osman_nz Posted June 8, 2009 Blind Somali refugee treks 90 km to safety By Frank Nyakairu Saturday, June 06, 2009 DADAAB, (Reuters) - After her 90 km (55 mile) trek over dusty scrubland from Somalia to Kenya, Habiba Ali is still exhausted, sickly and trembling with emotion. Days before, the blind, 53-year-old mother had set off from Kismayu in Somalia, for the first time in her life, to be reunited with her sole surviving son in Dadaab, the world's biggest refugee settlement. Ali's husband Ibrahim and three other sons died in Somalia's never-ending cycles of violence. "We used to be a big, happy family, but look where life has brought us now," she said, crouched under a tree at a U.N. refugee registration unit in the Dagahaley section of Dadaab, a settlement of three refugee camps in northern Kenya. Encouraged by her son, she and her 8-year-old granddaughter left Kismayu -- a port held since mid-2008 by the militant Islamist militia al Shabaab -- on May 25. Ali paid $100 for a truck to take her from Kismayu to the border, where her son Hussein Barre, 21, came to meet her. The border is officially closed for security reasons so they crossed illegally, then walked 90 km over the parched land to the gates of Dadaab, the mother holding her son's wrist. Her face wrapped in loose cotton cloth, Ali now waits with a group of other refugees for registration, one of 7,000 who arrive each month. Ali's story may seem remarkable, but it is depressingly familiar for the 275,000 refugees in Dadaab, a camp built for 90,000. THREE SONS MURDERED Somalia descended into anarchy when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown by warlords in 1991. "When my husband was shot in the early days of the war in 1991, I was against leaving Somalia, so I told my sons to stay to protect our small piece of land and the animals," said Ali, who lost her eyesight at 18. Fighting blew up there again in 2007, when the Islamists controlling the area fought Ethiopian troops trying to shore up an internationally backed central Somali government. "My family had carried on with Ibrahim's charcoal-burning business, which helped us survive in Kismayu, but in 2007 horror struck again," Ali said. In the latest cycle of violence, al Shabaab and other allied Islamist rebels have regained control of large parts of south-central Somalia, including Kismayu. Somalia's civil war is compounded by clan fights and, being from Siyad Barre's Clan, Ali blames her family's woes on the rival usc clan. "The usc militia first killed my two sons in 2007. They had not harmed anyone, but they took them one evening and we found dead bodies outside our house in the morning," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. Hussein, her youngest son, took fright and fled to Dadaab. Then, in May of this year, her third born, Hassan, was killed, and she decided to head for Dadaab too. "I told Hassan to keep out of politics and avoid trouble, but that was not enough to save him," Ali said. "A gunman shot Hassan in the outskirts while he was watching the livestock grazing, and took our 20 cattle and 10 goats." Ali had vowed never to leave Kismayu but said she had no option in the end. Relatives helped raise the transport money. "Hussein was there on the border waiting for me, I have only him as my hope now," she said. "As you see, I have nothing -- no land and no wealth of any kind." Complaining of abdominal pains, Ali is unable to get proper medical attention until she is officially registered. Her new home is a 3-metre-square tarpaulin shelter that her son shares with three other friends. The camps are overcrowded, but Ali can neither return home nor go anywhere else. (Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Kevin Liffey). Source: http://in.reuters.co m/article/worldNews/ idINIndia-4013082009 0606 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
osman_nz Posted June 8, 2009 This is the responsibility of the usc and snm rebel groups who destroyed somalia for their clan's greed. They weren't satisified with the power sharing arrangment at place. Siyad built hargeisa, berbera, mogadishu to be the biggest cities of somalia..In return he asked them to be wadani and allow the remaining biggest tribe of somalia who had no investment in their land's to lead the country. Even the government position's was shared throughout clans...but they wanted it all, they wanted the investment in their lands plus the leadership of government for clan greed where-as the true saviour's of somalia siyad barre and his larger tribe federation were willing to sacrifice investment in their land and allow for their regions not be developed for the sake of being wadani and sharing. Truly usc and snm rebel's destroyed our nation and make no hidden bone about it, wa total criminals.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
