Remembering Moalin Abdirahman
On the afternoon of 14 March 2019, a former Madarasa-mate Abdirahman Waare called to inform me that Moalin Abdirahman had passed away in Buulaburte several minutes ago. My brother and mother also called me shortly after to tell me about the departure of our great teacher. Read more
Xusuusteydii Macallin Cabdiraxmaan
Cabdiraxmaan Waare oo aan isku dugsi ahayn ayaa isoo wacay xilli galab ah taariikhdu markii ay ahayd 14-kii Maarso 2019 waxana uu ii sheegay in uu Macallin Cabdiraxmaan daqiiqado kahor ku geeriyooday Buulaburte. Hooyo iyo walaalkeey ayaa wax yar kadib isoo wacay si ay iyagana iigu sheegan geerida macallinkeennii. Read more
Back to Beledweyne eight years later
I left Beledweyne in June 2009, soon after the graduation ceremony of my high school, to pursue a university degree in Mogadishu. I went back to the city a year later (July 2010) and stayed 11 days. In total, I lived in the city for three years of my life. These years were not without challenges. In fact, I lived through some of the most difficult moments of my life in Beledweyne. Floods, the emergence of the Islamic Courts Union in 2006, and the fight against Ethiopian troops when they entered in December 2006 to overthrow the ICU (while we were in the middle of a mid-term examination) were just some of the events I experienced in the city during those three years. Read more
My visit to Hargeisa and Borama
It was my third trip to Hargeisa. Last time I traveled to the city was November 2016 when I stayed two days. This time I was excited to be traveling to Hargeisa although I had concerns and uncertainty about the airport. A few weeks ago, the passport of a friend of mine was confiscated in Mogadishu airport after the immigration officers found that the Somaliland immigration authorities stamped an entry visa for the Somali passport holder upon his arrival at the airport. Read more
Xiriirka ka Dhexeeya Carwada Buugaagta Muqdisho iyo Maktabaddeyda
Xarumihii waxbarashada Soomaaliya oo ay ka mid ahayd maktabaddii qaranka waa la burburiyey kadib markii xukunka laga tuuray dowladdii militariga sanadkii 1991-dii. Sanado badan oo burbur, dowlad la’aan, sharci la’aan, iyo dagaalo dabadheeraadey ah ayaa xigay. Xaaladda waxa ay ahayd mid aad u adag suurtagalna ma ahayn in ay maskaxda kusoo dhacaan maktabad iyo buugaag. Read more
The Intimate Relationship Between the Mogadishu Book Fair and My Home Library
Somalia’s education institutions including the national library were totally destroyed after the state collapse in 1991. Years of destruction, anarchy, lawlessness, and protracted conflicts followed. The situation was arduous and libraries and books could hardly come to mind. Read more
Booqashadeydii Carta
Kadib dhammaadkii shirweyne saddex maalin ka socday magaalada Jabuuti, waxa aan fursad u helay in aan tago magaalada Carta. Waxa aan la socday koox ilaa 20 qof ah oo ka qeyb galay shirka Read more
The Ambiguity of Somali Citizenship
The extradition of Abdikarim Muse Qalbi-Dhagax to Ethiopia in late August this year highlighted the ambiguity of Somali citizenship. Qalbi-Dhagaxis a prominent member of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), a group seeking self-determination for the Somali region of Ethiopia. He was said to have been visiting a relative in Gaalkacyo when Galmudug security forces captured and handed him over to the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). A few days later the news of his rendition to Ethiopia had been made public. Read more
Three conditions for stable and functioning government in Somalia
Somalia experienced a leadership change in early 2017. After months of parliamentary (s)elections, lower and upper house parliamentarians were sworn in in late 2016. The two chambers of the federal parliament elected Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo as the president of the state. Within two weeks a prime minister was appointed and the parliament unanimously gave him their vote of confidence. The prime minister announced a large cabinet and the parliament, as per the constitution, endorsed the government in late March 2017. Read more