Arrintani waa xaq darrooyinka taagan ee dalkeenu ka degi la'yahay waxaana loo baahan yahay fikradayda in nin adagi ka soo baxo dawlada oo yidhaahdo no more for legalizing dulmiga for instance the case of Low Shabelle. Rabbow noo gargaar

Times change so do we therefore those of us who can't see trees from the forest are stuck with the twisted idea that PL and SL are clan-free administrations . First of all thanks to the citizens of these areas in discussion for heaven's sake they brought some sort of stability in their respective territories . Having said that in order we go to the next stage of nation building we've to start a method of abandoning from clan ideology of governing to where the merit of the individual becomes what determines his/her destiny. The die-hard PLs and SLs should come out of the box and see the benefits of having transparency government where wealth and power shared evenly, we’ll be better off or represented for having federal government thus give a boost the current government with its shortcomings :mad: . PL and SL are in thier transient moment and they should embrace the dynamics and mechanisms that this contemporary world demands

SOMALIA:- State of utter failure Posted to the Web Dec 16, 07:09 A few glimmers of hope that Somalia may one day be re-invented TO MOVE cash the few score miles between Mogadishu, Somalia's lawless official capital, and Jowhar, the seat of its transitional government, a local money-vendor has to pay $6,000. For that he gets an armoured lorry, 30 gunmen and three “technicalsâ€â€”jeeps with heavy machineguns. What he doesn't get is insurance or any recourse to a state authority if his gunmen are killed, for state authority does not exist. But the money vendor still moves the cash, if the amount is big enough, and still makes a profit. Somalia is resilient. Consider its amazing currency, the Somali shilling, which has operated for 14 years without a central bank or reserves of any kind, save the will of ordinary Somalis. Though the country has lacked a government, it has never quite ceased to exist. But for all that, Somalia remains Africa's most utterly failed state, as it has been since 1991, when it fell to pieces after tribal militias toppled a dictator, Mohamed Siad Barre, then turned on each other. Since then, the place has been torn apart by rival warlords, leaving at least 300,000 dead. The outside world virtually gave up on the country after a disastrous American-led UN intervention ended with the deaths of 18 American troops and perhaps 1,000 Somalis after a ferocious battle in Mogadishu in 1993. But though the world may have tried to forget Somalia, the country refuses to forget the world. Its anarchy has made it a perfect environment for small but dangerous groups of terrorists and bandits to hide out in. Somali pirates have attacked dozens of ships off the central and southern coast, including a cruise liner and UN food ships. Jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda have also flourished, murdering, among others, foreign aid workers and journalists. Somalia's capacity to export its violence worries both the West and closer neighbours. The interior minister of Yemen, across the Red Sea, says Somalia is “like Afghanistan before the Taliban took overâ€. So the tentative success of its latest transitional government, led by a widely disliked but tough former warlord called Abdullah Yusuf, has to be an encouraging sign. There have been no fewer than 13 previous attempts to form a government since 1991: Mr Yusuf's, backed by the European Union, is number 14. He may still be confined to Jowhar, unable to move to, let alone exert any influence over, the ostensible capital, Mogadishu, but his government is already the longest-lasting of all of them. If peace holds for a little longer, Mr Yusuf may start to look a little more like the real thing. Parliament might even meet, and proper elections be held in 2009. The danger is that opposing factions in Mogadishu, angry at being excluded from the government and worried that