The Kenyans go a step further today: "We(the Kenyans) are not going anywhere, whether you like it or not!" Sad.... You let the wolf into the henhouse and then, expect him to leave willingly ...... ________________________________________________________________________ Kenya Says Army to Remain in Somalia Until it Stabilizes By David Malingha Doya - Jul 15, 2013 4:05 PM GMT+0400 Kenya’s government rejected accusations by Somalia that its forces breached their peacekeeping mandate and said the troops will remain there until the Horn of Africa country stabilizes. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud earlier this month asked a group of Kenyan forces to leave the country’s south, accusing them of violating their mandate by supporting one of two factions seeking control of the Jubaland region. Somalia wants a “neutral force” to replace the Kenyan peacekeepers, Somali Information Minister Abdishakur Ali Mire said on July 1. Kenyan troops entered Somalia in October 2011 to fight al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group al-Shabaab after a series of kidnappings of foreigners and the murder of a British tourist in Kenya, which the government blamed on the militant group. Tourism is Kenya’s second-biggest foreign-exchange earner. “Kenya’s security along the border with Somalia is intractably linked to peace and stability in that country,” Zaddock Syong’oh, a policy adviser in Kenya’s Foreign Ministry, said in an interview on July 12 in the capital, Nairobi. “Kenya’s military will not therefore leave Somalia until it is stable and secure.” Kenya’s focus in Somalia is to secure Jubaland, which is also used as a base to plan attacks on Kenya, he said. “It is a matter of Kenya’s national security,” Syong’oh said. Aid Deterrence The semi-autonomous region is the main source of the more than 600,000 Somali refugees currently in Kenya, Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said on July 10. The UNHCR and other aid agencies are unable to deliver assistance in parts of Jubaland and situation there remains “tense,” Guterres said in an e-mailed statement. Since they began the incursion, Kenyan forces have helped African Union peacekeepers liberate parts of southern and central Somalia previously controlled by al-Shabaab. Operations to free more territory have been suspended while the government resolves its dispute with Kenya, Syong’oh said. Somalia accused Kenya of violating its mandate after clashes between two factions seeking control of Kismayo, the capital of Jubaland. Regional leaders in May elected Ahmed Mohamed Islam, a warlord also known as Madobe, as the region’s interim president. Barre Adam Shire Hirrale, a former defense minister, has since declared himself head of the region, according to the African Union. “Kenya is not supporting any one,” Syong’oh said. An e-mail and calls to Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid’s office seeking comment weren’t answered. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on April 9 his country has “invested immense diplomatic energy and resources in the quest for a stable Somalia,” and will support the African Union peace process in Somalia because “a stable and prosperous Somalia is in the interest of all nations.” The UN is creating a tripartite commission with the governments of Kenya and Somalia to prepare for the voluntary return home of Somali refugees. The repatriation should be slow to avoid destabilizing the peace process, Guterres said. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-15/kenya-says-army-to-remain-in-somalia-until-it-stabilizes.html

And the Kenyan response a day later.... Damage control... ______________________________________ Kenya denies defying UN ban on Somalia charcoal trade Sacks of charcoal in Kismayo - Somalia, February 2013 The UN estimates charcoal exports from Kismayo worth $15m to $16m a month Kenya has dismissed a UN report which accuses its troops in Somalia of facilitating charcoal exports in defiance of a UN Security Council ban. The report, leaked to Reuters news agency, said Kenyan troops helped export charcoal from Kismayo port after militant Islamist group al-Shabab lost control of it in September 2012. The UN banned the export of charcoal from Somalia in February 2012. It alleges that the industry is a major source of income for al-Shabab. 'Lacks objectivity' Kenya and the African Union (AU) appealed to the UN Security Council to lift the ban after al-Shabab fighters fled Kismayo following last year's offensive by Kenyan troops and a Somali militia known as Ras Kamboni. When the Security Council refused, Kenya's army and Ras Kamboni "took the unilateral decision to begin the export of charcoal" from Kismayo, said the report, compiled by a UN panel of experts. It said al-Shabab retained a stake in the industry. Map "Essentially, with the changeover of power in Kismayo, the shareholding of the charcoal trade at the port was divided into three between al-Shabab, Ras Kamboni and Somali Kenyan businessmen cooperating with the KDF [Kenya Defence Forces]," the report alleged. KDF spokesman Bogita Ongeri said the report lacked objectivity and had not been properly researched. Kenyan troops had curtailed al-Shabab's operations in Somalia and had put a "stop" to the illegal charcoal trade, he said, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reports. The total trade volume of charcoal exports from southern Somalia in 2011 increased to between nine million and 10 million sacks, generating revenues for the al-Qaeda group in excess of $25m (£16m), the UN report said. Charcoal exports from Kismayo were estimated to be worth $15m to $16m per month, it added. Kismayo has been hit by clashes between rival Somali militia since al-Shabab fled the city in September 2012. The city is seen as a lucrative prize for militias, which could gain financially from charcoal exports, port taxes and levies on weapons and other illegal imports. Kenya sent troops to Somalia in October 2011, alleging that al-Shabab was threatening its security. Its troops later joined the African Union (AU) force helping the weak Somali government fend off threats by al-Shabab to overthrow it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23314640

