Somali national troops you say, veterans of the former wars you say. Well lets not be selective people, we should not pick and choose who to honor in that many officers of the former army are in Baidoa right now with the TFG. Starting with Gen Naji the head of the TFG armed forces. Also in the golden age of the Somali army between 1960 and 1978 guess who was a decorated war hero who fought the real Amxaro many here pretend to hate so much. President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed who else? the old Colonel, fought in the 1964 border war with Ethiopia and was given the highest decoration for bravery by then head of state HE. Adan Cade. He also fought in the 1978 war against Ethiopia, the ****** war. Many of the old men should not be used in this cynical clan based politics being used by the courts. These are motivational tactics and nothing more. The Somali army rotten legacy stems from the fact that many in the North West or Somaliland remember the horror of the war with the late regime and do not see these solders as nothing more than criminals. So its all relative to who you ask. Now shame on those who would use the old men to further their agenda, just highlights how desperate they are.

^^lol. The President is doing his job, as head of state representing the Federal Republic of Somalia. The noise of the courts wont make any difference to his schedule, he has booked an apointment with them and soon.

MMA, you have a right to criticise your President, but to call a Somali war hero sheep is one thing. How unhappy you seem, upset cause Saransoor is upset? Yesterday they used to sing for warlords, now they sing for clan courts, tommorrow TFG.

The old man is doing well, all the noise of the courts is not distracting him from his job.

BBC LINK Trade to top China-Africa summit China is eager to cement cultural and economic ties with Africa More than 40 African heads of state are gathering in Beijing for a summit with China on trade and investment. As its economy booms, China's drive to buy African oil and other commodities has led to a big increase in two-way trade, worth $42bn (£22bn) in 2005. Africa is also a growing market for Chinese goods, but critics say Beijing is stifling African manufacturing. The West have expressed concern that China is doing business with repressive regimes in countries such as Sudan. But some analysts have said Africa is the only place left to go as most of the world's other big oil reserves are already being developed by major western energy companies. New deal hopes The three-day summit celebrates 50 yeas of diplomatic relations between China and Africa. It opens with talks between foreign ministers from at least 45 African nations and China. But background for the meeting is the rapidly expanding trade ties between the two sides. Officials have said that up to 2,500 separate business deals could be under discussion during the summit. Many of them are expected to revolve around China's hunger for African mineral resources, particularly oil. One of those taking part in the summit is President Obasanjo of Nigeria - Africa's biggest exporter of crude oil. 'Exploitation' Some critics have voice concerns over how Chinese-owned firms are treating African workers. Protests broke out in Zambia in July about the alleged ill-treatment of workers at a Chinese-owned mine, and there have been reports of pay disputes in Namibia. China's supporters point to the fact that it has invested billions of dollars in aid, cheap loans and helping to upgrade roads, ports, railways, telephone lines, power stations and other key infrastructure across Africa. Often, Chinese money is

^^^Is the character eating the flag?

no thank you we will not lead our sons into war on some on the words of those who beat the drum of phony wars. we were lead to once before but never again should we send our sons to their grave on some flawed and warped ideological stand, no thank you. Well said Qudac, who are they kidding?

^^^Good post Horn, keep us posted. A question, will this be the main Uni of Gedo? and why not call it the University of Gedo rather than Bardhere? Nuune, I think the project for the U in Kismayu is still under way.

These are old men and shows the despeartion of these clan courts. Let the old men retire.

I am afraid they did and that is why maah-maahdaan kusoo baxday; Waa sheekadii Farataag yaan dilnay How come none of the clan court people posted anything on this thread, where is Ubahane?

^^^Sayid Mohamed A. Xasan has nothing to do with this, he was a warrior of a past age and may Allah bestow his mercy on him. Today we are talking about a clan court that is trying to act like it is a force of nature, which it is not. Saxib we have seen many fake dawns and those who rush to war never get far, dont clap for these fools who intend to kill more Somali's and push our country back a few more decades. Ubahane, are you ok, you seem kind of nervous today?

^^^You do protest too much dear Ubahane. I was just correcting you ok. But keep it up, have the Eritreans arrived yet?

^^^Saxib these are clan courts nothing more.

Somali clans you mean, we are all one tribe.. You are getting better though...lol

Mogadishu clan courts...

