Sunday, January 16, 2011

Somali leader returns home to WNY :Urges world action against terrorism



























The prime minister of Somalia on Saturday returned home to Western New York — that’s right, home — for the first time since his improbable rise to power last October, when he was named premier of his homeland.
Mohamed A. Mohamed — a Grand Island resident on leave from his job with the state Department of Transportation to run the troubled nation in the Horn of Africa — spent some time with his wife and four kids, met up with old friends and will take part in today’s Martin Luther King celebration in Kleinhans Music Hall.
“The important thing is he’s enjoying some time with his family,” said Casimiro Rodriguez, a friend. “He hasn’t seen them since the fall.”
But this is no vacation for Mohamed, who will depart Monday for a meeting in Washington with officials from the State Department.
Mohamed, 48, made a side trip to Buffalo, after spending a couple of days in New York City providing a status report on Somalia to the United Nations Security Council.
Somalia’s transitional government — guarded by several thousand African peacekeepers — fights for survival against the al-Qaida-connected Al-Shabab, an Islamic insurgent movement that dominates much of central and southern Somalia.
The terrorist network may be Somalia’s problem now, Mohamed said, but if they continue to use Somalia as a safe haven to plan and train they will be the rest of the world’s problem, too.
“My message was very clear,” Mohamed said during an interview with The Buffalo News. “Somalia alone cannot face a highly systematic al-Qaida organization. We need help.”
Meanwhile, concerns continue to mount over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Somalia, where there’s a devastating drought, an estimated 2.5 million people are on the verge of starvation and Al-Shabab is strangling the routes needed to deliver food aid, he said.
Mohamed pleads with the international community to provide more financial aid for Somalia, not just for military force, but to help build roads, bridges, schools and hospitals, which would help gain support of the Somali people.
He understands that Somalia— long considered one of the most corrupt nations in the world — needs to gain international trust, which is why his focus has been to create a more transparent and accountable government, along with bringing peace and stability.
The job, in fact, has forced Mohamed to get tough with Somali criminals and terrorists. In recent weeks, he has signed off on execution orders for several “cold-blooded killers.”
“We hope that may deter any future actions like that,” Mohamed said. “We know the only way you can treat that situation is with fear.”
It’s been a monumental task for anyone, let alone a civil rights manager with the DOT whose first experience in international politics was a mere 50 days ago.
Mohamed, a Somali native who resettled in Buffalo more than 20 years ago, traveled in September to New York City, where he managed to speak with Somalia’s president, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who was speaking at the U. N.
Mohamed, who has a master’s degree from the University at Buffalo, said he suggested some ideas to help his native country. After listening, Mohamed said, the Somali president suggested he submit his resume for the vacant position of prime minister.
“It’s amazing,” Rodriguez said Saturday. “I never thought I’d be able to pick up the phone and talk to a world leader.”
Mohamed had trouble getting past the notion, too.
“I was nervous with all these world leaders,” he said with a smile. “I tried to be calm, but it was not easy.
“But politics is politics,” he said. “You’re dealing with people.”
As prime minister, Mohamed is responsible for day-today operations of the country, with the help of his 18-member cabinet and the 500-plus members of Somalia’s parliament.
Mohamed –who worked for former Mayor Anthony M. Masiello and former Erie County Executive Joel A. Giambra — picked up a thing or two from his time in hardball Buffalo politics.
“Buffalo produced a lot of good politicians,” he said. “I learned a lot.”
The prime minister of Somalia on Saturday returned home to Western New York — that’s right, home — for the first time since his improbable rise to power last October, when he was named premier of his homeland.
Mohamed A. Mohamed — a Grand Island resident on leave from his job with the state Department of Transportation to run the troubled nation in the Horn of Africa — spent some time with his wife and four kids, met up with old friends and will take part in today’s Martin Luther King celebration in Kleinhans Music Hall.
“The important thing is he’s enjoying some time with his family,” said Casimiro Rodriguez, a friend. “He hasn’t seen them since the fall.”
But this is no vacation for Mohamed, who will depart Monday for a meeting in Washington with officials from the State Department.
Mohamed, 48, made a side trip to Buffalo, after spending a couple of days in New York City providing a status report on Somalia to the United Nations Security Council.
Somalia’s transitional government — guarded by several thousand African peacekeepers — fights for survival against the al-Qaida-connected Al-Shabab, an Islamic insurgent movement that dominates much of central and southern Somalia.
The terrorist network may be Somalia’s problem now, Mohamed said, but if they continue to use Somalia as a safe haven to plan and train they will be the rest of the world’s problem, too.
“My message was very clear,” Mohamed said during an interview with The Buffalo News. “Somalia alone cannot face a highly systematic al-Qaida organization. We need help.”
Meanwhile, concerns continue to mount over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Somalia, where there’s a devastating drought, an estimated 2.5 million people are on the verge of starvation and Al-Shabab is strangling the routes needed to deliver food aid, he said.
Mohamed pleads with the international community to provide more financial aid for Somalia, not just for military force, but to help build roads, bridges, schools and hospitals, which would help gain support of the Somali people.
He understands that Somalia— long considered one of the most corrupt nations in the world — needs to gain international trust, which is why his focus has been to create a more transparent and accountable government, along with bringing peace and stability.
The job, in fact, has forced Mohamed to get tough with Somali criminals and terrorists. In recent weeks, he has signed off on execution orders for several “cold-blooded killers.”
“We hope that may deter any future actions like that,” Mohamed said. “We know the only way you can treat that situation is with fear.”
It’s been a monumental task for anyone, let alone a civil rights manager with the DOT whose first experience in international politics was a mere 50 days ago.
Mohamed, a Somali native who resettled in Buffalo more than 20 years ago, traveled in September to New York City, where he managed to speak with Somalia’s president, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who was speaking at the U. N.
Mohamed, who has a master’s degree from the University at Buffalo, said he suggested some ideas to help his native country. After listening, Mohamed said, the Somali president suggested he submit his resume for the vacant position of prime minister.
“It’s amazing,” Rodriguez said Saturday. “I never thought I’d be able to pick up the phone and talk to a world leader.”
Mohamed had trouble getting past the notion, too.
“I was nervous with all these world leaders,” he said with a smile. “I tried to be calm, but it was not easy.
“But politics is politics,” he said. “You’re dealing with people.”
As prime minister, Mohamed is responsible for day-today operations of the country, with the help of his 18-member cabinet and the 500-plus members of Somalia’s parliament.
Mohamed –who worked for former Mayor Anthony M. Masiello and former Erie County Executive Joel A. Giambra — picked up a thing or two from his time in hardball Buffalo politics.
“Buffalo produced a lot of good politicians,” he said. “I learned a lot.”
“One of the main things I learned from this area is treat people with respect and make people important, so you get their confidence and trust,” Mohamed said. “Even though Somalia is a harsh environment, you would expect everyone is harsh. Still, you get their attention if you show some respect.

Some background 

A part of Western New York has found it's way into the country of Somalia, and its current government. The country's newly appointed Prime Minister is also a University at Buffalo Graduate.



1 comment:

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Best wishes!

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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The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.

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