Xaaji Xunjuf;968927 wrote: THE UNION OF SOMALILAND AND SOMALIA LAW Preamble: WHEREAS the State of Somaliland achieved independence and ceased to be under British protection or within the jurisdiction and sovereignty of Her Britannic Majesty on the 26th day of June, 1960 (being Muharram 1st 1379): AND WHEREAS the State of Somalia achieved its independence and ceased to have the status of a Trust Territory of the United Nations Organization administered by the Republic of Italy on the 1st of July, 1960 AND WHEREAS it is the will of the peoples of Somaliland and Somalia that their States shall united shall forever be united in the Somali Republic : NOW, we the signatories hereof being the duly authorized representatives of the peoples of Somaliland and Somalia and having vested in us the power to make and enter into this Law on behalf of our respective States and peoples do hereby solemnly and in the name of God the compassionate and Merciful agree as follows:- Union: 1. (a) The State of Somaliland and the State of Somalia do hereby unite and shall forever remain united in a new, independent, democratic, unitary republic the name whereof shall the SOMALI REPUBLIC . LOOOL.... Haji, you just put another nail in the coffin of the 'Kacaan' propaganda many had been forced to swallow. I think between this and Garoodi's treatise on 'Ina Abdullah Hassan & his followers'... That's enough for this blessed month

Back in early March(in this same thread), some on this Forum who claim to be from the Kismayo region were adamantly arguing that "all charcoal export had been stopped in Kismayo". I continued to inform them that this was an economic impossibility given the financial realities of the region. xiinfaniin;924677 wrote: ' charcoal export ' has been stopped in Kismayo. The point of contention has been around inventory of harvested charcoal. And that to my knowledge has been settled. The admin will sell the inventory, ganacsadayaashii lahaana waxooday helayaan , maamulkuna wax buu ka helayaa Macno is as always reading too much into this. Al cilmul qaliil yuqal qilu saaxibah It seems those who claim to be the sons of the region with the greatest local interest (at least according to them) are the ones consistently peddling the least accurate information on the region! What gives???

Back at the beginning of March, I telegraphed for some the exact same information the U.N. Somalia Monitoring Group is now reporting to the Security Council - that the Kenyans have become financially involved in the charcoal business. That the issue is much bigger than the previous charcoal already at the port! Mintid Farayar;924079 wrote: Meanwhile, the illicit trade in charcoal continues at full pace in Kismayo. One leading "Kenyan' company involved in the direct exporting of this charcoal is called 'SIFA', linked to the nephew of a current leading Somali-Kenyan political heavyweight(I will leave him unnamed for now...). Just follow the money, gentlemen, like I always tell you. Facts are such inconvenient things http://www.somaliaonline.com/community/showthread.php/70027-Recent-Happenings-in-Kismayo/page2

Che -Guevara;968777 wrote: Mintid. The Gedo thing was expected, don't you think. You don't need insider information, just little deductive reasoning. Che, What makes you think I'm not using that same deductive reasoning? BTW, where did this association with insider information come from? LOL.... I've never personally claimed insider information. It's just that once I noticed how cracked some of the crystal balls around here are... I decided to peek inside my own crystal ball

