TALKING POINT BY
M.M. AFRAH Toronto (Canada)  Email: afrah95@hotmail.com  

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Mr. Afrah is an outspoken Author/Journalist and a member of the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). He contributes hard-hitting articles to Canadian and international newspapers and magazines on the Somalia situation "through the eyes of a man who covered the country for more than two decades".

Many of us remember his critical articles in his weekly English language HEEGAN newspaper, despite a mandatory self-censorship introduced by Guddiga Baarista Hisbiga Xisbiga Hantiwadaagga Somaaliyeed in 1984 and the dreaded NSS. I am very proud to know that Mr. Afrah openly defied the draconian censorship laws and went ahead to write what he thought was wrong in the country. He received several death threats from the warlords and was briefly held hostage by gunmen in 1993. But he remained defiant and continued to send his stories of carnage and destruction to Reuters news agency. He still is!

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BOOKS BY M. M. AFRAH

New in Books
The Somali Tragedy 
Book Description
Read the untold history of U.S. Military involvement in Somalia and the hunt for general Aideed in the somoking ruins of Mogadishu..

About the Author: Reuters long time correspondent in Somalia, M.M. Afrah was there when military dictator, Major-General Mohamed Siyad Barre came to power in a military and police coup in October 1969. He was there when General Barre was ousted from power by poorly equipped and poorly trained youths in beach sandals. He was there when the US Marines, SEALs (The navy's Sea, Air and Land) and Army Rangers stormed the beaches of Mogadishu in December 1993 to spearhead an international task force code-named Operation Restore Hope.And he was there to see them leave. He watched as their initial goodwill turn into impotent rage, and saw their efforts to impose a Western-style democracy end in fiasco Read more

• TARGET: VILLA SOMALIA

• MOGADISHU: HELL ON EARTH

• THE SOMALI TRAGEDY

• THE GANG RAPE OF A NATION

Mogadishu was a place of war. Foreign journalists who went there encountered dangers and witnessed horror and were glad to get away. It takes much longer to understand what that suffering means. To Somali journalist, like Afrah, this was their life, their people."

James Schofield, SILENT OVER AFRICA,
Stories of War and Genocide. Sidney, Australia.

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COMMENTARY

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• ANOTHER DISASTER STRIKES SOMALIA AGAIN
  

• WHY DO WE NEED A GOVERNMENT

• SENDING ETHNIC MINORITIES TO THEIR DEATH IN SOMALIA

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TALKING POINT

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LETTER TO THANKS FROM M. M. AFRAH

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Congratulations !!! Mr. M.M. Afrah for recieving an Award from POETRY INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

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Doorka Suxufiga Soomaaliyeed
Wareysi dood ah dhexmartay M. M. Afrax iyo Haaruun Macruuf

NOMINATION FOR THE "ALTERNATIVE NOBEL" by: Banadir.com

Mohamoud M. Afrah (MM Afrah): JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR 2005

YOUR EMAILS

YOUR EMAILS  (QUESTION & ANSWERS)

SELECTION FROM YOUR EMAILS

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• FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION IN AFRICA
  

• A JOURNALIST'S DIARY ABOUT THE WAR IN MOGADISHU 1991/1992 "Part Eleven"

• FROM MY INBOX

• SOMALI WEBSITES NEED MAJOR SURGERY

• DISREGARDING CULTURE OF COMPLAINTS

• A JOURNALIST'S DIARY ABOUT THE WAR IN MOGADISHU 1991/1992 "Part Ten"

• A JOURNALIST'S DIARY ABOUT THE WAR IN MOGADISHU 1991/1992 "Part Nine"

• A JOURNALIST'S DIARY ABOUT THE WAR IN MOGADISHU 1991/1992 "Part Eight"

• A JOURNALIST'S DIARY ABOUT THE WAR IN MOGADISHU 1991/1992 "Part Seven"

• A JOURNALIST'S DIARY ABOUT THE WAR IN MOGADISHU 1991/1992 "Part Six"

• A JOURNALIST'S DIARY ABOUT THE WAR IN MOGADISHU 1991/1992 "Part Five"

• A JOURNALIST'S DIARY ABOUT THE WAR IN MOGADISHU 1991/1992 "Part Four"

• A JOURNALIST'S DIARY ABOUT THE WAR IN MOGADISHU 1991/1992 "Part Three"

• A JOURNALIST'S DIARY ABOUT THE WAR IN MOGADISHU 1991/1992 "Part Two"

• A JOURNALIST'S DIARY ABOUT THE WAR IN MOGADISHU 1991/1992 "Part One"

• TAKING A POKE AT THE ITALIANS

• SOMALIA NEEDS HIGHLY TALENTED INDIVIDUALS NOW!