their roadblocks and other sources of revenue may be curtailed, may choose to fight it out instead. A rebel force rolled out of Mogadishu a fortnight ago towards Kismayu, a southern port. The warlords in charge of the forces say they mean to negotiate with Mr Yusuf in a neutral town, but doubters say they mean to fight. If the two sides do come to blows, in Kismayu or farther north, it could be some of the bloodiest fighting since the 1990s. Mr Yusuf probably needs some 10,000 troops for a march on Mogadishu, but has only about 4,000—and is short of cash to pay this “national armyâ€. Foreign donors are loth to give more money until the parliament has met a few times, which, in the short run, looks unlikely. So not everyone is putting their hopes in Mr Yusuf's administration, least of all the Americans, who fear that Somalia may become another incubator of international terrorism. “It's a truck bomb,†says one diplomat. “It's not a matter of if it goes off, but when.†The United States dislikes the formula for dishing out seats in the new parliament (61 each to four large clans, 31 seats to the rest), saying it is too clunky. It also says that Italy, the former colonial power in most of the country, and Ethiopia, Somalia's neighbour to the west, which has a population of 70m to Somalia's 8m, have primed the bomb by favouring the Jowhar faction and its associated clans over the Mogadishu faction and its even more intricate web of clans, sub-clans and Islamist mavericks. Some American officials privately say that Italy, despite a UN ban, is funnelling arms to Jowhar through Ethiopia. Italy angrily denies this. America, after all, has no one on the ground and no intention of sending anyone, save a few counter-terrorism agents chasing al-Qaeda suspects. In contrast, the Italians are busy on the ground—and more knowledgeable. It makes sense, they say, to go with the “centre of gravityâ€. The British and other EU countries are somewhere in the middle, supporting the Jowhar faction but trying to keep the Mogadishu lot on board too. The main hope for peace lies in the northern parts of Somalia: in Somaliland, which used to be a separate British colony, and is now relatively peaceful and well governed, and in Puntland. Somaliland has in effect seceded from Somalia, and yearns for full legal independence. Puntland, Mr Yusuf's own stronghold, which was the northern part of Italian Somaliland, is now pretty autonomous, but its leaders prefer to see Puntland as a building block for a future federal Somalia. Meanwhile, the rest of the country is wretched. Most people are illiterate. Only 18% of children go to primary school. Garowe, Puntland's dusty capital, is swollen with migrants from the south. Its slums are spreading, the wells are contaminated, cholera occasionally breaks out, and polio has reappeared. Habitat, a UN agency that tries to provide housing and shelter, is struggling to bring some order here and in other Somali towns. But it is more trade, not aid, that might improve things the most. Saudi Arabia could help by restoring its imports of Somali livestock that were stopped in 2000, and Somalia needs help developing its offshore fishing waters, which are being plundered by foreign boats. Don't forget us While nearby countries such as Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia get billions of dollars of aid in cash and kind, plus massive attention from diplomats seeking to bring peace to the region, Somalia is still largely ignored. Yet the risks of failing to find and bolster a government that commands a degree of national unity may outweigh the risks of getting entangled again. The International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think-tank, says that jihadists will gradually make headway among Somalia's despairing and disaffected citizenry. “It will only be a matter of timeâ€, it says, “before another group of militants succeeds in mounting a spectacular terrorist attack against foreign interests in Somalia or against one of its neighbours.†Source: The Economist