The Zack;968746 wrote: Mintid, You are an epic failure! You have told us "you knew Hasan" and he will use his political weights and get rid of Jubaland. Well guess what? It has been 5 months and Jubaland is flying as high as any one could imagine. You predictions and wishes were both wrong. As for this report, it will not change anything on the ground. Come back to us when this changes anything. LOL @ Zack. Take a deep breath and attempt to contemplate the fact that I told you 4 months ago this would be a problem down the road for Ras Kamboni. As for Hassan Sheikh and my wishes, put some proof behind your emotional outburst and show us the threads where I told you 'he would get rid of Jubbaland/Azania'. ***What I did was point out the different diplomatic pressure points his administration would use against this concoction. Your side attempted to mock those diplomatic tactics as fantasies coming from Mintid's imagination. Mistakenly, in your emotional confusion, you confuse pointing out future tactics of one side as 'support for that side'. Now one of those strategies charitably told to you by Mintid (4 months ago) is being played out as we speak. BTW, Jubbaland as it stands currently in Kismayo, is not completely out of the woods. That's not because I favor one group over the other (after all both groups squabbling are adamently opposed to SL), but rather just an observation of certain realities at play in the current environment. I've got another freebie for you, Zack (I'm feeling charitable during Ramadan). Jubbaland/Azania will in the 'very near future' give up claims to having Gedo included in the region & will attempt to consolidate the potential new federal state within Lower and Middle Jubba. So the project will encompass only those 2 regions without Gedo in its aspirational model. Just remember you heard it here first.... As for why this particular UN Report is important and will have an effect on the situation... I would love to explain but duty calls me away. Plus it gets tiring explaining everything to some people in 'FAR WAAWEYN' all the time.........

The Zack;968729 wrote: Mintid, what happened "Hassan will stop Jubaland"? Sheeekadii charcoal ka inta noo danbeysiiso. Poor Zack, Interpreting with your emotions instead of your logic.... Read the above postings from earlier this year and you will literally see 'history' following Mintid's words. I telegraphed for you the techniques that the Hassan Sheikh camp would use against your beloved Ras Kamboni and, right now, as we discuss this, another one of those telegraphed techniques is about to be exercised. And you do know how U.S./Western attention is immediately captured as soon as one mentions the Al Shabaab involvement....... The U.N. report mentions that not only has charcoal exports more than doubled under Ras Kamboni, but also, that a third of charcoal proceeds still go into Al Shabaab pockets!

"At the rate of export since November 2012, the Monitoring Group estimates that this number is rising to 24 million sacks per year and represents an overall international market value of $360-384 million USD, with profits divided along the charcoal trade supply chain, including for al Shabaab," the report said. The group said it estimated charcoal exports from Kismayu alone were worth $15 million to $16 million per month. It noted that traders in Dubai say the actual export amount is probably much higher. - Reuters ________________________________________________________________ So much for Baashe's assertion that 'only previously-cut charcoal (before the Kenyans took over Kismayo) was at issue' in the initial charcoal dispute between Ras Kamboni and Mogadishu. Like I've told the gallery countless times, the charcoal industry is the biggest financial pipeline in the Kismayo area.

