Maybe LSK knows him?

^Do they include members of cabinet? I am surprised Mahiga knows about SOL and I wonder what's name of Soler?

Who are the members of Al-Sheikh group?

As-Salaamu Alaikum. It has been nearly six weeks since I last wrote, having newly relocated to Mogadishu. I have settled in the capital where being our close proximity to and daily engagement with our Somali interlocutors is helping us to “make up for lost time.” I continue to encourage other members of the international community to join us here without delay to show their continued engagement with Somalia and to be on the ground to help advance the peace process. The past few weeks have been full of dramatic events. The country is still embroiled in a parliamentary crisis which has frozen even the most basic activities of the lawmakers. Parliament cannot pass legislation or carry out routine tasks. Somalia simply cannot afford to be in this impasse at this key point in its history. Not only does the ongoing power struggle risk derailing the substantial gains that Somali stakeholders and their partners have so painstakingly made, it is holding key processes hostage, such as the approval of the National Security and Stabilization Plan. I am concentrating my efforts on engaging the parties to find a way out of this crisis and to ensure that they get back to work for the benefit of Somalia. CLICK

Waste of time and resources

UNMUTED:YOU DONT HAVE MY VOTE You must have heard of the viral video created by Invisible Children (IC), a U.S. organization that has launched a one-year campaign (expires December 31, 2012) to eliminate Joseph Kony, the head of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group in Northern Uganda that has been embroiled in civil conflict with the Ugandan government for 25+ years. The LRA has admittedly used atrocious tactics such as abductions to engage children in conflict, using boys as soldiers and girls as sex slaves. Needless to say, Kony and LRA must go. That’s where my agreement begins and ends with Invisible Children’s work. I appreciate the organization’s commitment to the issue and can see its good intent, but I strongly question the group’s approach, strategy, and work. Below are some of the reasons why. Lack of context and nuance: in the video, the founder of Invisible Children tells his young son that Kony is a bad guy and he must go. Daddy will work on making sure he is caught. He goes on to state later, “if we succeed, we change the course of human history.” Such a humble undertaking! Simply, a long socioeconomic and political conflict that has lasted 25+ years and engaged multiple states and actors has been reduced to a story of the good vs bad guy. And if a three-year-old can understand it, so can you. You don’t have to learn anything about the children, Uganda, or Africa. You just have to make calls, put up flyers, sings songs, and you will liberate a poor, forgotten, and invisible people. This approach obviously denies realities on the ground, inflates fantasies abroad, and strips Ugandans of their agency, dignity and humanity- the complexity of their story and history. The work, consequence, and impact are all focused on Uganda, but the agency, accountability, and resources lie among young American students. Clearly a dangerous imbalance of power and influence; one that can have adverse lasting effects on how and what people know of Uganda. It reduces the story of Northern Uganda, and perhaps even all of Uganda, into the dreaded single narrative of need and war, followed by western resolve and rescue. As we have seen from the past, without nuance and context, these stories stick in the collective memory of everyday people for years in their simplest forms: Uganda becomes wretched war. Whatever good IC may advance in raising more awareness on the issue or even contributing to the capture of Joseph Kony, it can never do enough to erase this unintended (I hope) impact. Invisible to whom: these children have been very visible to their communities for years. After all, they’re somebody’s child, brother, sister, friend, niece, nephew, or neighbor. They’ve been visible to the shopkeepers and vendors in town who protected them. They’ve been visible to the family members who lost them and the community that cared for them. It’s because they’re so visible that Concerned Parents Association opened its doors in the 1990’s, after LRA abducted about 200 girls from a secondary school dormitory, to advocate for and bring to international light their plight. It’s because they’re visible that young people, including returnees from abductions, started Concerned Children and Youth Association. They’re visible to the people that matter, but apparently not to IC. The language we use in social change often denotes the approach we take, even if subconsciously. Since the