do those implied to the folks in somaliland and other lands as well? it sounds to me as if speaking with some of their representatives they don't want to share in the country's resources. they have their own and they want nothing to do with the rest of the country. am i off base there or is that their assessment? >> senator i think they are seeking an outright suspension from somalia for the last 20 years. it has done a remarkable job of stabilizing itself and really laying the foundation for democratic institutions and democratic processes of course with some flaws. punta is not seeking secession from the rest of the country but it does lend other regions in somalia over theory under the federal government and in practice very much like somaliland carrying out its business entirely independently from the federal government. again this is because of the vacuum that exists within the federal government. i do though think that given if a concerted effort is made to clarify the institution and began this national dialogue on federalism i think there is a

the rest of the country but like other regions it is under the federal government very much like somaliland to carry on its business. because of the vacuum that exist with the federal government. but i do think that given a concerted effort that is made with other emerging in the existing several states. >> the last panel talking about the government in referring to as the democratically elected government it is not quite that simple but how is it viewed in the rest of the country? going back to 1980 with a first attempt to appoint a traditional alders that a point to a constituent assembly but what makes this a different? why is this government is viewed as anything different of the last attempt? or is it? [laughter] i would agree the of the selection process that's there was a greater attempt to insure the majority of the elders who were at the assembly who selected the president were more represented then they had been in the past. there were lots of allegations. people focus mostly on the fact the prime minister nor the president who was elected were both notably not involved in a major

previously marginalized populations, broad civil society and vital dialogue with regional entities like somalilandnd development and government are deeply intertwined. today security levels are at the lowest point since before the 2011 drought. yet three key challenges remain. these are fragile. we have ongoing humanitarian needs with 870,000 people still in crisis. insecurity has al shabaab and other armed groups continue to limit access and thirdly access which is vital to carrying out continuing humanitarian efforts and expanding development actions. finally, the challenge to not only to conflict and we governance but the severe weather shocks that are coming, so it is impossible for communities to escape the cycles of crisis. as we have done in other parts of the horn, u.s. aid is focused not just on saving lives with building resilience so that communities and better prepared for and able to recover from the next shock, like the drought of 2011. ultimately the somali people must be the primary architect for peace, democracy, and development, and somalia would not have the opportunity it has t

we will continue to fund the humanitarian assistance and civil society programs in somaliland with an objective of improving regional collaboration toward federalism. our assistance to somalia includes an emphasis on human rights, accountability, child soldier prevention, countering human trafficking and budget transparency, and fiscal management. the tragic and cowardly attack on innocent civilians had kenya's west gate mall has underscored vulnerabilities in the horn of africa and demonstrates that al shabaab as a capable network in the east africa area and is willing to carry out attacks outside of somalia. concerted pressure from amisom and the somali national army has weakened al shabaab and the ability to wage conventional military offenses and to hold territory inside somalia. we attribute the success to the african-led model for achieving great stability in somalia. however, al shabaab can still conduct destabilizing operations in east africa. the department is working closely with our regional partners on counter-terrorism efforts and we are reviewing internally what further