While many in above posts attempted to minimize this issue, the story was finally broken open by the latest UN Report. Below is the story by Reuters: Exclusive: Kenyan peacekeepers aided illegal Somalia charcoal export - U.N. Sunday, July 14, 2013 A confidential report by U.N. monitors accuses Kenyan soldiers in the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia of facilitating illegal charcoal exports from the port city of Kismayu, a business that generates millions of dollars a year for Islamic militants seeking to topple the government. The case of the failed ban on Somali charcoal outlined in the report highlights the difficulty of cutting off al Shabaab militants' funding and ensuring compliance with U.N. sanctions when there is little appetite for enforcing them on the ground. The Kenyan military denied the allegations in the U.N. Monitoring Group's latest annual report to the Security Council's sanctions committee on Somalia and Eritrea. The report was completed before recent clashes in Kismayu. In that fighting, rival militias battled for control of the strategic port city after Ahmed Madobe, leader of the Ras Kamboni militia and a former Islamist warlord, became leader of the Jubaland region, which includes Kismayu, in May. The situation remains tense though the Mogadishu government, which initially opposed Madobe, is letting him stay on as interim leader. Kismayu is a lucrative prize for clan leaders, bringing with it generous revenues from charcoal exports, port taxes and levies on arms and other illegal imports. The Security Council banned the export of charcoal from Somalia in February 2012 to cut off one of the main sources of income for al Shabaab, which has been fighting for control of Somalia for years and enforces a strict version of sharia law in the areas it occupies. Kenyan forces in the African Union's AMISOM peacekeeping mission, which has a U.N. Security Council mandate and receives funding from the European Union and United States, helped the Somali government retake control of Kismayu when the al Qaeda-aligned militants fled in September 2012. Afterwards, the AU almost immediately urged the Security Council to lift the charcoal export ban, at least temporarily. Kenya supported the idea, arguing that Kismayu's angry charcoal traders could undermine the security of its troops. The Monitoring Group, which reports on compliance with the Somalia/Eritrea sanctions regime, disputed Nairobi's analysis. "The argument that a group of charcoal traders constituted a greater threat to the KDF (Kenya Defence Force) than al Shabaab that had just been routed in Kismayu, was difficult to appreciate," the group said in an annex to its annual report, which was seen by Reuters. "Instead, it was far more likely that exporting charcoal would exacerbate clan tensions and resource interests, leading to much broader conditions of conflict," the group said in its report, which is nearly 500 pages with all its annexes. "And this is precisely what subsequently occurred." U.N. CHARCOAL EXPORT BAN FLOUTED The Monitoring Group's report is likely to elicit new criticism of Nairobi from Somalia's government, which has accused Kenyan troops of taking sides against it in the recent clashes in Kismayu and suggested they should be replaced by a more neutral force. Kenya denied the charge. The group said Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud asked AMISOM in October 2012 to keep Kismayu port closed to commercial traffic, including charcoal. But it said he was unaware that former Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas had already asked the Security Council's sanctions committee to review the ban. The group said an AMISOM commander lied to the president. "As late as 26 October 2012, the AMISOM Deputy Force Commander for Operations and Plans, Major General Simon Karanja (of Kenya), assured the President that the port was closed and there was no shipping traffic, while he knew otherwise," the Monitoring Group said. The Kenyans did not hide the fact that they wanted to ease the charcoal ban because they feared it could make their job of keeping the peace in Kismayu that much more difficult. When it became clear that the Security Council would not lift the charcoal export ban, the "the KDF (Kenyan forces), Madobe and his Ras Kamboni forces took the unilateral decision to begin the export of charcoal from Kismayu port," the report said. Once that decision was made, the charcoal export business in Kismayu, which the Monitoring Group said is known to have the highest-quality charcoal in Somalia, resumed in earnest. Colonel Cyrus Oguna, a spokesman for the KDF, which has been battling al Shabaab in Somalia since October 2011, said Kenya was not aiding the charcoal exports in any way. "The KDF is not at the sea port. The port is being managed and supervised by a committee put in place by the administrators of Jubaland," Oguna said in Nairobi. AMISOM did not respond to a request for comment. Although the Kenyan AMISOM contingent and Madobe's Ras Kamboni militia took over Kismayu after al Shabaab left, the U.N. monitors said al Shabaab retained a share of the charcoal business after it lost control of the city. "The nature of the business enterprise forged by al Shabaab continues with al Shabaab, its commercial partners and networks still central to the trade," the Monitoring Group said. "Essentially, with the changeover of power in Kismayu, the shareholding of the charcoal trade at the port was divided into three between al Shabaab, Ras Kamboni and Somali Kenyan businessmen cooperating with the KDF (Kenyan army)." Not only did the charcoal export business continue in spite of the U.N. Security Council ban, but it saw a dramatic increase, the U.N. monitors' report said. "In fact, its shareholding in Kismayu charcoal, in combination with its (al Shabaab's) export revenues at Barawe (town) and its taxation of trucks transporting charcoal from production areas under its control are likely exceeding the revenue it generated when it controlled Kismayu," it said. In the 1990s the Horn of Africa country imploded amid clan warfare after the overthrow of a dictator and became virtually lawless for two decades. AMISOM was created in 2007 to support efforts to restore order in Somalia, and today the mission's troops are mostly from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti and Kenya. 'KING OF CHARCOAL' The Monitoring Group estimated that al Shabaab, which has been driven out of many parts of Somalia but remains a potent force, exported some 9 million to 11 million sacks of charcoal from the country in 2011, raking in more than $25 million. "At the rate of export since November 2012, the Monitoring Group estimates that this number is rising to 24 million sacks per year and represents an overall international market value of $360-384 million USD, with profits divided along the charcoal trade supply chain, including for al Shabaab," the report said. The group said it estimated charcoal exports from Kismayu alone were worth $15 million to $16 million per month. It noted that traders in Dubai say the actual export amount is probably much higher. The group said there was also charcoal exporting from Barawe, the al Shabaab-controlled town north of Kismayu, bringing the militants $1.2 million to $2 million per month in taxes. One Kismayu charcoal trader with strong links to al Shabaab is Hassan Mohamud Yusuf, alias Awlibaax, from the Mareehan clan and chairman of the Juba Business Committee, the group said. He is also linked to Dubai's key charcoal businessman, Saleh Da'ud Abdulla, who himself has connections to al Shabaab, it added. Another is Ali Ahmed Naaji, from the minority Cawro-maleh clan, who "arranges or provides loans to al Shabaab, and makes investments for them in South Sudan," the report said. It said Yusuf and Naaji alone account for around 32 percent of charcoal exports from Kismayu, most of which go to Dubai. The largest purchaser of charcoal in Dubai is Al Qaed International General Trading, owned by Baba Mansoor Ghayedi, alias Haji Baba, an Iranian living in Dubai who described himself to the Monitoring Group as the "King of Charcoal." The report said Haji Baba denied importing Somali charcoal in violation of the Security Council ban and that the paperwork shows his charcoal comes from Kenya and Djibouti, both of which have banned charcoal exports. The Monitoring Group included in one annex what it said were examples of false bills of lading certifying Somali charcoal as coming from Kenya. The United Arab Emirates has been aware of the illegal Somali charcoal shipments, the monitors said. In September 2012 it notified the Monitoring Group that it had impounded a shipment of 100,000 sacks of Somali charcoal. The monitors said charcoal traders in Dubai informed them that the impounded shipment eventually reached the market. Some 10,000 bags of charcoal were unloaded in Dubai and the rest in Saudi Arabia. The consignee of that shipment was Haji Baba. (Additional reporting by Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu and James Macharia in Nairobi; Editing by Xavier Briand) Reuters