I am sensing here the urgency of rehab for those who iska hantaataca marka runtu lama huraan noqoto WAR QUDHAC MA SAASAY ARRINI KAA NOQOTAY>

My friend Suldaanka, if we are tuning into the same frequency of discussion, as self-evident nobody needs to be intellectual to figure out the basis of your argument, your three party in which each one of them represents one of your Habar-Xs has nothing to do with what you are claiming as multiclan society. In case I am sitting beside myself on this, other SOL nomads are very welcome to enlighten me! I would be very much delighted, content and comfortable, had we at least have a collective agreement about the thesis of our debate. You and I have merely very thin influence the political discourse of the northern Somalia therefore, it would be nice if we are little bit honest to ourselves and embrace the reality. I am no way of denial that Puntland is a clan administration.

Thanx Sumarai for putting the fault right, then the reponse of your quesiton will rest on our chaps Suldaanka, Lander and the likes

SW, what do you mean exactly eastern SL?, are you talking about Togdheer or Sool and Sanaag?, I couldn't comment on your question until I know what your notion of eastern SL means.

War ninyahow Alle U Baahane ku mahadsanid mawduucaad bilowday waana mid u baahan in si qoto dheer looga dabaal dego, muddo dheera la siiyo balse maadaama soomaalidu ku dhowdahay inay qabiilka caabudo oo ay weliba dhacdo in diinta mararka qaarkood laga hormariyo wax raqiis ah oo loo arkayo maslaxada qabiilka. Intaa waxaa ii dheer bottom-up strategy is one of the best alternatives available to us for rebuilding our nation aana ku gaadhi karo hanaankii dawladnimo lahayd sidaas darteed ugu horayn waa inaan nafaheena iyo guryaheena hagaajino dabadeedna inagoo danta guud diyaaar u ah isku nimaadno. Ta Ethiopia haddaan wax ka iraahdo, for the sake of its survival, it ought to divide somalia into segments and then give directives to these, be it PL or SL in a proxy way as such her interest is served. Caaqil, Xiinfiniin, SW.. it is newsworthy to mention that SL is a bit ahead than PL as far as the Hierarchal goverment branches are concerned, and I am with U guys on that. However, both are doing just fine in relation to the south. Suldaanka, pls practice what you preach, your hypocrisy, ethnocentric, fabrications should be conveyed with modesty impeded some sort of intelligence, to us it is not merely a naked lie when you portray SL as nation of multiclan, while everyone in the world is realizing what it is by the day,rather than an insult on our intelligence, Saaxiib wax iskula har.. come out from the cave, be a man and proclaim !!,, that you are advocating I-people's kingdom and then and only then we can have a productive debate. Other than that sheekadaadu waxay la mid tahay “I jiid aan ku jiido waa gacmo daalis†Qadarintiin,

Qudhac, if Somaliland does not want withdraw its militia from the territories it occupies then let them stay till circumstances change!

I guess no one is perfect. Me being first on the list

Hope Allah Almighty assists and guides him as he kicks off his agenda of finding solutions to the problems in the region

Taleex controversy remmains unsolved up until now. However, I am following up this saga and it is in a progression state therefore anything that I say about it now will be premature but as news comes available I will share with SOL Nomads

