Amaan darro
The City of Mogadishu and its people are living in appalling conditions. The majority of the people have given up hope for a better life and slid into despair. They are mainly the victims of the Vicious Cycle of fear.
The City, like a number of other parts of the country has seen major social dislocation and is reeling under the influx of Foreign Fighters. The proliferation of Small Arms, proliferation of pirate-related activities involving both Local Somalis and Foreign nations (including Multi-national Forces and Fleets) is a major concern not only locally but internationally as well.
Mogadishu is also affected by the collapse in the respect of the teachings of traditional structures and roles in Society and the subsequent erosion of morals and ethical responsibility.
Like other places in Somalia,Mogadishu also experiences Intra-Regional rivalries within the Somali nation. Mogadishu has been a city of war for many years and the Mayor and his team aim to improve security in order for citizens to move freely, conduct business and seek for employment. Given the 19 year history outlined above, this is a huge challenge for which all local efforts and resources must be pooled and international support sought.
For starters, we shall be dealing with a city, which is awash with all types of weaponry and explosives. We will need to secure all such weapons to guarantee the safety of the residents of the City and its environs.
These weapons have been a major source of the misery of the residents of Mogadishu. In what it called ‘Deadly skies above Mogadishu, IRIN reported for example that on July 21st that civilians in Mogadishu face continuous danger from above in the form of the mortar shells used during the conflict.
The report further stated that during the first 3 weeks of July 2010 alone, more that 11,000 residents of Mogadishu were displaced with close to 200 being admitted in Medina hospital during the same period with injuries caused by shelling. While 60 per cent of the people admitted had chest, head and bone injuries mostly due to explosives, 40 per cent of them were women and children caught up in mortar attacks in places such as markets.