Careful, gentlemen.... Throwing labels around without understanding the seriousness of the accusation is a dangerous hobby. The Muslim Brotherhood, like any other political organization, has made its share of mistakes, but to label it Khawarij is below the belt. Besides, I assumed both of you didn't believe in our beloved Prophet....

Classified;966631 wrote: Neither. Both sides consider you as their subordinate. LOOOOL...... Finally, something we agree on

@ Nin-Yaaban, But the Gulf States are split and supporting two different sides, so who do we poor Somalis support then??

Mintid Farayar;966621 wrote: Obviously, you're not aware of the Qatari-financing of the Muslim Brotherhood. This has created a rift between Qatar on one side and the U.A.E and Saudi Arabia on the other(the U.A.E. and Saudis are strongly opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood, Ikhwan Muslimiin). The U.A.E. just sentenced a large number of its citizens to long jail sentences just a few days ago for being members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Financial Times reports on the close relationship between Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as the ripple effects of Mursi's fall on Qatari Foreign Policy. __________________________________ July 3, 2013 8:42 pm Fall of Egypt’s Mohamed Morsi is blow to Qatari leadership By Simeon Kerr in Dubai When Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Qatar’s 33-year-old emir, came to power last week, observers worried that his youthful lack of experience would soon be tested in the febrile regional atmosphere. Few predicted that challenge would come within a week as Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood-led government fell, and the credibility of Qatar’s activist foreign policy took a major blow. If Cairo is the centre of the Arab world, Qatar’s support for post-Mubarak Egypt has run to the heart of Doha’s backing of Islamist groups since the revolutions of the Arab uprising swept across north Africa. Qatar has poured $8bn of financial support into Egypt, and has been the main Gulf backer of Mr Morsi’s government even if it began its support before he took over. Its legacy will be associated with that of the leader whose presidency was doomed on Wednesday. “The climate surrounding Qatar’s foreign policy right now is a sense that they need to manage relationships a bit better,” said Michael Stephens of the Royal United Services Institute in Doha. “The Egyptian crisis is a heavy millstone around Qatar’s neck.” Doha’s rise from regional mediator to activist was co-ordinated by the former emir and the recently departed foreign and prime minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim. Together, they sought to balance the state’s alliances by hosting the US’s regional military base alongside extremist fringes of Arab politics. Qatar’s now-departed leadership has been betting that political Islam will fill the vacuum left by ousted Arab autocracies, hoping to harness an alliance that would help secure Qatar’s position. They backed brotherhood rebel brigades in Libya who helped overturn the regime but now scare others with their formidable armed influence even after doing badly in elections. Doha’s support for the Syrian “brothers” has carved the opposition into a disparate force viewed with suspicion by its western backers. Now as Mr Morsi loses power, the crisis could plunge Egypt into a period of dangerous instability. Diplomats say Mr bin Jassim, as well as his deputy who has been promoted to run the foreign ministry, have over the past few months realised the backlash that Qatar’s enthusiastic backing of Mr Morsi was creating. But while Sheikh Tamim, the new emir, is hinting at a moderation of Qatar’s adventurist foreign policy, analysts say any change will be gradual as Doha’s position is so deeply set. The links between Qatar and Mr Morsi are rooted in deeper links between the Gulf state and the pan-regional Islamist movement. The Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, has lived on and off in Doha for decades, using the Gulf state as a base to project his often controversial sermons. The government-owned Al Jazeera channel has also drawn fire from critics who say it has descended from a groundbreaking independent broadcaster into a platform for Brotherhood views. Such perceived bias is more fodder for the liberals who warn of creeping Qatari influence in nascent Arab democracies. They claim Doha is backing a Trojan horse for theocracy. Gulf states are also concerned about upstart Qatar’s objectives, leaving Doha increasingly isolated. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar’s neighbour, has waged a war of words with Muslim Brotherhood officials. The UAE has spearheaded a crackdown on domestic Islamists, portraying them as brotherhood lackeys conspiracy aiming to bring down the Gulf monarchies. Ahmed Shafiq, ousted President Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister, quickly flew into exile in Abu Dhabi after narrowly losing to Mr Morsi in last year’s presidential elections. As this Gulf proxy cold war in Egypt heats up, Emirati and Saudi money is waiting to help any interim administration keep the Egyptian economy afloat. “Qatar got it wrong in Libya, then Syria and now billions of dollars could go down the pan in Egypt,” says one economist. “That money was meant to buy political advantage, but they backed the wrong horse.”