Dervishes’ struggle: a shining example of Africa’s freedom fighters By Abdulfatah Ismail December 11, 2005 When it comes to the struggle of independence and liberty, the Dervishes appear, subject to reference being made to element of time, weaponry/logistics and economic power possessed at the time by the protagonists of the strife in question, on top of a long list of freedom fighters. Much to the surprise of many historians, analysts and military strategists for that matter, the Dervishes, with so little resources and without any support from the outside world, had succeeded in squeezing the British colonial forces into a very small piece of land of northern Somalia namely the northwest regions (Hargysa Burao, and Borama). The poem recited by the flamboyant Dervish commander: Ismail Mire narrating his presence, along with seven thousand Dervish fighters (anagoo Taleex naal jihaad taladi sooqaadney, todobatan boqol oo Darwish togatay neef door ah….) at Buuhoodle a city not far from Burao, one of the basis of the British forces, and the battle of Dulmadoobe (also not far from Burao) in which a British commander was killed is clear evidence that much of the northern territory were under the control of the Dervish fighters. Indeed, it was a question of prime importance for the British to spread Christianity throughout Somalia and had the Dervishes not became an insurmountable obstacle to the expansion of the British occupation, Somalia would have been today a country of religious diversity at best. Having said that, all Somalis owe credit to the Dervishes who saved them from the risk of being christianized and it’s beyond one’s grasp that a Somali citizen in his right mind would regard the Dervishes’ breathtaking strife and one of the longest battles for freedom as mere fighters who wreaked havoc, along with the British, on the people, as recently asserted by some individuals inside the parliament of Puntland, and put them on the same moral footing as the hated aggressors who came all the way from Europe to colonize our people, impose taxes on them and suck their blood. It is widely known that the Dervishes fought on a number of fronts and their project was die or win struggle as they faced ferocious enemy with overwhelming powers. Apart from being at war with the colonial powers, the Dervishes confronted the internal enemy or those who resisted the struggle and refused to join the Dervishes out of interest and felt like today’s Mogadisho warlords that they would be better off with the status quo being unchanged. But there was the fifth column, so to speak, and collaborators coupled with propaganda machine applied by the colonialists who used by proxy the very language tools, including poetic skills, utilized by the Dervishes, in an attempt to insure that the Dervishes are hoist by their own petard as evidenced by poems critical of the Dervishes and sometimes demonizing them. Among others, a poet from the northwest front recited, as part of the British propaganda, a poem portraying the Dervishes and reducing them to mere camel looters and we quote him as saying: “Ninkii tooyo dhaqay baa Darwish kala tagaayaayeh Haddaan tiro riyo ah leeyahay oo tulada ag joogo Ma tunkuu isoo qaban haddaanan timir lahaa dhaafin.