By Ismail H. Warsame This question may sound absurd to many people until they find out that a Somali Northern Faction Leader dared to raise it in front of Mengistu Haile-Mariam of the Derg, Ethiopia, and Muamar Al-Qaddaffi of the Libyan Jamahiriya. The context was in a response to a question Qaddaffi asked Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed...
February 5, 2025
Category: History
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Tol Waa Nin Qumman Qabanqaabadiis iyo Nin Qalloocan Qabanqaabadiis
W/Q Georgi Kapchits Si xiise leh, ayaan u akhristay maqaal uu qoray Ibraahim M. Deeq uuna magac uga dhigay “Kala Miirka Maahmaah iyo Odhaah, Gabay iyo Hees”, waxayna ila noqotay in maqaalku uu mudan yahay in laga faalloodo, siiba qaybtiisa ku saabsan maahmaahyada iyo odhaahyada. Qoraagu aad buu uga welwelsan yahay in si qumman loo...
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Herdsman, Townsman, American: My Segmented Life
By Prof Said S. Samatar Can a case be made that adults are educable? I’ve lived a life of segmented improbabilities. I was born and raised a camel herder in the over-heated sand dunes of Ethiopia’s eastern Ogaden (Somali region), between a place called Qari-Jaqood and another called Jiriiban (from “Jirriban,” or “Land of Torture,”...
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The Somali Federation: Crossing the Initial Hurdles
By Ismail A. Ismail (Geeldoon) “… the path of federalism never runs smoothly. Sooner or later all will experience difficult corners of traverses.” Ursula Hicks A Brief Background The civil war in Somalia has not been without consequences. On the contrary, it has been cataclysmic in that it created long-lasting, if not permanent, fissures along...
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Nabatean-Arabic missing link: ‘Oldest’ inscription found in Najran
In this May 10, 2012 file photo, a picture shows the Abu Lawha, the largest Nabataean tomb at the desert archaeological site of Madain Saleh, in Al Ula city, 1043 km northwest of the capital Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AP) A Saudi-French archaeological team has unearthed in Najran what might be considered the oldest inscription in...
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CONFESSIONS OF A NEW COVERT TO THE GERI-KOOMBO CLAN-FAMILY
By Prof Said S. Samatar This is the story of my recent dramatic, almost mystical conversion to the noble Geri-Koombo clan-family. What bizarre private agencies of enlightenment and pleasant beneficence that drove me into abandoning my Leelkase kin and embracing the Geri will take a psychiatrist to divine. But before dwelling on my impulsive, inexplicable...
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The Ancient Kingdom of Punt and its Factor in Egyptian History Part IV
By Said M-Shidad Hussein On the Records Textual Accounts It seems that some scholars have not paid adequate attention to the fact that Pliny, a Roman author (d. 79 CE), and others, state that the Egyptians had contacted and influenced Somalia. There are at least two kinds of information in this regard. Firstly, he attests...
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Rise and fall of a Revolutionary Somali Generation: Part II. Jigjiga: Past and Present
By Faisal A. Roble Preamble In part one of this series, Prelude to a Revolutionary Generation, I discussed factors that partly contributed to the political consciousness of the youth of Jigjiga. I also ruminated about the influence of dissident poets and Musicians from Somalia. Remarkable about this crop of dissidents (Abdi Adan Qays, Hadrawi, Said...
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I. M. Lewis and Somali Clanship: A Critique
Prof . Lidwien Kapteijns Introduction When large-scale violence occurs in Africa, initial analyses rarely go beyond characterizations of it (and, by implication, characterizations of the nature of the groups involved) as “ethnic” or “tribal.” Over time, more nuanced, historically based, and carefully contextualized analyses emerge. These often try to understand the complexities of, and changes...
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The Demise of A Seasoned Diplomat: Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Adan (Qaybe)
By Ismail Ali Ismail ( Geeldoon) I learned with sorrow about the end of the life of Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Adan, the day it was announced in Hageisa, November 26, 2013. There is a time when life comes to an end for us individuals – and for all else as matter of fact. Truly, ‘All...