Classified;966618 wrote: There won't be a Civil War in Egypt, as I have just noticed. If the West supports whoever is in power (Military, Secularists), then Morsi and his supporters won't have an outside force financing them and supporting them with weapons like the FSA of Syria. lol Obviously, you're not aware of the Qatari-financing of the Muslim Brotherhood. This has created a rift between Qatar on one side and the U.A.E and Saudi Arabia on the other(the U.A.E. and Saudis are strongly opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood, Ikhwan Muslimiin). The U.A.E. just sentenced a large number of its citizens to long jail sentences just a few days ago for being members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

From the Washington Post: As Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi weathers a storm of opposition that could pave the way for a military coup, Washington and its ambassador in Cairo have emerged as lightning rods. Those calling for the dismissal of Morsi say the United States became too cozy with the Muslim Brotherhood, the political and social movement that brought the Islamist leader to power. The Brotherhood, meanwhile, warns that the United States is failing to speak out loudly and clearly against a military coup in the making. After voicing support for Morsi, the Obama administration appeared to distance itself from him this week, with the White House issuing a statement saying that President Obama had told the embattled Egyptian leader in a phone call that the United States “does not support any single party or group.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/egypts-political-turmoil-puts-obama-administration-in-precarious-position/2013/07/02/00e957e0-e361-11e2-a11e-c2ea876a8f30_story.html

This is what the anti-Mursi crowd thinks of the U.S. and Obama. They think Obama supports Mursi!

Carafaat;966591 wrote: The hypocrisy of the US/West has no limits. When the democratic elected leader of a country isn't to their liking they support a coupe d'etat . And the Egyptian people fell into the trap. They first demonstrate for democracy and elections and less then a year later some of them protest the same democratic elected leader they choose, giving the US backed military a window of opportunity. This will lead only lead to more polarization and more dissatisfaction with their systems, institutions and decay of their cohesive society. I wonder if there are some lessons to be learned from this recent example in Egypt? Carafaat, For the past week, the feeling among anti-Morsi protesters has been that the U.S. and Obama, personally, support Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood. There were countless posters all over Cairo saying "Obama, stop supporting the MB". The current U.S. Ambassador, Patterson, has been attacked in the mainstream Egyptian secular media as supporting the MB. This is a misunderstanding on the part of the Egyptian anti-MB elements. The U.S. administration has concerns regarding the precedent of coups being mounted on each successive elected leader after each sizeable demonstration on the streets. That's not democracy.... That's mob justice. Having said that, there is also the understanding that a large portion of Mursi's problems were self-inflected by his paranoid, somewhat authoritarian actions while in office for that one year. So I don't know what gave you the impression that this is a U.S.-supported coup. While not in Egypt itself, I'm currently in the region. The overwhelming majority of Egyptians I've asked in the past 3 days are ardently anti-Mursi and support the military mounting a coup(they range in backrounds from waiters to professionals, all of them Muslim). I've debated with them the merits of letting democratic processes take their course and allowing Mursi to serve out his term, after which he can easily be voted out of office. But they didn't care for that argument and wished for an immediate removal by any means. That's the current sentiment. You can see in the television footage how much larger the anti-Mursi crowds are compared to the pro-Mursi ones. Mob justice.....