children appear to be invisible to IC, then perhaps it’s clear why they’re represented as voiceless, dependent, and dis-empowered. The dis-empowering and reductive narrative: the Invisible Children narrative on Uganda is one that paints the people as victims, lacking agency, voice, will, or power. It calls upon an external cadre of American students to liberate them by removing the bad guy who is causing their suffering. Well, this is a misrepresentation of the reality on the ground. Fortunately, there are plenty of examples of child and youth advocates who have been fighting to address the very issues at the heart of IC’s work. Want evidence? In addition to the organizations I list above, also look at Art for Children, Friends of Orphans, and Children Chance International. It doesn’t quiet match the victim narrative, does it? I understand that IC is a US-based organization working to change US policy. But, it doesn’t absolve it from the responsibility of telling a more complete story, one that shows the challenges and trials along side the strength, resilience, and transformational work of affected communities. Revival of the White savior: if you have watched the Invisible Children video and followed the organization’s work in the past, you will note a certain messianic/savior undertone to it all. “I will do anything I can to stop him,” declares the founder in the video. It’s quite individualistic and reeks of the dated colonial views of Africa and Africans as helpless beings who need to be saved and civilized. Where in that video do you see the agency of Ugandans? Where in that Video do you see Jacob open his eyes wide at the mere possibility of his own strength, as Jennifer Lentfer of How Matters describes here? Can we point out the problem with having one child speak on the desires, dreams, and hopes of a whole nation? I don’t even want to mention the paternalistic tone with which Jacob and Uganda (when did it become part of central Africa by the way?) are described, not excluding the condescending use of subtitles for someone who is clearly speaking English. How many times in history do we have to see this model to know that it doesn’t work? Even if IC succeeds in bringing about short-term change (i.e. increased awareness or even the killing of Kony) it won’t eliminate Northern Uganda’s problems overnight. It won’t heal and sustain communities. In this era of protest and the protester, we have seen that change is best achieved when it comes from within. Let Ugandans champion their own, IC! Privilege of giving: that was quite a 30-minute production? Where did they get the resources? How do they have that reach? Well, in the nonprofit world, the one thing that we have to learn, especially as Africans, is that privilege begets privilege. The IC video is another reminder of the ways in which privilege infiltrates the social justice world and determines the voices and organizations that are heard; simply those that can afford to be heard. There are several local organizations that could offer a nuanced and contextualized perspective on and solutions to the Northern Uganda conflict. They don’t have IC’s reach. They simple weren’t born into the world of financial, racial, social, and geopolitical privilege IC members are. Lack of Africans in leadership: Invisible Children’s US staff is comprised exclusively of Americans, as is the entire Board. How do you represent Uganda and not have Ugandans in leadership? Couldn’t the organization find a single Ugandan? An African? Did it even think about that? Does that matter to current staff and board members? I understand that IC’s main audience is American and its focus is on American action. However, when your work and consequence affect a different group of people than your target audience, you must make it a priority to engage the voices of the affected population in a real and meaningful way, in places and spaces where programs are designed, strategies dissected, and decisions made. Clearly, I think people should work across borders to address global issues. Obviously, there is a role for Americans in this issue. The problem here is the lack of balance on who speaks for Uganda (and Africa) and how. We need approaches that are strategic and respectful of the local reality, build on the action and desires of local activists and organizers, and act as partners and allies, not owners and drivers. When it comes to Africa, we have seen the IC approach play out time and time again, whether it was Ethiopia in the 1980s, Somalia in the early 2000s to date, Darfur in 2004, or now. History is on our side and it shows that these types of approaches often fail. At some point, we have to say enough is enough. Africans, raise your voice! Now and into the future. http://innovateafrica.tumblr.com/post/18897981642/you-dont-have-my-vote