• DUMPING TOXIC WASTES ON OUR COASTS

• MR. PRESIDENT, DO NOT FEAR OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT ABDULLAHI YUSUF

• SWEEPING CONDEMNATION OF AFRICAN LEADERSHIP

• FINALLY, THEY HAVE MADE IT HALF WAY!

• DISARMAMENT IN STYLE

• THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY "Part Five"

• THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY "Part Four"

• THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY "Part Three"

• THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY "Part Two"

• THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY "Part One"

• THE DRUG KHAT CAUSES MAJOR THREAT TO OUR SOCIETY  

• ORIGIN OF THE SOMALIA CRISIS    

• OPEN LETTER TO ALI MOHAMED GEDI - NOW ALL ROADS MUST LEAD TO THE NATIONAL CAPITAL    

• OPEN LETTER TO COLONEL ABDULLAHI YUSUF   

• ABUSING FREE PRESS

• YOUR LETTERS RE THE COLONEL

• MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, STABILITY HANGS BY A THREAT

• PRESIDENTS IN WAITING - A GOVERNMENT BY THE WARLORDS FOR THE WARLORDS 

• BORN IN THE DIASPORA  - PARENTS STILL OPTIMISTIC

• THE WAIT IS OVER, BUT WHAT NEXT?

• SOMALIS IN AMERICA, TWO THUMPS UP

• NOTHING BUT REVERBERATIONS AND DIATRIBES WHERE ACTION IS BADLY NEEDED

• THE FINAL PHASE OF THE SHOUTING MATCHES AT MBAGATHI  

• WHO IS GOING TO LEAD OUR PEOPLE OUT OF THESE EXPIRED DRUGS?

• DREAMS

• BLOODY WAR IN MOGADISHU    

• CONSENSUS IS THE ONLY WAY OUT OF THE DOLDRUMS   

• WHY DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MY TRIBE?  

• WHY WRITERS COLLECT REJECTION SLIPS    

• WAR CRIMES AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE

• THE SCRAMBLE FOR SURVIVAL

• Commonsense Defiled: “Warlords, Powerbrokers, Proxies, Serial killers, War criminals and Drug barons.”

• ON THE LIMITS OF SURVIVAL

• BACH TO SQUARE ONE

• DON'T FORGET HUMAN RIGHTS: CANADIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

• THE PLIGHT OF THE SOMALI BANTUS AND OTHER MINORITIES PART II

• THE PLIGHT OF THE SOMALI BANTUS AND OTHER MINORITIES.

• HADRAWI'S LONG JOURNEY TO PEACE

• ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU

• WHAT IS THE DEATH TOLL IN SOMALIA'S CIVIL/CLAN WARS 1991-2004?

• ANTI-UNITAF DEMONSTRATIONS THANKS, BUT NO THANKS!

• WHAT WENT WRONG?

• STARVING TO DEATH WHILE THE WORD WATCHES

• THE TRAGEDY CONTINUES TO RAGE

• "CLEANSING" THE SUPREMER REVOLUCTIONARY COUNCIL

• REMINISCENCES PART THREE

• THE ATTEMPT TO INTRODUCE SHARE'A LAW IN NORTH MOGADISHU-1993/94, AND WHY IT FAILED DISASTROUSLY ( REMIN. PART TWO)

• LEST WE FORGET!

• A BRIEF REMINDER TO GENERAL BOYKIN

• HOOYO LA’AANTA….

• SOMALIA'S SEASON OF DESPAIR … THERE'S ALSO A BRIGHT SIDE TO IT - PART TWO

• SOMALIA'S SEASON OF DESPAIR … THERE'S ALSO A BRIGHT SIDE TO IT - PART ONE

• KUDOS TO THE PEOPLE OF KISMAYU

• AN OPEN LETTER TO MR. KOFI ANNAN

• WE ARE BEING LEFT BEHIND

• FROM MY MAIL BOX

• SOMALIA'S EXODUS - PART SIX- CHRONICLING THE SEQUENCE 1993/1995

• SOMALIA'S EXODUS - PART FIVE - CHRONICLING THE SEQUENCE 1993/1995

• SOMALIA'S EXODUS - PART FOUR - CHRONICLING THE SEQUENCE 1993/1994

• SOMALIA'S EXODUS - PART THREE - CHRONICHLING THE SEQUENCE

• SOMALIA'S EXODUS - PART TWO

• SOMALIA'S EXODUS - "IT'S TOO MUCH FOR US. LET'S MOVE!"

