islam a bad rap from the unbelievers in the process. Thanks for sharing. Peace.

Spoken like a true Somali lady. Two thumbs up! DIGNIIN: "..Hadii kale waxay noqon doontaa bar madow oo dimuqraadiyadda Somaliland mar kasta ku taala." Some would argue that the case has already done irreversible damage to the reputation of the embryonic Somaliland democracy.

^^ Sxb-ow, I have YET to make an accusation. I've only managed to ask a question: Is M.A. Hashi Ina Yeey's mouthpiece? I wonder where the accusation is in that.. And I stand corrected on the Afgaduud comment. But the question of the unexplained and unreasonable change in police leadership weeks before the election is valid. Why now? And why after talks in Nairobi with none other than Col. Ina Yeey? I'll like to see some arguments centered around the two possibilites: change in Garoowe or keep the same squad?

What did Abdullahi Yusuf achieve during his tenure as Puntland leader (1998-2004): - Security in all the major cities in the Northeast. However, its noteworthy to mention that the Northeast survived most of Somalia's internal civil wars, save for Galkacyo (against the USC) and Boosaaso (against al-Itihad) in the early 1990s. All Ina Yeey did was unite the military forces of the SSDF under one command and call himself commander-in-chief (stepping stone to his real dream). What else did Abdullahi Yusuf's administration do? Nothing else positive. His administration did little to build, refurbish or financially support the education system. Forget about helping build schools or hospitals: he's the same guy who stood in the way of grassroots efforts to build such vital public institutions. And let's not forget about the 2001-2002 era when, instead of trying to find a peaceful solution between him and Jama Ali Jama, he chose to arm his militias and attack from Galkacyo and go North, creating long-lasting clan animosities in the process. The guy's resume is long and the individual stories are really heartbreaking. He's the same guy who refused the residents of Nugaal region (supported by the Nugaal Diaspora) from building a Teacher's Institute in Garoowe - instead wanting the Teacher's Institute to be built in Galkacyo. Why? BTW, Garoowe Teacher's Institute is up and running and has the capacity to graduate 300 teachers a year. MY POINT IS THIS: Will Mohamed Abdi Hashi act as a mouthpiece for Colonel Yeey or be a man with his own mind? P.S. After M.A. Hashi's recent consultation visit to Nairobi and talks with Colonel Yeey, he returned to Garoowe and his first act was to remove Puntland police commissioner Nuur Salaad from the post he held for the past six months. His replacement: Afgaduud - none but Ina Yeey (and VP Gaagaab's) first cousin. Lawful presidential act or something that has to do with the upcoming elections?

First of all, to those Habesha who wrote those words, I wanna say: @#$% off!!!!!!!!!!!!! Generally speaking, Soomaalidu markay hadlayaan badankood waxaad mooda in microphone luqunta ugu jirto. Dad badan oo ajnabi ah baa arinta farta iigu fiiqay dhowr jeer, mar marna anigaaba ka tirsanaa waxa ay ka hadlayaan. So, what they wrote ain't all lies.

^^ I think Aideed was killed by the same evil he helped breed. What goes around has a funny way of coming around, doesn't it? Originally posted by HornAfrique: you do know Caato's wife is from the northeast right? Honestly, I didn't get this at all. You saying Cismaan Caato can't find a worthy partner amongst his kin? ANYWAYS, its good to know that Cismaan Caato has turned an ardent nationalist. Him, Qanyare, I wonder who's next? Oh, yeah. The Mbegathi government really needs Cismaan Caato to help fight off all obstacles in its way. I mean - his military prowess is absolutely necessary. He's proven to be a brilliant military tactician, ordering the unwarranted murder of nabadoons - old, frail men on a peace mission. How noble and nationalistic! The Mbegathi gov't needs him to send his military forces to secure strategic places such as the area between two rock formations in southern Mudug. AND there's no difference between Abdullahi Yusuf and Cismaan Caato. They're both greedy men (murderers) pursuing their own personal mission of absolute power.

During the 2000 American presidential elections, Democratic candidate Al Gore did his best to detach himself from the stains of Clintonism - a man under whose shadow he stood for eight years. So my question is this: Is current Puntland president Mohamed Abdi Hashi - who spent six years as Abdullahi Yusuf's VP - an extension of the former leader's politics?

I'm jus glad I don't gotta cry (except when ABSOLUTELY necessary) or have constant moodswings! Plus all of society's crappy judgments right on yo shoulders: "Oh, her clothes are too tight or she was talking to Farax Jimcaale." Gotta hand it to the ladies who put up wit all that crap. Got my bed, got my zip, I'm smooth sailin.

JUMATATU - SXB, I wasn't aware my comments got to you that way. But if you feel wronged by what I've written, I wanna extend an apology now. I call things as I see them - no matter who's right. Since that's proven to be offensive to you, I'll refrain from expressing any ideas in regards to any comment you make. Like Frank the Tank said, "keep on trucking."

Deep, in every sense of the word. BUT, you're right. Generally speaking, Somalis are waking up and finding out that there are ways to solve issues, other than the use of guns. And Alle-ubaahne is right about the spread of Islam in Somalia post-1991. Every person I've talked to who has visited in the past 5 or so years seems to highlight the fact that Islamic education has taken on a wider role to fill the void scarred by years of turmoil and violence. Thanks for sharing tho.