Mogadishu diary part 1: Getting there
Dawn at Nairobi's international airport. A solitary giraffe outside the perimeter fence. Herds of foreign tourists heading on safari, draped in khaki and cameras.
At Gate 4, a noticeably sombre atmosphere - perhaps 60 Somalis preparing to board a scheduled flight for Mogadishu. One man recognises me and cameraman Phil Davies from a previous trip we made about seven years ago. He used to be a journalist but not now.
Camera? Check. Tripod? Check. Flak jacket? Check.
"Too dangerous," he says with a frown, then mimes the action of a saw, amputating his arm. He lives in an area of the Somali capital controlled by the Islamist militia, al-Shabab. "They lash people there. Every day - for the smallest thing."
He's now working for a foreign aid organisation - still a risky choice. "Al-Shabab call us the hands of the infidel. Their eyes are on us all the time." For a while he sent his seven-year-old daughter to a Koranic school in the city, in order to "try to fit in", but took her out when she came home saying she'd been taught how to "use a pistol... The world must understand what al-Shabab are. How dangerous they are."
We fly north-east for an hour and a half. First over flat, seemingly empty scrubland, then over a messy quilt of fields.
There's another old acquaintance on the flight, a senior western diplomat I've met in other conflict zones who has years of experience in - and apparent patience with - Somalia. He's coming here with, he says, a tough message for the Transitional Federal Government - the unelected, heavily western-backed, besieged administration that clings on to power in a chunk of Mogadishu, defended by some 8,000 African Union troops.
The TFG stands accused of wasting the last two years bickering among themselves and failing either to bring change to the area they control or to broaden their political base by reaching out to the feuding clans and groups across the country. The TFG's mandate expires next August and the international community wants a broader coalition assembled to take over, otherwise it may abandon the TFG altogether.
There's a growing consensus that the "top-down" approach to state building isn't working in Somalia, and it may be time to shift focus to the handful of local administrations that are actually making some headway. The northern region of Somaliland is a prime example.
As we come in to land, the plane swings out over the Indian Ocean, hopefully out of range of al-Shabab's guns, before landing on the beach front. Mogadishu airport sits in a sliver of coastal territory controlled by Ugandan troops. It's the second time I've been here in under a fortnight - the last trip was prompted by the release of the Chandlers, the British couple held by pirates.
This time, we're "embedded" with Amison, the African Union peacekeeping force. Curiously, after a period of little, or negative, international media coverage, they've taken the trouble to hire - via the UN - some British PR consultants to help arrange our visit.
Amisom, with their heavy armour and Ugandan soldiers, offer some serious protection from the snipers, the mortars, the roadside bombs and the kidnappers. But their forces are also the principle targets of al-Shabab right now - and because of incidents like this, none too popular with some civilians either. Would we be safer with one of the clan-based militia groups in the city? Probably not. The word on the street here is that al-Shabab are offering $1.5m (£1m) for a foreign/white hostage. There are no easy options in Somalia.
Speaking of options - the BBC has just unveiled the results of a new opinion poll conducted in Mogadishu. In a place as dangerous as this, the circumstances of the process may well be as revealing as the actual results.
Crossing the frontlines here, pollsters braved gunfire from rival militias to visit most of the city. In areas controlled by al-Shabab, it was considered too dangerous to ask people directly, what they thought of the group, instead they spoke of "the opposition."
Mogadishu has been left in ruins by two decades of conflict
- Ninety-two percent of households say they're are unable to meet their basic needs.
- More than half feel the world has forgotten Somalia.
- As for al Shabab - the opposition - a full 71% of respondents see them as a force for bad.
- Seventy-two percent are unwilling to see them in power.
- Just over half of all respondents believe African Union peacekeepers now controlling roughly half the city can end years of conflict in Somalia.
- Fifty-seven percent of the randomly selected households live in makeshift camps under plastic or iron sheeting.
- Forty-one percent are illiterate.
- In a country with nothing resembling a social safety net - only 27% of those interviewed consider themselves unemployed.
- And one percent, retired.
This is the first of five entries from Mogadishu this week.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~10~RS~)
I’m 
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@ Trever Whatmore
Perhaps because an open border refugee policy is, as the transitional government, a short term and ultimately unsustainable temporary patch which does nothing to address the causes of conflict and establish social order and stability in the region. Social collapse and the resulting conflict zones will never be resolved if people run instead of remaining to create their own societies.