• INCONCLUSIVE CASUALTY FIGURES

• Somalia--a small plaything?

• ALL THE SIGNS ARE THERE OF A WARLORD TAKEOVER

• BRINGING UP A CHILD IN THE DIASPORA

• NEW CANADIANS - LOOKING FOR A JOB

• LIFE IN THE DIASPORA

• THE GREAT ENEMIES OF TRUTH

• HOW LONG WOULD WE REMAIN ISOLATED?

• THE SOMALIA/IRAQ COMPARISON

• THE FORGOTTEN MAN

• FEMALE CIRCUMCISION: WOMEN IN AFFLICTION

• ARE THINGS FALLING APART IN IMBAGATHI?

• SOMALIA'S UNENDING TRAGEDY

• THE QAAD IMPORTERS AND ARMS RUNNERS

• THE SOMALIS - A WRONGED PEOPLE

• THE MANDARINS OF SOMALIA

• GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS - A POST- MORTEM

• THE STENCH OF CORRUPTION

• COMING TO AMERICA - SOME HOME THUTHS (PART TWO)

• COMING TO AMERICA - SOME HOME TRUTHS (PART ONE)

• WRITING TO KILL PAIN

• A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A WARLORD

• TOMFOOLRIES IN ELDORET

• OPEN LETTER TO THE WARLORDS/FACTION LEADERS

• THE WEST'S DOUBLE STANDARD ON TERRORISM

• TARGETTING MUSLIMS INFLAMES OPEN ATTACKS ON INNOCENT PEOPLE

• OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH

• CONFUSION IN ELDORET

• LETTER TO EDITOR COAST EXPRESS NEWSPAPER IN MOMBASA

• SOME ENCOURAGING SIGNALS FROM ELDORET

• SOMALIA, THEN AND NOW - FORTY - TWO - YEARS AGO

• SOMALI PEACE TALKS - MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

• REFUGEES: UNDER SCRUTINY (THREE)

• REFUGEES: UNDER SCRUTINY (TWO)

• REFUGEES: UNDER SCRUTINY (ONE)

• YES, I DO REMEMBER!

• THE MOGADISHU PRIVATE ARMY

• THE HEAT TRIGGERS RAMBLINGS

• DENUDING SOMALIA

• SOMALIS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES

• THE DIRTY AND CRUEL WAR IN THE SOUTH  (PART V)

• THE DIRTY AND CRUEL WAR IN THE SOUTH  (PART IV)

• THE DIRTY AND CRUEL WAR IN THE SOUTH  (PART III)

• THE DIRTY AND CRUEL WAR IN THE SOUTH  (PART II)

• THE DIRTY AND CRUEL WAR IN THE SOUTH  (PART I)

• WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF HARGEISA?

• THE FEAR FACTOR

• EDIFYING AMERICAN READERS

• THE WAR OF WORDS

• REFUGEES IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY

• SPEAKING OUT

• THE KIND OF GOVERNMENT WE DON'T WANT

• THE SHOCKING ACCOUNT OF HOW CANADIAN SOLDIERS TORTURED AND KILLED SOMALI TEENAGERS

• GONE FOR GOOD? ECHOES FROM THE DIASPORA

• TRIBALISTS BETRAYED THE PEOPLES' HOPES

• "BLACK HAWK DOWN" MOVIE - A HOAX? - PART THREE

• "BLACK HAWK DOWN" MOVIE - A HOAX? - PART TWO

• "BLACK HAWK DOWN" MOVIE - A HOAX? - PART ONE

• THE ETHIOPIAN AGENDA

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (FINAL PART)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART TWELVE)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART ELEVEN)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART TEN)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART NINE)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART EIGHT)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART SEVEN)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART SIX)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART FIVE)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART FOUR)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART THREE)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART TWO)

• FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY  (PART ONE)

• ENEMIES OF STATE

• A SECOND OPEN LETTER TO HASSAN ABSHIR

• THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE SOMALIA CONFLICT

• THE DARK SIDE OF SOMALIA -A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A GUNMAN (MOORYAAN)

• THE TRUTH NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

• CAUGHT BETWEEN HARD ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

• DIFFERENCES SHOULD BE SETTLED AT THE NEGOTIATING TABLE

• PEACE TALKS DOESN'T CONVINCE EVERY SOMALI

• XAWAALA: A CHALLENGE TO THE WESTERN MEDIA

• IS HASSAN ABSHIR THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB?

• OPEN LETTER TO ABDIQASIM

• OPEN LETTER TO HASSAN ABSHIR

• THE RISE OF A FACTION LEADER

THANKS FROM YOUR WEBMASTER