Sunday, March 11, 2012 The Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) aid organization is preparing to establish a foundation that aims to introduce and represent Turkish culture in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, under the auspices of the Turkish presidency. Humanitarian and development assistance from Turkey to famine and conflict-hit Somalia has been ongoing. Last week, President Abdullah Gül pledged to promote a Turkish foundation to be established in Somalia, in a meeting with Kızılay President Ahmet Lütfi Akar. Within the scope of the project, a mosque and a library will be built. On March 7, Akar told Gül about the plan to establish a Turkish foundation in Somalia and asked for his support for the project. Gül agreed, and the project will be established under the auspices of the Turkish presidency. Somali authorities have allocated five hectares of land to Kızılay for the foundation premises. A nursing and health vocational school will be established on the same piece of land as the foundation. Speaking to Today's Zaman on Saturday, Akar expressed his gratitude to Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for their support of Kızılay's aid initiatives in Somalia. “The Turkish presidency's support [for the foundation] reflects how much importance Turkey has put on Somalia,” Akar asserted. Kızılay is the initiator of many aid projects in the country. A Turkish tent city, which the organization launched in December 2011, provides shelter for almost 10,000 Somalis in Mogadishu. A mobile bakery set up at the tent city produces 16,000 loaves of bread a day, and the charity also cooks and distributes hot meals to 10,000 people every day. Source: Today's Zaman

^They will probably saying missing in action and presumed dead. Majority of the soldiers were 'disposable' Oromo anyway. No Tigray dies in these wars.

LOL...sii fiican baa loo karbaashey shalay.

^AS doesn't care what people think but then their politics is not entirely driven by tribe.

it will be mistake to impose administration on Hiiraan without their input.

Jacaylbaro;802084 wrote: Other towns are much cheaper ,,, except Berbera ,,, for reasons u know LOL....No, I don't know. I hope Hargeysa is not Xamar prior 91 where the entire nation invested everything.

Jb..It seems highly inflated considering the average income of the citizens. What about other towns?

Jacaylbaro;802063 wrote: It is how much value the land have sxb .... My friend sold one Bakhaar in the downtown for $170,000 .... that was about 5 years ago. It is probably double by now Seriously? Hermit....If there are settling in Hargeysa and have disposable income, that's great. The good thing is houses are not being bought on credit which will have a serious consequence if the prices fall.

How much of the diasporo that buy land in Hargeysa actually live there?

Carafaat;802048 wrote: Then to your logic Somaliland should talk with Galmudug, Xiin and Xeeb, Al Shabaab and with all other elements that control a piece irrelevent if they are a clan, goverment, etc If it's in their interest, yes! It's matter of interest mate and one would imagine it's in Puntland and Somaliland interest to have working relationship.

Carafaat..He has no control over what happens in the North same way he has no control over what happen in the deep South and what AS does.

Carafaat;802038 wrote: Sheick Shariif is the President of Somalia, he speaks for Puntland. Sharif barely controls Xamar.

^ Neighborly issues such as trade, movement of people and security or do you think Somaliland borders start at Balcad?

Xaaji Xunjuf;802020 wrote: Dumarku wa gob waan jeclahay hooyo edo iyo qaar kalo badan wa kuwanu dhalnay but siyasad dee uma dhiban karno meelo kalo oo badan oo ku haboon ba jira oo loo dhibo oo ay ka so bixi karan shaqadooda. Hada waxaad leedahay ragii wadanka saas ugaley baa wax kasoo bixi kara dumarka? Hermet....To gauge the intellect of Somali man and his ability, just look at SOL and tell me if they are better than Somali women?

^Oo hadaad Ina Ileey Jigjiga loogu tagayo maxaad leedahay Garowe lalama hadlo karo? By the way, we are not talking about issues of recognition and relations with Mogadishu but issues affecting the region.

^Xalaado seetahay hada waxaa weeye Soomaali dumarbaa ubadan ma waxaad waxbaa yaa,lasiin? And remind me, Somalia survived for 21 cuz our womenfolks.

loool@XX response to SSC XX....Let's hope Mogadishu finally gets serious government that enjoys support all over the country but for local issues that affect Garowe and Hargeysa sure calls for local talks. Caraaf...SSC maa cousins eh?

War XX, waxaad leedahay you can seduce Dilma and Angela into betraying their people and countries? mise dumarkeena basbaa loose ah leedahay?

Xaaji Xunjuf;801997 wrote: Somaliland will talk to Somalia and thats its This is an improvement Xaaji. We went from 'we have nothing to do with Somalia' to we will talk to them....now talk to your cousins to the east, it's next logical thing to do.