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@Trever Whatmore
Great idea - and how do you suppose we support these people, 41% of whom are illiterate? How do we house them all? What can they offer in return?
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Alex - I understand the concerns but these people are an unwilling crutch to despotic regimes that seek to rule Somalia. They should not be abandoned by the rest of humanity because they, like us have only one life to live. Governments (and rulers) have to earn the trust of their citizens. In Somalia, years of continuous conflict and oppression has shown that a solution which involves the rebuilding and recreating of societies is not viable.
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"Travelling to Mogadishu with a price on my head" Really? and had it occured to you Mr Harding that militaristic posturing with "Camera? Check. Tripod? Check. Flak jacket? Check." Might just be a tiny bit provocative? If that tripod could be mistaken for an RPG launcher at 100yds it's amazing you have a head left upon which to put such a price.
Report the news please. Safely and without the theatrics.
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First off, hats off to you for being brave enough to go out there. Probably one of the most dangerous places on the planet, especially for a Westerner. It's all too easy for us to sit infront of our computer screens in the safety of our own homes and criticise.
Secondly, I agree that the World has turned it's back on the situation in Somalia. America got it's fingers burnt and has left well alone. The West is too interested in waging war in lands that are far more profitable.
All the best and keep the stories coming.
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We the Somali people know that the world has forgotten about our plight and we no longer receive any attention from the world’s media. It’s only when negative stories of piracy are reported that we see ourselves on TV screens for the wrong reasons. I must say, credit to Andrew Harding for travelling to Mogadishu, although an ordinary Somali like me won’t be able to get the privileges he had, especially the security escort from the Ugandan troops. Somalia does not need any international support, what it desperately needs is to be left alone so that we can solve our problems without the meddling of third party countries. Al shabaab will definitely crumple at some point, the TFG is already failing and then we would have a popular civilian revolution against anyone carrying a gun. Let the miracle of 2006 rain again, please just leave us alone.
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The best solution for the people of Mogadishu is for them to be left alone and for them to sort out their problems. US and European actions - US -back Ethiopian invasion and now African troops- have worsened the situation of the Somalis. Mogadishu might have been ran by war lords or ICU courts, but thousands of un-armed civilians were not being butuchred at an industrial scale.
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@british-somali You do not say whether you are writing from the UK or from Somalia, but do you really think that if all the foreigners could be persuaded to leave Somalia that it could sort out its own problems? Remember that the foreigners would include aid agencies and trade missions and inward investment, all of which you would need to re-build the country.
Also, whilst there are pirates from Somalia threatening ships in an important international sea-way, then there will be foreign military vessels in Somali waters. You cannot get rid of all the outsiders, even if everyone in Somalia wanted rid of foreign armies.
And I do not think it would be long before one of the internal factions would find it useful to start inviting foreign allies, and their guns, in again.
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@ Northumbrian- I am indeed writing from the UK . It’s worth pointing that most of the aid agencies in Somalia have already left because almost the whole country is under the control of al shabaab which is hostile towards them. I said we need to be left alone, by that I mean all the negative forces in Somalia must completely leave the Somali situation to Somalis to fix it. Humanitarian aid agencies are very much welcomed to help the destitute needs of millions of Somalis but however, any force that has some sort of political influence is not needed in Somalia. What the international community does not understand is the complex nature of extreme clannish attitudes of Somali people. They waste money on corrupt, inept and ineffective administration that lacks the support of the local community. Somalia will always need a foreign ally, but we need an ally that is politically inactive and economically active. The constant shelling of civilian residential areas by Ugandan troops is turning the public opinion against the TFG administration and AMISOM forces. The Somalis abhor al shabaaab and its barbaric and inhumane treatment of innocent people. the civilians are caught in between these two forces.
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many thanks for your comments. this was the first of five diary reports from mogadishu. i hope to give a fuller picture of this extraordinary city in the coming days.
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Bravo on this most illuminating piece of journalism. I find it quite curious that although I commonly hear "solutions" to the woes of this, and many other nations, It rarely extends beyond the cannon of "let us solve our own problems." It would seem quite obvious to me that any nation that has been engaged in civil war for the better part of two decades would gladly invite the assistance from any and all parties willing to offer it. That being said, international policing certainly has its place in situations where the majority have proven to be incapable of enforcing laws that would secure basic human rights.
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Mr Harding....Can you tell me if there are private military companies working there to help the people of Somalia..particularily the "little birds" ? Thank you for an article that helps me see what is going on in a country that is world's away from me. I will be following your journey through Somalia. Stay safe.
