Question: "How many are the bad guys, I mean the warlords, who are responsible for the murder of the people and the destruction of the country?
Anisa M. Jama,
Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
Answer: When military ruler, General Mohamed Siyad Barre was ousted from power in 1991 there were only two main faction leaders==General Mohamed Farah Aideed and Ali Mahdi Mohamed who played havoc in the South, particularly the capital. Their militias shot anything that moved and looted anything that was not nailed down-even those did not escape from them. They dismantled the national monuments and sold them to Asian scrape dealers in the Gulf, mainly from India and Pakistan, as scrape metals, who in turn blended them with gold. Underground water pipes (or water mains), telephone and electricity wires have been looted as well. The city virtually became a wasteland. Since then more than two dozens of wannabe and instant warlords made their debut and joined the fray. General Aideed died in action during an offensive against his rival weeks after the United Nations and the Americans pulled out from Somalia. On the other hand, Ali Mahdi Mohamed walked out of the peace and reconciliation conference in Eldoret, the first venue of the talks "as waste of time, money and energy" He has been out of the loop since then, apart from occasional fray into politics. As they say Old Habits Die Hard.

Question: Who is this guy, Abdullahi Yusuf and why is he scared to go to Mogadishu?
M.M. Abdi.
Toledo, Ohio (USA)
Answer: Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf, with a bunch of disgruntled army officers fought against their boss, Major General Mohamed Siyad Barre in a guerrilla warfare in the immediate aftermath of the 1977 so-called Ogaden War, but was imprisoned by his protégé Colonel Mingistu Haile Mariam, former Ethiopian military despot, for failing to follow instructions, or obey orders. He eventually became the strongman of Puntland, Northeast of the country and went to war against Somaliland over Sool and Sanaag because of ethnicity. As to why he refused, or scared as you put it, to visit the capital during his recent tour, it become obvious that the capital is awash with Hawiye militia gunmen who think they cannot tolerate another military ruler with roots in Bari (Northeast) of the country. In fact, they cannot tolerate law and order from any quarter at all. It was hoped that, perhaps, the Prime Minister, who is the new "kid-on-the-block", could convince them to lay down their guns. Now, there is a talk of dislodging them from the capital in order to pave the way for the arrival of the government-in-exile. Many of us believe that the warlords must police themselves and clear the mess they created in the first place, though no one in Mogadishu believes the warlords' hostilities would simply end for good. They know the thugs would simply sneak back into Mogadishu with their weapons and the Mad Max vehicles locally known as Technicals.

Question: I was brought to Holland by my parents when I was a mere toddler (6-years-old) and I gather from their conversation that we belong to the Midgan people, the most oppressed ethnic minorities in Somalia, according to them. However, I am at a loss to understand why a journalist like you failed to defend in your writings the right of the Midgan and other oppressed minorities in Somalia?
Kaaha Abdullahi,
The Hague (Holland)
Answer: "… I am at a loss to understand why a journalist like you failed to defend the rights of the Midgan and other oppressed minorities in Somalia," is the understatement of the decade. I have written several articles on the subject in which I accused the mainstream tribes for snuffing out and trembling on the rights of all minorities, including the Midgan, the Tumals, the Somali Bantus, the Baravans, the Bajunis, the rer Hamars and others. "The Plight of the Somali Bantus and Other Minorities," February 21, 2004 Part I and Part II.
I know trust is hard thing to rebuild once your own countrymen and women have ostracized you for no other reason than your chosen profession. Teach future kids and siblings to stand up for themselves, verbally.

Thanks for your questions, and for the loyalty. We would like to hear from you-do it with a smile!

Edited by MM Afrah
afrah95@hotmail.com - afrah@banadir.com