I wonder what the reaction of the anti-Somaliland, 'Awdal-land' diaspora is to the humiliation of one of their leading luminaries in 'the capital city of their Somaliweyn dream' and his subsequent defection....

*Blessed;963872 wrote: Ninkan waa laga badbadiyay. Bisinka! I hope he stays out of SL politics. If he wants to help his land and people - our education sector needs improvement and the HE sector can do with development - he and all the other Somali Drs can do so much in that department but sadly dadkeena empty political rehtoric ayuunla macaan- qofkii dhaqaaqaba waa inuu minister noqdo. So true! He wants to make a contribution to his people - Then do it in the profession he's toiled in for the last 30 yrs = an educator. But the ego is a powerful animal.....

Xaaji Xunjuf;962464 wrote: the game is still not won by either side yet, dont celebrate to fast. XX, How apt your advice is... Yet some never learn. Always counting the chickens before they are hatched. This is an interesting game, indeed....

Guys, Don't let the hecklers(i.e. Mr. Broken Crystal Ball) distract you from the issue at hand. It's an interesting competition shaping up. While both sides are driven by clan-interest, what's most interesting is that one side has completely abandoned all public pretense at a larger Somali-wide interest and openly agitates for the clan-hegemony of the Siyad Barre days. All chips are being called in from 'cousins' in the neighboring countries, whether Abdi Illey or Yusuf Haji... Meanwhile, there are a lot of other powerful Somali interest groups on the sidelines who will be forced to take sides by the attempt at a reincarnation of Siyadism... Looks like another opportunity lost for Somalia to rehabilitate itself. Muxuu yidhi, doqonkii lumey ee la soo helay.....

XX, First of all, I doubt they've made this agreement with the ONLF. Remember ONLF partisans have paid a heavy price(in the last 2 decades) given the punishments meted out to their families and villages by the Ethiopian forces & Liyu Police. It's hard for them to forgive those transgressions of the past. Those from Ethiopia proper were effectively divided into 2 camps: the Resistance and Accommodationists. Currently, the Accommodationists seem to have the upper hand and are rapidly growing as a percentage of the community. No, this seems more like a plan hatched by those in the community originally from Somalia proper and Northern Kenya. They've given up on the struggle with the Ethiopians and have now decided to pool their energies on the perennial competition between the H and the D in Somalia. They've enlisted the support of the Puntland community (a traditional opponent of the O community in the struggle for control of the Jubbas). In return, the large Puntland diaspora in Kenya will receive the political patronship of the O community in Kenya. This political patronship is critical as the Somali business community expands in Kenya. Note: 2 years ago, the Puntland community was against the formation of the Jubba/Azania project - this was before the grand bargain was struck between the two communities. Once on board, Puntlanders were essential in bringing larger sections of the greater D family on board to support the project. So far an interesting situation, now let's see what cards their current nemesis, the Mogadishu community(with their partners of the Gedo variety), plays next in this game for political control of the South.

From the way the wind is blowing currently, it seems the ONLF has been sacrificed by its 'very own community' for easier prizes in Jubbaland and Kilil 5. So much for 'cries about the oppression of the evil Ethiopians'....... Soomaali baa is baraneysa!

Haatu, Thanks for the correction (although I'm not sure exactly sure where we differed). Overall, thus far, the situation seems under control from both governments' actions. The Mogadishu government seems to be starting from a 'maximalist' position in order to gain the most from the final arbitration. Start high and slowly move down to a more realistic understanding... So as a Somali, I commend them in that particular area... (I have my criticism in other areas). The Kenyans tried to pull a fast one(last year) by attempting to sign contracts at a time when they felt the weak, transitional Mogadishu gov't was distracted by internal politics. It only got so far before the interested companies thought about the coming international lawsuits a future Somali gov't would file.