†The above is just one of myriad of attempts made to discredit the Dervishes and demonize their struggle, but there were occasions when their true characteristics as die hard warriors whose their job was to crash the invaders and bring about their inevitable demise was portrayed by some individuals living in the territories controlled by the colonialists. A tribal chief from the northwest front cursed a British officer and predicted his downfall after he had ruled a dispute over camels against his clan. Ina Weeso Xume's (as they knick-named him) wishes that the officer be killed was regarded as one of the most predictable occurrences in Somali history following his poem and the subsequent death of the British officer at the hands of the Dervishes. Ina Weeso Xumo is quoted as reciting: “Sayedkoo wax galay raacdadoo la’isku soo gaaray Adiga iyo gubniga aad wadaa gooba taal noqo eh Girligaanku kaa joogsay oo guuxa kaadami yeh Gu’ganna ha gaadhin adigaa tolkay gajadaas badayeh Afkuna gow ku yidhi xaajadaad gees u badisaaye†Even though most of the Dervishes’ fight with the British forces took place in Nugal and Togdheer regions, the eastern front wasn’t free from the conflict and blockade was imposed on the Dervishes denying them access to eastern ports and potential supplies. The Dervishes reached, beyond doubt, at a moment when they could not differentiate the foreign enemy form the internal one and some Somali tribes repeated the same chorus and either attacked the Dervishes or looted their camels. One of the late Sayed Mohammed’s poems gives us a clear picture of how the Dervishes were fought on many fronts and isolated. We quote him as reciting: “Eebow gayiga oo dhan waa nalaka guuraaye Eebow waxay nagu galeen Diinta soo gala eh Eebow Greek koley ku tahay nala gamuneeye Eebow gamaan iyo waxaan geni cad dhiibaayey Eebow graw kagama helin golashaan wadayeh†The invitation given to the Dervishes to station their forces in the eastern region, a maritime area where much-needed logistics could have been secured, and the promise to have access to the seaports for arms supply and provisions and the fact that this promise was not kept and the rules were changed in the middle of the game while the fighters, their families, livestock, horses and ammunition were halfway between their eastern destination and the Dervish capital, Taleeh speaks volumes. The most beautiful one of a long list of poems recited by Sayed Mohammed depicts the Dervish’s suffering and loss due to the long and exhausting journey, the agony and pain endured by them as a result of the tall order to return back to the remote area of Nugal Godan. Apart from the British air raids, regarded as the determining factor of the conflict, the content of “Jiinleyâ€, as Somalis call it, is a landmark tragedy, poetic arguments and vivid picture of the Dervishes’ chain of episodes of which the rest is history. Seeking damages, whether direct or consequential, is long-awaited and overdue issue but to put the Dervishes on the same footing as the invaders and aggressors is like stripping those thousands of freedom fighters of their Somali citizenship while forgetting that they have paid with their lives to keep our country free and exhibited heroism and valor throughout the battles of Dulmadoobe, Beerdhiga, Jidbaale, Afbakayle just to mention a few and that they were the soldiers of liberty who fought, bled and gave the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of our nation. Such allegations as the ones recently made by Suldan Bashir Cabdi Garase in Puntland parliament concerning the Dervishes’ struggle is unacceptable and have no basis both on the facts and as a matter of common sense. Since the collapse of the Somali state, almost all the state’s properties, including the very symbols of the nation’s freedom fighters in question and statues of liberties, were gutted and looted and seemingly the time has come for some to put a history as precious as that of the Dervishes for sale and perhaps it is a high time for the Somali nationalists (if any) to intervene and call a spade a spade. Abdulfatah Ismail E-Mail:abdulfatah.ismail@htd.ae

