Mogadishu: City of Smoking Guns, High Level of Crime and Surprises--The Nation

[BN]

Mogadishu: City of Smoking Guns, High Level of Crime and Surprises

 

FARIDA KARONEY

Nairobi

 

 

The Somali factions are expected to sign a peace accord in Nairobi today. If this happens it will be an important development for a country that has gone through 12 difficult years of war and economic collapse. To appreciate the significance of a peace deal, one has only to look at the ruins from which it has been cobbled.

 

I landed at the K50 Airport, so named, as I was to discover later, because it is 50km from Mogadishu, the capital.

 

There was a cloud of dust on the murram runway, and the luggage was quickly dumped on it. The passengers rummaged through their baggage, just as they would do if they travelled by bus.

 

Armed with my suitcase, I glanced around impatiently; there were too many armed people who had come to pick up passengers. It then struck me that there was no passport control office, so I followed my host who led me to a car with four armed men and a driver.

 

The driver told me to sit between two armed men as began the journey to the capital. My guide later informed me that the four armed youths were the bodyguards for me and my cameraman for the duration of our stay in Mogadishu.

 

Driving ahead of us was a Toyota Land Cruiser mounted with a submachine gun. It carried 14 mean-looking heavily armed men. This car is known locally as a "technical". This small army, including our bodyguards, were the militia we had hired for our protection.

 

Apart from the northwestern and northeastern zones (Somaliland and Puntland), where there is relative stability, Somalia remains volatile. With hardly any central government, crime levels are high. Mogadishu is the commercial centre and one of the most volatile regions. Five warlords control the capital with the transitional national government controlling only a small part.

 

Sporadic armed clashes often break out between rival factions, and foreigners in the capital or travelling between the various warlord-controlled territories run the highest risk.

 

After quick security briefing by our minders, we checked into Shamo Hotel. If you are a foreigner, whether you live to the next day depends on how carefully you listen to advice from your contacts and security. The cardinal rule is: Do as you are told.

 

Our minders told us that while it was natural for many people to want to be brave and macho, it would be fatal to leave one's hotel room without a bodyguard.

 

The hotel is one of about six in the city that, although shabby and with bullet-riddled facades, provide five-star comfort, monotonous menus notwithstanding.

 

The hotel president, Mr Abukar Amin Shamo, is a man of fine taste and his all-male staff (women are hardly ever in employment due to the chronic insecurity) were just the thing to calm frayed nerves.

 

The interior decor and its warmth were in stark contrast to deadly dangers to be found at every turn in the streets. The rooms were cosy, air-conditioned and well equipped for the international traveller Ð not what the world out there would expect to find.

 

Mogadishu has the dubious distinction of being one of the few places in the world where anyone may walk into an open-air market and buy a sophisticated weapon and ammunition.

 

A trip to the arms bazaar cost me an additional $100 (Sh7,500) and I had extra security. When I first suggested the excursion, my minder advised against it.

 

Deep down I too was scared, and my minder's obvious discomfort with the idea did little to calm my nerves.

 

The market was nothing like what I had expected. I had naively pictured a department store of weapons. After a short while the car came to an abrupt stop. I looked through the window and was confronted by the sight of jungle uniform. I looked further and saw guns of all shapes and sizes.

 

Shortly we were right in the middle of the actual market and surrounded by a massive collection of arms and ammunition and other "accessories." Suddenly there was a loud explosion. I was ducking for cover when my minder calmly patted me on the shoulder and said: "No problem."

 

The loud bang was coming from a gun that was being fired in the air by someone who had just bought it. Even before that could sink in, I heard a series of smaller bangs and the bodyguard explained that they were sounds of handguns being tested.

 

All this time, we were still in the car. I decided that we get out and see the firearms at close range, and take pictures. At this my minder became very agitated, saying that while it might be possible for the cameraman to get out and do his job, it would be crazy for me - a woman - to even try.

 

However, I was not going to pay an $100 for extra protection and then not do what I was here to do. After a brief standoff, one of our hired gunmen agreed to come with me as I toured the market.

 

All of our guards now had their pistols drawn. "Stay close to me," my bodyguard instructed me, his own AK-47 rifle at the ready.

