Kenya and the Horn of Africa

Kenya and the Horn of Africa

The third leg of Simon Reeve’s journey is the most dangerous, as he travels to Mogadishu, the war-torn capital of Somalia. But he starts off in the south of Kenya and travels up the Indian Ocean coast to Mombasa, then on to the beautiful Tana Delta, where he meets villagers facing eviction from the area, which the government is turning over to sugar cane production for bio-fuels. Heading north to the stunning and remote island of Kiwayu, Simon meets women who make a living from making handicrafts from the mountains of plastic pollution that fetches up on their beach. It is evidence of one of the greatest threats to the Indian Ocean and all the world’s oceans – the millions of tons of plastic waste washing around in our seas. But Kiwayu is also the site of the tragic murder of British tourist David Tebbutt and the kidnapping of his wife Judith by Somali pirates. Next Simon heads to the source of the piracy epidemic that plagues the Indian Ocean – Somalia. In war torn Mogadishu Simon travels with Ugandan soldiers from the African peace keeping force AMISOM. After years of anarchy and violence, the soldiers are the latest attempt to bring peace and stability to the country. On the frontline, with bullets flying around, Simon learns that the peace keepers are actually fighting a bloody war with al Shabaab, a violent Islamist militia linked to al Qaeda. But lacking even helicopters, AMISOM are struggling to overcome their opponents in a country that is at the epicentre of piracy and, increasingly, a source of international terrorism. Neighbouring Somaliland could not be more different. The ‘country’ declared its independence in 1991 but is not recognised by the rest of the world. However it is stable and democratic, and is home to thousands of Somalis fleeing fighting and famine. Simon joins a group of young refugees from a camp on a trip to see the sea for the very first time. It is a moving ending to a dramatic Indian Ocean journey.