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Andrew,
thank you for your report from Mogadishu. We shouldn't forget Somalia and all the other African countries. I am convinced that the interest of the world for Africa is actually growing. Whether it's a positive or negative interest, that I will leave to the reader to decide, but we all need to know more about the conflicts happening in that part of the world. It will help understand future problems.
Best regards
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In future post, please could you give some "flavour" of what the city is like now. In the news, there are the images of destroyed buildings and artillery pieces but then in two recent articles you mention : an engineer you met at the airport in the VIP section and now the western diplomat. From the images projected, the city looks like a wasteland the only people there are soldiers and militia.
When people like yourself or the engineer visit the city, where do they stay, what do they eat, where do they eat.
What is left of the city ? Is everything flattened and just a jumble of half complete walls or is parts of it still intact
I used to live there and it was a wonderful city. Not much there but the people were fantastic. It shows what happens when self interest wins out against the greater good. A lesson for us all with modern politicians
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Yaya Mohamed.
Its normal with all non-African journalists to report about the environment, buildings, people and NOT the NEWS. Andrew some people would surely be pleased with what you have written here but for some of us it is the obvious things and we may not expect more better and real news.
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@Trevor Whatmore
I cannot see your original comment- I'm not sure why it has been removed. I applaud your humanity. Why should these people misfortunate enough to be born into this situation be forced to remain at great risk and 'create their own society'? These people need our help and I for one would welcome them with open arms despite the inconveniences that accompany it.
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Nice picture, Andrew, very English looking.
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Hi Andrew, as somebody who can sit in the comfort and safety of my home in England i am not going to criticise you in any way for your brave efforts in bringing us news from a desperate place where i feel for the people and their plight. Unfortunately in todays world no matter what you write or how you look somebody would pick fault with your reporting. I think your a very brave man in a very dangerous situation bringing us a vital link to a country in turmoil that has been forgotten by most countries (lack of natural resources perhaps?) If these hyper critical bloggers can do better than they should make a career change and borrow your flak jacket and good luck to them. Take care Andrew and good luck to you sir, i will follow with admiration.
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As an englishman working here in Mogadishu on a project to assist in creating Somalia's own Peace Keeping Force and I can comment that working alongside the somalia's that they are keen to work and learn for change. These people have nothing and they deserve a bit more attention from the outside world in helping them move forward (dont agree with the comments made by the british born somali). Mr Harding word on the streets are if you stick out like a sore thumb then you deserve to be kidnapped...I was once told to wear boot polish so I wouldn't be noticed! These people are wary of whites (probably because the US blew half of Mog away on their ill fated mission) but they are welcoming and I am impressed by their resilience. Hopefully the new camp and army will be that little push they need for the long journey to peace.
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am not by any means a museveni fan but i think he's got the man power to sort somalia out, the international community should facilitate the uganda people's defence force ( UPDF) to take the fight to Alshabab, according to the ugandan media UPDF and Burundi forces have taken back a lot of ground from these terrorists, just give them the money and mandate to wage a full scale war, the people of Somalia will be free...........
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I've had the misfortune of spending time in several conflict zones in Africa (Sierra, Sudan, Somalia) and have also come to the conclusion that Africa should left to sort itself out. While this will result in an unpalatable (by Western opinion) loss of life it is the only long term solution.
Unfortunately the modern maps were drawn by aloof Sandhurst folk with little regard for historical boundaries. Perhaps it's time to acknlowdge that and let the map be redrawn?
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Firstly, well done Mr Harding for the article, I shall follow your journey with interest.
I agree that the situation in Somalia is being forgotten, but then look at the numerous countries in the world that are in desperate situations, not just countries in Africa but all over the world. Unfortunately that is the way the world is right now and rather than focusing in on one particular area I think we need to look at the wider picture. Whilst I feel for those in Somalia they are not in a unique position, and those who believe the answer is to allow them to come to the UK as refugees are incredibly naive. An admirable thought, if this were to actually happen it wouldn’t be an ‘inconvenience’ it would be a disaster on any number of levels that would do no good to anybody. If we want to help these people we shouldn’t offer them a new home, but help them make the one they have a better place to live in.
As to whether or not we should leave them to it, I think moderation is needed. Training troops, aid programs etc would help but as we have seen in Afghanistan and Iraq, a western presence can be interpreted as an invasion and used by extremists to recruit/brainwash more people to their cause. I believe that with situations like this we need to take baby steps to slowly bring around change in the country and show people that they can have a good life without having to resort to piracy and other illegal trades. This situation is going to take a lot of hard work and a long time before it will be resolved.