Somali rivals prepare for war By Marie-Louise Gumuchian Thursday, November 02, 2006 KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The Horn of Africa slipped closer to war on Thursday after intense efforts failed to revive peace talks between Somalia's powerful Islamists and the interim government. "The international community needs to act fast and clearly to avoid a disastrous war that could turn the region into an Iraq-style situation," a Western diplomat said. "We should look for the tiniest shred of hope to avoid this prospect." The government on Thursday rebuffed efforts to reorganize peace talks on November 15 after they failed this week in Khartoum. "The government delegation has refused to set a date and a place," delegation member Ahmed Omar Gagale told Reuters after diplomats said mediators were trying to persuade the two sides to return to the table in the middle of the month. The Islamists said they were ready for talks. "We are always ready and prepared to go into negotiations," the head of the Islamist delegation Ibrahim Hassan Addow told reporters in Khartoum. On the ground, Islamist sources said the movement was sending more fighters to the flashpoint town of Buur Hakaba. It lies between the government's headquarters in Baidoa and the Islamist base in the capital Mogadishu. Both sides have tested guns in recent days. "Given the situation on the ground, the proximity of the forces and the artillery duels of the last few days, an escalation is likely," regional analyst Matt Bryden said. "It could be hours, it could be days, it could be weeks." Both sides are blaming each other for the failure of a third round of Arab League-sponsored negotiations seen as the best way to avert a conflict which could quickly widen into a regional proxy war drawing in Ethiopia and Eritrea. ETHIOPIAN TROOPS The Islamists, who took Mogadishu and a swathe of the south in June, say they cannot talk while Ethiopian troops are on Somali soil to help President Abdullahi Yusuf's government and have called for an international fact-finding mission. The government says the Islamists want to take Somalia by force and perhaps invade other ethnically Somali regions of neighboring countries. Ethiopia said the Islamists were never serious in the Khartoum talks. "They are using the talks to buy time and making conflict inevitable," said Solomon Abebe, the director for information in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But some analysts felt war talk might be a bluff despite the military build-up. "How real is the wish of the two parties to go into war?" the Western diplomat said. "The fact the talks didn't completely collapse but were sort of re-scheduled points to the fact that we are still in a heavy posturing position." The government delegation head, deputy premier Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail, said talks would have "no meaning" unless Islamists withdrew from areas seized since the last discussions. He urged the international community to investigate violations of previous Khartoum agreements, notably military expansion, and called for travel sanctions to be imposed on the Islamists and aid cut to the religious movement. War would be a nightmare for inhabitants of the Horn of Africa, already among the world's poorest people and buffeted by successive conflicts in recent decades. Somalia has been mired in anarchy since the 1991 ouster of a dictator by warlords. Eritrea, accused of arming the Islamists, and Ethiopia, which openly backs the Yusuf government, fought a war in 1998-2000 and remain bitter foes. War in Somalia may draw in foreign Muslim radicals on the Islamists' side, analysts say, and would divert resources urgently needed for humanitarian aid and social services. (Additional reporting by Andrew Cawthorne in Nairobi; Guled Mohamed in Mogadishu) Source: Reuters, Nov. 2, 2006 1 comment(s)

^^^Saxib I have made my point on many occasions. Two notable posts you made speaks volumes, one is the Toxic waste, and the other this clan courts nonsence in Galkacyu. So dont try to back track, keep to your position.

'We are showing that our forces are ready' Mogadishu - Islamist and Somali government forces girding for battle in central Somalia fired artillery and rockets into the air on Wednesday, sending hundreds of villagers fleeing for safety, witnesses said. With peace talks in Khartoum on the verge of collapse and fears rising for an all-out war that could engulf the Horn of Africa, the two sides conducted live-fire exercises near the government seat of Baidoa, they said. The witnesses said the barrages shook the ground but caused no casualties in a 20km no-man's land between the towns of Deynunay and Burhakaba, here the rival camps are dug in in an increasingly tense standoff. "People in Burkahaba have started to flee," town resident Osman Ibrahim Adan said by phone. "They have gone to Mogadishu because they fear war can start any moment." He and others said Islamist forces camped in the nearby village of Moote-Mooote had launched artillery and anti-aircraft fire into the air in response to a similar barrage from government-held Deynunay. "They fired more heavy anti-aircraft shells and we don't know if they are intending to attack the government bases," Adan said. The government said its troops in Deynunay, about 22km east of Baidoa, had fired missiles and artillery in a demonstration of strength to deter a feared Islamist attack. "It was part of military exercises in the front-line areas," commander Abdullahi Barre Nur told AFP from Baidoa, about 250km north-east of the Islamists' main base in Mogadishu. "We are showing that our forces are ready to break the silence if the Islamic militias try to violate the territories we control," he said. The firing came as diplomats huddled in the Sudanese capital in a desperate bid to salvage the peace talks and avert a full-scale war that could embroil the region, possibly drawing in arch-foe neighbours Ethiopia and Eritrea. - Sapa-AFP Source: AFP

^^^Saxib Somali's are all sheep, they follow who ever they percieve to be the strongest. Actually most masses can be described as sheep.

^^^It did begin then, and it continues, quite before the storm.

Letterman, Yusuf is the national leader of Somalia, dont bother yourself the clan courts will recognise him fully soon.

^^^He wont, since he needs the world and it is on the side of the TFG. Simple math really, legitimacy brings power. IndaCade and his clan courts uses the gun only, Yusuf uses the gun and politics.

^^^The world is more important, the people are sheep. They will follow which ever wolf is stronger.

^^^Saxib the President defeated, A/Qsin, Cadow and all the rest of Mogadishu men and money to win the most transparent election in history. Who elected Old man IndaCade? Who elected the clan courts? Those who dable in drugs, and trade charcoal should never to pretend to be anything other than mere criminals who's time will end in disaster. PS. President Yusuf is in China so its not just me the world recognises him.