Mr. Caamir, the sad think is that people with preset minds will only see what they would like to see in any point given. let me derive a point from Mr. Castro's remarks, the things that northerners have no control , and should not worry about are that we are people of a same origin, language, heritage, faith and zetra. It is quite bizzare that such an educated person like Marwo Omar would utter such short-sighted comments.

Whether Somali national Football Team won or loose is beside the point. In fact that they were there and competed with the lack of enough support speaks itself in volumes and must be commended. Period

Agreed. Good news indeed and one step in the right direction but nothing more!

IGAD and its patient By Mohamed Mukhtar Somalia was discharged from Mbagathi Hospital after Somalis formed a government under the auspices of IGAD in 2004. As an outpatient, Somalia was prescribed a self-administered drug to recreate a new nation through the envisioned inclusive Somali government. After more than a year, Somalia has not made much improvement and gone back to IGAD’s Follow-Up office, which serves a resource for the patient to discuss the result. Doctor: Hello. How are you feeling? Patient: Really bad. Did you put something in the prescription that set me in a fighting mood? Doctor: No need for that. I put that in your constitution. Your annual check up is long overdue, why are you so late? Patient: I got stuck. My legs became like table legs and I could not bring them together. One in Jowhar and one in Mogadishu. Doctor: Butthat is how they suppose to work. One leg is from the Arta group and the other is from the SRRC group and they should not work together. So how are you feeling now? Patient: I think I am suffering from multiple personality disorder. One part of me wants to talk to you about the problem and the other part doesn’t want to. Doctor: It is said, “The patient-doctor relationship is a privileged one, and you have a sacred duty to protect him from exposure.†Therefore, don’t tell the other part that you are under my direct care. So what is the problem? Patient: The problem had started even before we left here. As you had advised one part requested 20,000 troops to contain and eliminate the insecurity virus but the other part refused to swallow any. When it comes to the deployment of peace troops one part says no foreign intervention but wants foreigners to facilitate any negotiation. And the other part, when it comes to peace negotiation, does not want any foreign involvement but welcomes the deployment foreign troops. I don’t understand this. Do they hate all foreigners or they hate some? Doctor : Somali parliament members completed more than two years of plodding negotiations in Kenya, no wonder they are still sedated when it comes to the interest of their society. Confusion and selfishness are common symptoms if your chief medical adviser is Kipligat. Any other development? Patient: We had a b rawl in the parliament. Somali parliament members were forced to take unpaid leave through fault of their own. Much effort has been spent on international relations and chasing foreign aid, while domestic issues that matter the most such as reconciliation, disarmament, reconstruction and confidence building among warring factions and groups have not been dealt with. Roadblocks in Mogadishu area have increased exponentially. Doctor: What else? Patient: The part in Mogadishu is walking like an angry ox and having never-ending meetings. The part in Jowhar is acting like a runaway train full of brokers cashing everything. One wants no government the other wants non-governmental organisations acting like government institutions. Travelling abroad is the only thing that both parts love the most. I forgot to mention some had suggested that I should go to Kismayo for medical attention. Doctor: That is absurd. That is not acceptable. I am your only doctor. Patient: There are no 680 or Stanley or Hilton hotel in Kismayo. They want me to stay 0 star hotels. Doctor: You are right. Here is where best possible doctors are available. Do you have anything else to share with me? Patient: We continue to marginalize the intellectuals from the collective and constructive participation in the political, economic and social agenda of the nation. We still believe Mbagathi Conference was true and complete reconciliation and no need the nation as a whole to participate in the healing process. Doctor: The sixth Code of Ethical Behaviour for Patients says, “Submit to novel experimental treatment readily.†I am glad to say that the result is encouraging and how IGAD is treating you will surely be of widespread interest. You seem to be disappointed with the result but I beg to differ. Now the Transitional President is likely to become a lifetime president like other presidents in East Africa since there will be no election in 2009 as planned. Ethiopia, Djibouti and Uganda have lifetime democratically elected presidents. The government of Ethiopia shoots people who dare to oppose and Uganda regime puts opposition leaders in prison. But nothing happens to those who oppose the TFG government and that means you have tolerance attitude. Patient: Look here, doctor! You've already removed my patriotic, nationalistic and brotherhood elements from my body. I only came to see if you could help me to stand on my two feet as a nation. When will I be able to do that? Doctor: I am working on it. The Joint Need Assessment has just been created and it is too early to tell what you need. Patient: But I have been your patient since 2002 and you don’t know what I need. Doctor: Give me that document I had given you. I want to promote and publicise this self-administered drug. Please sign this form so the international community can pay my expenses. Patient: How much! $1.5million! This is too much for a few minutes work. Doctor: You just said that you have been my patient for almost 3 years now and I haven’t done any diagnosis yet. If $1.5million is too much for a few minutes work I can work even slower if you like. Patient: No! No! Claim whatever you want. Please just let me get out here. Doctor: Take these new medications. On your way out, see the receptionist and make another appointment. Patient: Another appointment! Doctor, I forgot to ask you the X-ray result. What does the X-ray of my head show? Doctor: Completely nothing. Patient: Even brain! Mohamed Mukhtar London Email: mohamed323@hotmail.com

