"Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed's influence on the military and political landscape of Somalia has been felt for more than half a century of service to his country. He took part in two wars that Somalia engaged with Ethiopia. In the first, in 1964, he won a medal and citation for the bravery and leadership he displayed in the battle field. In the 1977 war, he was in overall Command of the Southern Sector of the operation. Poor political leadership lay at the core of the defeat of the Somali army in this war. Following the defeat and withdrawal from the battle theatre, Abdullahi Yusuf and other other officers tried and failed to stage a coup against the regime. He then tried to topple the regime by armed insurgency. Although Abdullahi Yusuf did not succeed to bring down the government, others who followed his method managed to achieve what he could not. His journey was cut short by the Ethiopian regime who arrested him for six good years without charge or trial, when he stood up for his principles. Both the Ethiopian and Somali regimes were brought down by armed insurgency in 1991 while he was in prison in Addis Ababa. Following the collapse of the regime and the plunging of Somalia into internecine war, he helped setup the self-governing Puntland State of Somalia, and became its first president. Six years later he was elected as President of Somalia. Abdullahi Yusuf is a driven man who knew what he wanted in life. He served in the Somali army with distinction on and off the battlefield. His impact on the political arena was not as successful as in the army. During his presidency, he worked hard to bring peace in Somalia. His struggle for that objective was hampered by a well-organized conspiracy spearheaded by prominent figures in his government and regional powers that were allied to him at some point in the past. Halgan iyo Hagardaamo (Struggle and Conspiracy : a Memoir) is a candid account of the life and time of President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and the events that shaped Somalia for the past fifty years. It is about the battles that Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed fought literally as well as figuratively during this period and the successes and failures that accompanied him. It is about the conspiracy that was woven against the Somali State with help of senior political figures in the country"--Page 4 of cover.