 

After a few minutes it was time to leave. The trick in Mogadishu is to spend as little time as possible in any one place. One of the faction leaders, Mr Omar Mahmud alias Omar Finish, later told us that many of the guns at the open-air market came from neighbouring Ethiopia and Yemen. Others had been acquired from government armouries after President Siad Barre's regime fell in 1991.

 

We then headed to the curiously named Former Mogadishu, the epicentre of the civil war. It once housed Parliament, the Central Bank and other key government institutions. All these are now ruins.

 

This was probably the most dangerous place we visited in the city. Several different warlords control the ruins and every turn takes you into someone else's turf. Just to get there we did deals with all the militias that control the various parts. Even then, we were warned that our safety would not be guaranteed.

 

Every time we set up our tripod ready to film, we found ourselves surrounded by impatient rival gunmen. The fact that we had our own army of 18-armed men did little to reduce our feeling of vulnerability.

 

We did not understand the language, but we could sense that there were bitter exchanges between our militia and those that controlled the various parts of Former Mogadishu. The sooner we left, the better for everyone. And so we did -- very quickly.

 

On our final day in Mogadishu, we were heading for the airport when we made a near-fatal mistake. We decided to stop in a rival territory for a quick interview with one of our bodyguards.

 

Just as we finished and were packing our equipment, I espied three gunmen walking towards us. I turned to look behind and saw another group of three.

 

A fellow who looked like the leader asked our minders what we had been up to. We were just a kilometre away from the airport, and our flight was due in just over an hour.

 

After hearing us out, the man told us we would have to turn back and drive to their command base for further questioning. On arrival, the first to be questioned were two of our unarmed minders. We were left at the gate with two guards who did not speak English and so we could not know what was going on. After 30 minutes, which seemed like a lifetime, it was our turn to be quizzed.

 

The base commandant, the son of a warlord who owns an airport in the vicinity, ushered us in. I was slightly relieved when he spoke to us in fluent Swahili. It turned out that he had been educated and brought up in Kenya. We learnt that the location we had picked for our final interview was where they hid their heavy military equipment.

 

It was only after he viewed our film that he was satisfied that we had carried out only the interview and nothing more. He said we were free to go -- and just in time for us to make it to Daynile Airport for our qhat (miraa) flight to Nairobi.

 

Copyright © 2003 The Nation. All rights reserved

 

 

By: All Africa Posted: 16th/September/2003

 

http://www.somaliuk.com/Indepth1/Fullarticle.php?IndepthID=174

[Rahima]

I have to say that after meeting a great number of people who have come back from visiting Mogadishu, no longer do I believe this propaganda about xamar. I am not saying it is completely safe, but what I do believe is that it is not as dangerous as some paint it out to be (which mind you I have noticed are generally for ulterior motives- not that I’m accusing you Bari_nomad of this , you only posted an articles after all). Most of the people, who have returned from Mogadishu, admit that there are still troubles but explain that the city is progressing in leaps and bounds especially in terms of business and education. Furthermore, they say aside from the idiotic warlords, there small number of supporters and general moryaan (who most times are orphaned youths of the war) the people of the city are wanting peace and working towards it.

 

I’m planning on taking a trip to the horn next year, inshallah, and undoubtedly Mogadishu is on my planned route of travel. I can’t even imagine going to Somalia and not going to Xamar (even if my family is not from there, it’s my place of birth). I have to be honest and say I pray to Allah that Xamar achieves complete peace for it is where I plan to live in the future. I can’t imagine living anywhere else even Gaalkacyo; the heat would just kill me.

[Haashim]

Rahima Good luck for your journey, but remember to believe that you will die when ALLAH has written for you doesn't mean not to recognise the seriousness of the situation in Mogadisho.

I also know many Somalis who live in Mogadisho but that doesn't maean that the report of this journalist is propoganda, it's the reality Sis. it's the reality of a capital which was once the safiest capital in Africa, haven't you seen the pictures of where the journalist talking about it (Central Bank, Al-uruba Hotel, Parliment and City centre).

 

It's also true that very minority group made big progress on the ruin of Mogadisho but where are the rest, why we forget the desperate unarmed people who are the majority of Mogadisho dwellers.

 

Who can afford education expenses in Mogadisho? and who can protect his/her business with armoured vehicles except those Elite whose interest is chaos and without recognised government.