osman_nz Posted June 8, 2009 By the way i would like to re-iterate that in puntland constitution we welcome all out southern clan brothers who want to join our state and become 1 state with their northern brothers in puntland..specifical ly kismayo, gedo region, parts of jubba, and area's inhabited by majority of our clan federation through peaceful way and cooperation. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hassan_B Posted June 8, 2009 Osman_nz, take it easy bro... we all went through crap, but Allah loves those who suppress their anger. Everything happens for reason so no need to let this cause unrest. plus everyone had his role and we all need to repent. In the end we'll only be responsible for our deeds only. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MoonLight1 Posted June 8, 2009 specifically kismayo, gedo region, parts of jubba, and area's inhabited by majority of our clan federation through peaceful way and cooperation. You mean the *** tribe, what a sad notion, so if I am refugee from *** tribe am I excluded from Puntland, will I need a visa, or I'll be thrown over the boat somewhere in the gulf of aden, since when did other tribes became "other" aliens in their own country SAD SAD SAD. :mad: :mad: :mad: [ June 08, 2009, 12:12 AM: Message edited by: Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar ] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naxar Nugaaleed Posted June 8, 2009 osman and moonlight, a poor blind woman in her 50s walked more then 50 miles to escape the hell thats somalia... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MoonLight1 Posted June 8, 2009 NN I know, but the guy came up with this s1lly idea of some tribes can get asylum seeking permission in Puntland, and others can't.lol that p1ssed me off. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
osman_nz Posted June 8, 2009 Moonlight, puntland is state that is governed by a certain clan however that doesn't mean other's are not welcome to live there in peace. We have Ethiopians, southern somalis, hargeisa..and all sort's of ppl who work n live there. Puntland state has introduced free health and welfare payments for unemployed ppl, idp's, etc regardless of clan origin. There is massive state-wide child health program that has begun to make sure that all children regardless of clan are cured from preventable diseases. This why united nations has said in many reports that this region is the healthiest and richest region of the horn of africa. The case of the tahribyal is being stopped and crucial services are being provided for them. These tahribyal from ethiopia and southern somalia who use our port as destination gate-way to yemen even state that they live and work in puntland to earn their money and then decide to go to yemen. The opportunities are their for them and the state government is investing in busines program for them so that 2700 idp's are trained to become licensed business ppl of puntland in many different field's of industry. So please don't twist what i say, we are the only state that are actually do something about our idp's who have caused any problems for our state such as a violent protest at the sheikh osman arrest, taking dangerous voyages to yemen of our coast, and even reported that among the pirates in puntland idp's are being recruited. So really the trouble they cause for us and the amount of the state is doing for them is just amazing. No-where in africa will u find a state government setting up such huge business projects, providing welfare payments and free health to their refugee's except puntland. That is why we are the power state of east africa and inshallah with the oil dig at the end of the year, well that will set us on course to advancement, education, health, and foreign investment, and who knows even building tourist sector of our wild mountains, and coast line. Like dukey says in his proverb "the future is bright, the future is puntland". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naxar Nugaaleed Posted June 8, 2009 lets hope we return one day to a time that a Somali is free to roam in all the Somali lands, even across int borders. and just when you think Somalis have had enough in being refugees for nearly twenty years, people are still trekking to camps in kenya. i tutor high schoolers who have been born and raised in a refugee camps and the outcome is very sad. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naxar Nugaaleed Posted June 8, 2009 Mr Puntland on steroids, cool it down just a little, everyone's proud of their tuulo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
osman_nz Posted June 8, 2009 Naxar...the question of somalia reuniting can only happen through federation like the federation that exists in the uk. In the united kingdom they are seen as british first and the foremost nationality wise and use british passport..however they have 4 disolved national parliaments that handled their state level regions united under 1 federal parliament in london. This the system that puntland envisions for somalis. And can even include djibouti in such vision. Were there is puntland, sland, djibouti, and proper somalia in federal government whilst retaining their state level administrations. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
