Somali hotel, partially destroyed in al Shabaab bombing, rebuilt

Record ID: 1592895

  • Title: Somali hotel, partially destroyed in al Shabaab bombing, rebuilt
  • Date: 22nd December 2020
  • Summary: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ELITE HOTEL PEOPLE AT LIDO BEACH SIGN READING (English): ‘ELITE HOTEL’ VARIOUS OF ELITE HOTEL PROPRIETOR, ABDULAH MOHAMED NUR CHATTING WITH ELITE HOTEL MANAGER, SHAIMA SALLAL (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) ELITE HOTEL OWNER, ABDULLAH MOHAMED NUR, SAYING: "I believe I am right to rebuild, even in case of another attack occurs the following day. To stop rebuilding for fear of what may happen in future means to give up in business. I am determined to reinvest and reconstruct because it brings me satisfaction in terms of job creation and benefits." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT BEACH (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) ELITE HOTEL OWNER, ABDULLAH MOHAMED NUR, SAYING: "My investment plan for the hotel was 10 million US dollars but so far, I have invested only 20 percent, that is 2 million dollars. I am planning to start the remaining part which will consist of a more modern and more beautiful building with 120 rooms of international standards. This will cost 8 million dollars but, I have already invested 2 million and several hundred thousand dollars in this section already.” AERIAL VIEW OF ELITE HOTEL WAITER SERVING CUSTOMERS VARIOUS OF CUSTOMERS AT TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) ELITE HOTEL OWNER, ABDULLAH MOHAMED NUR, SAYING: “The main challenge for businesses in Mogadishu is security. Many hotels in Somalia particularly in Mogadishu do not work now for two reasons; they were either bombed several times and the gave up rebuilding and so business collapsed. Others are unable to make profits because the country is not peaceful." VARIOUS OF ABDILADIF ABDUQADIR AND FRIEND, ABDILADIF ABDUQADIR, HAVING TEA (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) ABDILADIF ABDUQADIR, CUSTOMER, SAYING: "There are security problems in all cities of the world and this hotel is not different from other hotels when it comes to security matters. I am very happy to see it reopened. I feel secure when I am at this hotel. If a blast takes place once, nobody forgets that place. We will always come now that it is secured. Thank God." PEOPLE AT LIDO BEACH VARIOUS OF SUNSET OVER MOGADISHU
  • Embargoed: 5th January 2021 09:14
  • Keywords: Elite hotel Islamist group al Shabaab fighting rebuilding
  • Location: No-Data-Available
  • City: No-Data-Available
  • Country: Somalia
  • Topics: Africa,Economic Events
  • Reuters ID: LVA001DA37QDZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A former minister in Somalia whose hotel was damaged in a bomb attack by the Islamist group al Shabaab says he is rebuilding and expanding, in an unusual show of business confidence in a country where violence is a daily challenge.
    The car bomb in August blew out the windows of the beachfront Elite Hotel in Mogadishu and partially destroyed its perimeter wall. Attackers then stormed the building, setting off grenades and shooting their way through rooms and staircases.
    "To stop rebuilding for fear of what may happen in future means to give up in business. I am determined to reinvest and reconstruct because it brings me satisfaction in terms of job creation and benefits," hotel owner and former finance minister Mohamed Abdullahi Nur, 38, told Reuters.
    Al Shabaab, which is allied with al Qaeda, has been fighting to topple the Somali government for more than ten years. The group wants to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
    The militants have frequently targeted hotels, restaurants and cafes in Mogadishu, which are patronized by the political and security elite.
    Nur told Reuters he had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on reconstructing and repairing the hotel that cost him $2 million to build.
    Just a month after the attack, well-heeled customers were back in the five-story hotel, enjoying seafood and cappuccino, and taking in views of the ocean while beachgoers swam and speedboats cruised by.
    Nur plans to add another 120 deluxe rooms at a cost of $8 million dollars.
    "Many hotels in Somalia particularly in Mogadishu do not work now for two reasons; they were either bombed several times and they gave up rebuilding and so business collapsed. Others are unable to make profits because the country is not peaceful," he said, adding the key to his survival was adapting.
    (Abdirahmann Hussein, Edwin Waita, Nazanine Moshiri)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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