My Trip to Somalia

The destination of my first business trip since my assignment to Kenya was Somalia.  The Japanese government’s oversea safety website has maintained its evacuation advisory to the whole area of Somalia for four years.  Thus, were it not for official duty, I would not have been able to travel to Mogadishu.  

I took a UN flight to attend a security conference held inside the Aden Abdulle International Airport, which is also known as the Mogadishu Airport.  Although the service at the airport was disrupted due to the civil war, the operation resumed as the security situation improved in 2010.  A Dubai-based aviation firm provided technical support for security check, and the Turkish government has assisted renovation of the airport.  It is actually one of the most protected places in Somalia, where the threat of Al Shabaab remains.  This is why international conferences are usually held here.  Inside the airport, UN and AU officials were busy running from one place to another with their bulletproof jackets on.  

Although it was a pity that I could not go outside the airport because of security concerns, I was at least glad to land on Mogadishu at the time when Somalia was going through a dramatic change.  Somalia is now in the middle of political transition, as the term of the transitional federal government is to end by 20th August.  A new provisional constitution was approved overwhelmingly at the beginning of this month, and the presidential election is scheduled on 20th.  

According to those who visited the center of Mogadishu recently, the city is gradually regaining its stability. Children can now play outside.  Stores are replacing bullet-holed windows with new ones, and brand-new signs are adding colors to the local streets.  However, Al Shabaab remains active especially in the southern part of Somalia, and the flow of arms from Yemen and Eritrea to Shabaab-controlled areas continues.

After the conference, the UN flight took off for Nairobi without much delay.  The plane made a 90-degree turn immediately after the take off in order not to get into a terrorists’ missile range.  After a two-hour flight, the plane came back to the densely populated city of Nairobi right after the sunset.   Despite the short flying distance, the trip to Mogadishu provided me with quite a different experience from the one in Nairobi.