Thanks Caamir, this was indeed an informative piece, hope this message materializes.

SECESSION: HEADLONG DIVE INTO THE PAWS OF THE BEAST Rashid Yahya Ali December 01, 2005 Waddankey ku noolayd abido waaqeed ay joogtay From eternity, their ancestral land since beginning of time, Ummad waaraad loo qaybsadoon kaba walaacaynin divided, pieces and parcels indifferent if it is chopped into spheres Ummad aan ka waababa aqoon dabinka weegaaran Ignorant and unwary to the laid traps and the pits concealed Ummad wadajirkii diiddanoo kala waswaasaysa Fratricidally paranoid, rejecting unity and inflicted with delusion Ummad waddici gobonimadiyoo wacan gumaystiina Faithful to yoke, scorns liberty and inviting the tyrant colonist Ummad uu wadkeedii galoo waalo tumanaysa !!!! In the hour of death, unbeknown, a nation dancing intoxicated Eng. Cibaar 45 years and few months ago, the first azure blue flag for the birth of a nation called Somalia was hoisted in Hargeisa. Exactly in that same moment at that same square, the first colonial flag was lowered, ushering a dawn of freedom and nationhood to a people who long struggled for self determination and to take charge of their destiny. In less than a week, approximately 1000 Km to the South, in the city of Mogadishu on the shorelines of the Indian Ocean, another symbol of colonialism came tumbling down. Foreordained by common heritage, binded by unbreakable bond of fraternity and a shared faith, both peoples embraced each other in unison and merged to form one nation, the Democratic Republic of Somalia. Regrettably, that very same hollow ground, the symbol and birth place of our nation, today stands starkly to be stained with an eternal infamy by turning it into the graveyard of those noble dreams and the chopping block of the very nation which our fathers so valiantly fought for its birth. Granted, the honorable intentions of our founding fathers were not realized. The goodwill set forth by our brethren in the North and their counterparts in the South to build a nation founded on brotherhood, unity, justice and freedom under which the Somali family is sheltered, protected and nurtured to prosper and multiply never came into fruition. The noble cause was not fully reciprocated and the dreams of our nation were hijacked by spineless political opportunists beholden only to self aggrandizement and thievery. As a result, the aspirations of our people dwindled into institutionalized tribal patronage, political decay and ultimately into dictatorial despotism. In the latter years of the nation’s turbulent history, the country took a worse turn to more repression and state sanctioned violence against any perceieved threat to the authoritarian rule of Siad Barre. Consequent to the scorched-earth policies of the dictator, devastating military assaults were unleashed against major cities and population centers in the North. Indiscriminate shelling and aerial bombardment led to estimated 50–60,000 civilian deaths and over 400,000 refugees fled to Ethiopia. Helplessly, the entire country watched with horror as entire towns were obliterated and citizens were subjected to incalculable losses and pains. Similar atrocities, though nothing on the scale of barbarity, were also committed against the people of Bari, Mudug, Galgudud and the Bay regions. The entire land was then under the clutches of a ruthless tyrant, bereft of moral fortitude to spare the innocent and the unarmed. Now that the tyrant is gone, the North is relatively stable and the rest of the country is trapped in a seemingly intractable conflict, what would our forefathers have done? Is secession a panacea to the North? Will it cure the many social ills lurking beneath and ready to erupt at any moment as it did in the South? Is the greatest concern facing our brethern in the North fear of domination and the hegemony of the South? Is the south a burden or partner for a better and more prosperous future and common destiny? By all odds, Somalis in the South hold nothing but respect, admiration, a sense of solidarity and common nationality towards their brethern in the North. They are encouraged and emboldened by the great achievements taking place in the North, from institution building, free elections and the budding seeds of democracy taking root in the region. The sense of security and peace prevailing throughout the North is a source of pride as well as a motivating factor for the South to put its act together and steer the nation towards a dawn of peace. Still, many are disturbed and saddened by the seccesionist drumbeat emanating from the North to dismember the country.They don’t see justifiable grounds in breaking up the country. Being aware and never complacent on the cruelties subjected to the people of the North and their legitimate grievances, Southerners contend that unity has far more promises and brighter future than separation. This nation was entrusted to us by our ancesstors to look after our fellow countrymen and pass it, in whole not fragmented, on to the next generation. If Somalia, under these extreme deprivations, is allowed to disintegrate into small, weak estates, the fate of its people is troubling and worrisome. A hand washes the other and the close fraternal ties which embelled our forefathers to seek each other to award us a sovreign nation is is truly worth cherishing, especially when the rest of Africa was falling apart and fathers and sons, brothers and causins were divided and fenced under imaginary