Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Ex-Grand Island resident approved as Somali prime minister

Mohamed-Somalia-Prime-Minister_001.jpg

Somalia's parliament today approved a former Grand Island resident as the country's prime minister, but some are already questioning whether Mohamed A. Mohamed will be able to make a difference in the war-ravaged country under attack from al-Qaida-linked militants.

The Somali native, who resettled in Western New York in 1990, was named prime minister of his troubled homeland Oct. 14 by the Somali president. However, the vote on the nomination was delayed several times because of a disagreement between the president and the speaker over procedure. The president wanted lawmakers to vote by a show of hands, while the speaker preferred a secret ballot.

Lawmakers voted by a show of hands, 297-92, today in favor of Mohamed, said Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden, speaker of the transitional parliament. Mohamed is now expected to name a cabinet in the coming weeks.

Until last month, Mohamed lived on the island with his wife and four kids while working for the state Department of Transportation in Buffalo.

The 48-year-old University at Buffalo graduate was a refugee advocate and soft-spoken leader in the local Somali community. While his road to the appointment was never made clear, friends here said Mohamed had worked for the Somali Embassy in Washington, D.C., and was still plugged into politics back home.

Despite those connections, observers say he faces enormous challenges. The Somali government currently controls only a small part of the capital, Mogadishu. It has accomplished little since its inception in 2004 and the country hasn't had a fully functioning government in nearly two decades.

"Somalia is not America," Amina Nur, a mother of seven children, told the Associated Press referring to Mohamed's time spent in the U.S.

"Like many overseas Somalis that came from Western countries after the collapse of the government in 1991 and are now parliamentarians and government officials, he doesn't know the difficult situation of the country and cannot lead an effective cabinet in the terms of ... setting a comprehensive security plan to combat al-Shabab and terrorists," Nur said.

Al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab and allied Islamic militants have been trying for three years to overthrow the government. The militants control much of Mogadishu and southern Somalia.

A former governor of one of Somalia's southern regions, Qasim Mohamed Nur, said the new prime minister may succeed where his predecessors have failed because he does not carry any political baggage and is from the country's south, where al-Shabab holds sway.

"I think if he gets support of the Somali people and government officials he would succeed to lead his cabinet on the best way to liberate much of the southern regions from al-Qaida and al-Shabab militias," he said.

Mohamed maintained connections to his homeland while working in the Somali embassy from 1985 to 1989, according to his resume. The political upheaval prevented him from returning to his country, forcing him to seek asylum in the United States according to friends. He resettled in Buffalo, where he was a student at UB from 1989 to 1993, earning a bachelor's degree in history. He also earned U.S. citizenship.

After college, Mohamed served as an at-large commissioner for the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority from 1994 to 1997; a case manager for a lead abatement program in Buffalo from 1995 to 1999; and a minority business coordinator for the Erie County Division of Equal Employment Opportunity from 2000 to 2002. According to his resume, he also taught conflict resolution and leadership skills at Erie Community College.

Since 2002, Mohamed had worked as a civil rights manager with the DOT in Buffalo.

Mohamed and his wife, Zeinab Moallim, have two sons and two daughters, ages 7 to 19. The family first settled on Buffalo's West Side, according to friends, before moving to Amherst and most recently, Grand Island.

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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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