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Somalis by and large should own up to the problems tearing their country to pieces and for that matter, the Somalis themselves should initiate terms that they consider to be solutions for their problems and supported by the international community. The solutions should be gun-free and around a peace table.
The problem is that there are still many trigger-happy cowboys in this land who are happy to shoot and kill in order to influence their own grip on the country or sections of it anyway.
These war-lords are often heavily funded by external players and that is why it has been so difficult for ordinary Somalis to find peace in their country. That said, the international community must come to the rescue of this nation. If Somalia was somewhere in the Balkans or other parts of Europe, I doubt whether it would be forgotten this long!
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Thank-you so much for bringing Somalia back to my attention.
The Transitional Federal Government is unelected, heavily supported by the United States of America, unwanted by the people (who have long begged for a more localized Government). If the TFG, after two years of failing to bring any semblance of real Government to Somalia, must be protected in order to stay in power, I would define that as a failed Government, wouldn't you?
In Somalia, there always was a desire for local administrations - a losely bound Federalism. Since its formation in Kenya in 2004, the transitional government has failed to gain real authority with al-Shabab controlling 80% of the country - including most of south and central Somalia and a large section of Mogadishu, the capital.
It was the exploitation of clan disagreements that brought down Somalia’s last government in 1991, armed clan militias that humiliated American troops in 1993, and clan warfare that has reduced Mogadishu to a bullet-riddled city with bullet-riddled bodies.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since the ouster of Major General Siad Barre in 1991. The breakaways, such as Somaliland and Puntland, have put together functional regional governance. As for the rest of the country...
Wherever Governments - especially good Governments - get booted by western powers, there lies ahead mayhem, disorder, assassination and other killing.
Who outsted Somalian President Somalia's Siad Barre and his desires towards socialism: On the first anniversary of the military coup, Siad Barre proclaimed that Somalia was a socialist state. Barre viewed clan tribalism as "class" in a society struggling to liberate itself from distinctions. The underpinning of his state ideology combined Quran, Mao and Marx.
Barre: "Socialism is not a religion. It is a political principle" to organize government and manage production.
Is it any wonder that the United States just had to get rid of socialistic Barre?
Who outsted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide? Is Haiti better for it?
Who ousted Honduran Manuel Zelaya? Is Honduras better for it?
Who ousted Somalian President, Siad Barre. Is Somalia better for it?
- 92% households unable to meet their basic needs,
- 72% do not want Al-Shabab in power,
- 41% are illiterate,
- 50% feel the world has forgotten Somalia...
What is the common factor to all this suffering?
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Somalia is an African whipping boy for avaricious Western Nations who prey on the continent. This country has a poor economy and weak political support. The development of science and technology received little attention. How do you expect a trade agreement with an uneducated nation?
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One amazing piece of information- that only 27% of those surveyed in Mogadishu consider themselves unemployed. Assuming that they are telling the truth, this beggars belief and calls into question many assumptions about economic development, state provisions and humanitarian intervention. I would appreciate any light that anyone could shed on this incredible figure- like what constitutes employment in modern day Mogadishu, what business opportunities there are, who is employing who, and so on. And fair play to the inhabitants of this maligned city!
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The United Nations must invite eager Somali Students to attend universities in other countries. Scholarships allow students to earn degrees. Upon a return to their homeland, a U.N. sponsored program offering gainful employment to the Graduates guarantees that Somalia will not lose their best and brightest.
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Firstly, thank you Mr Harding for your insights into Mogadishu, and I wish you a safe return. I've done peacekeeping in the past with the Canadian Forces, and Mogadishu has intrigued me for years. At the risk of seeming pessimistic or fatalistic, I don't believe that the situation there will change for decades, and you will likely be back in another 10 years with much the same story for your readers.
As you've found in your survey information, the majority of people want to live in a peace and be productive (no surprise there). But without any viable infrastructure (effective central government, social services, rule of law etc), a culture of individual tribes and clans,
as well as divisions along religious lines, there is not enough glue to bind that majority together enough to oust the disruptive elements. Although the TFG is well intentioned (as I would expect are their backers), it is obvious that after years of effort and Amisom assistance, a few square blocks under heavy military control is an indication of failure. If the "western world" has forgotten about Somalia, it's simply because it's been proven that there is nothing effective they can do about it. Is it a tragedy? Absolutely.
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