colonial borderlines. There are insatiable hounds salivating, ready to devour us at any moment of perceived weakness. Many have already shown their true colors and it is depressingly heart breaking to see fellow Somalis waving the plight of other Somalis on the international arena as a valid justification to dismember the country or espousing the arch enemy of anything Somali and giving unbridled access to the waterways of the Red Sea to win their recognition. One needs to question the true intentions of the current Zenawi administration in Addis Ababa. Are its overtures to the North really genuine and sincere? If so, why almost every warlord, from the highlands of Hargeisa to the plains of Puntland to the riverine swamps of Hiiraan to Middle Shabelle and on to the plateaus of Bay and Bakol and onwards to Gedo, all the way to the Kenyan border, are all equipped, trained, financed and coached by none other than Zenawi’s administration? Ask why almost every bullet and shell which maims and murders innocent Somalis could be directly traced back to the western border? Ask why over 7 million Somalis in the so called 5th zone are falling far behind in basic services and infrastructures such as hospitals, schools and watering wells? Why almost ¾ s of the Ethiopian army bases are all located on the Somali frontier? Do they really wish good for the North? Just ask. Mar hadday is wada waydayoo wiririflaynayso Confounded roaming aimlessly, bereaved and lost Mar hadduu wahsigu tabar ka yahay iyo walaahowgu Disposed to idleness and with insanity mumbling Mar hadduu waraabiyo dugaag ku ag wareegaayo Hunted by predatory beasts, when stalked by hungry hyenas Wan dhaylaa sidiisii haddii weerar lala maagay Like the vulnerable calf when assaulted and devoured Oo waaxyaheed lagu murmoo la wasladeynaayo In pieces when her flesh is torn apart and carrion scavenged Iyaduna walaalba u qabtiyo ehel wanaag doon ah Yet beholds the carnivores like brethren or sincere friendly kinfolk By Eng. Cibaar The blossoming freedom, democracy and the indomitable spirit of our people in the North suffices to withstand any temptation to alter their hard won civil liberties and autonomy should they choose to remain in the union. It is not the intent of the South to diminish or take away an iota of the freedoms won in the North. Furthermore, the Interim Charter stipulates in chapter 4, Article 11 that The Transitional Federal Government of the Somali Republic shall have a decentralized system of administration based on federalism – That the Somali Republic shall comprise of: - (a) The Transitional Federal Government. (b) State Governments (two or more regions federate, based on their free will) and © Regional Administrations Those guarantees must at minimum suffice to put to rest any concerns or fears of eroding the exclusive regional rights of our brethren in the North. Moreover, by remaining in the union, the North as a fully autonomous region and an integral part of the nation will serve as a bulwark against the excesses of any central government, the bedrock bearing the weight of freedom, the pillars of democracy and the foundation for a federal government in Somalia. On the contrary, its secession from the rest of Somalia will inarguably whet the appetite of larger and more powerful neighbors, such as Ethiopia, to reduce its sovereignty to a mere sphere of influence. It took the Eritreans over 30 years of toil and tears to disentangle themselves from the paws of the beast. The South does not insist on unity for ulterior motives. It does not seek unison because of its anarchy and your stability, not because of destitution and for your riches, nor because of weakness and your impregnability, but simply because from a sense of duty and fraternity. For sustaining the eternal flame of freedom burming in the hearts of millions of other Somalis and for posterity. They intend no malice nor harbor envy, unlike many whose friendship and recognition is sought. This nation, Somalia, conceived in the love of freedom, delivered in brotherly union, nurtured by a rich culture and guided by a righteous faith, will rise and must rise majestically to an oasis of peace, a beacon of hope and justice and it shall take its rightful place among the nations of this earth. It will rise to its destiny, the land its founding fathers wanted it to be, democratic, free and prosperous. It must and it will, Allah willing. Rashid Yahya Ali Baltimore, MD Rashid_Ali_66@hotmail.com

Let us hope that they put their act together before it is too late and Shariif's saga is replayed

In spite of Mr.Togane's rudeness, and rubbish took, he won my heart and believe that he is one of the least somali tribalists out there, quite contrary I sensed that the old guy cares and loves his clan and wished to see them in different state than the one that they are in now. Odayga ha la daayo as I said it before, Mr. Togane remains to be harmless and hilarious

I myself sense the similarities;

Wishing a good season for the Horn. Mr. Soo Maal thanks for the piece

It is obvious that Mr. Togane is harsh to any damn Somali clan except two (M & G). Regardless of all relative implications that one may derive from his remarks, this guy spoke to the throat to convey his message. Even though, he is so rude and mean to my clan but I still think the guy’s intellect has bypassed clanism threshold thus SOL nomads have nothing to be alarmed because Prof. Togane proved himself to be a harmless clan pundit.

Some what!