There is also a Twitter account for this group: http://www.Twitter.com/jun26isad

The Facebook pages are at the end of the article.

Assalaamu Alaikum,

Thank you very much for writing such a well informed article in tribute to the late great lion Ali Marshaal. He has left a hole in a lot of people's lives and I for one will be naming my oldest born son after him iA.

I just wanted you to know how much this article is appreciated by those who knew him. Thank you.

I agree 100%. I said the exact same thing. Until we can stop it we might as well save ourselves from Qat's economic drain on our economy.

I am not the person advocating sending them all back or not taking on the genuinely needy people. Just as there are checks in place to make sure that there is no abuse of the social and welfare system in the West we need to make sure that people who are perfectly healthy and turn down the opportunity to work do not turn down these opportunities by turning to begging as a profession.

Thank you for a well written article on Qat Tristian. I hope that the abuse of this narcotic can be stemmed by a balanced Awareness campaign directed towards those who are not educated on the ill effects of Qat and a well thought out plan to place more controls on its use by the Somaliland government.

In summary, I am genuinely sorry if I have upset anyone (which was quite obviously far from my intention) but couldn't disagree any more vehemently with the notion that I have insulted my country or its women by making factual observations. I could write about the New Disneyland that was built here only for you to be mad at me for telling lies but admit I can do more to write about our accomplishments. This country is the gem of Africa and has a beatiful future ahead of it regardless of what me or anyone else has to say.

There are plenty of good things about our country and they are obvious to whoever has the pleasure of seeing it with their own eyes. Yes it will take us time to get to the point where someone who is accustomed to a different standard of living will fit right in; but that's tough and those that fall into that category will slowly but surely learn (myself included).

I again say thank you to all that commented; especially the first poster with a sense of humor who corrected the proverb for me and the person who took the time to guess the kind of watch I wear.

Arr

I hit a nerve with people I can only imagine don't have a sense of humor and donated theirs to charity. Why would you take such offense to me repeating a silly and comical phrase I've only heard, learned and repeated in return? (Lighten up and know a joke when you read one.) I've also been accused of promoting a particular sub-clan which is a pretty darn convenient way of trying to make me look sinister but I can only speak on what I've observed myself and witnessed. Why not make suggestions in the comments like others have so I can perhaps take you up on your offer?

As for those who have decided to use my blog as a reason to discredit the efforts of SomalilandPress and think that they should be 'ashemed' I would only ask that they take the time to contact them and discover for themselves how patriotic and passionate about Somaliland the staff at SomalilandPress are. I am sure if you would take the time to provide them feedback in a constructive manner you would find them happy to hear your suggestions.

Hello and thank you to all who commented. I appreciate the kind words from those who enjoyed the contents of this blog and am as appreciative of those who have taken offense to some of the observations I've made who took the time to voice their opinion.

I wanted to first of all point out that this is not an article but a blog and that I am by no means a journalist. This is just me expressing my experiences in Somaliland from my perspective and I am not at all surprised that they differ greatly from those of yours or others.

I can appreciate why people become upset when someone mentions a negative about Hargeisa or Somaliland (loving this place with all my heart and only wanting it to improve and prosper) but also understand that free and open observation from many perspectives is the only way we will enrich our society and broaden our horizons.

I actually side with our foreign minister for not participating in the meeting. As Somalilanders we should only participate in meetings when they are on acceptable terms to us.

Failing to differentiate between us and the chaotic parts of Somalia only proved that Mr. Payne is not worthy of reconciliating between his own children let alone an entire region.

I know its tough for the people in Somaliland who are stuck here and can't leave as they like but we don't need to beg for recognition. If we fix the country from within they can't simply ignore us forever.