SOMALIA: Somalis throng to Mogadishu beaches as city continues to enjoy relative peace and stability

Record ID: 736513

  • Title: SOMALIA: Somalis throng to Mogadishu beaches as city continues to enjoy relative peace and stability
  • Date: 23rd December 2013
  • Summary: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AMISOM SOLDIERS PATROLLING THE STREETS
  • Embargoed: 7th January 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Somalia
  • Country: Somalia
  • Topics: Business,Travel / Tourism
  • Reuters ID: LVA6G62F3L3Y2SC1ZN04KJKVHGO7
  • Story Text: Mogadishu's beaches are crowded with visitors this holiday season, many of who are from the diaspora and have come to the Somali capital for their vacation.
    Much of Mogadishu's splendour vanished under a two-decade storm of bullets and mortar shells. For those who now swarm to beaches in their hundreds, a day at the beach brings a sense of newfound liberation after al Qaeda-linked rebels were forced out the city by AMISOM, the Africa Union peacekeeping force in the country since 2011.
    Ismahan Adawe, lives in the U.K. and has come to spend the vacation with her family.

    "It's quite relaxing and everybody is having a great time. People are swimming, children are running around. We are here to relax and have coffee. You know, it's very progressive," said Adawe.
    Lido beach is a reminder of pre-war days when the city's white-washed colonial waterfront and balmy climate led some to call it the 'Athens of Africa'.
    Ahmed Omar Warsame said he was excited to be back for his second visit to Mogadishu.

    "It is my second time holiday in Mogadishu in two years. I am very happy when I have good time with old friends at Lido beach. There are a lot attractive buildings, bars and hotels around lido beach," added Ahmed Omar Warsame.
    AMISOM is made up of troops mainly from Kenya, Uganda and Burundi and Sierra Leone and are fighting to take control of territory in the rest of the country still in the hands of al shabaab militants.
    Al shabaab have said they will keep up their campaign against Somalia's western backed government and have continued to make sporadic attacks on civilian and government sites in Mogadishu.
    Still, according to Duran Hirsi Ise, Somalia Director of Tourism, there is room for optimism and says they encourage Somalis in the diaspora to return and invest in the country.

    "We regularly encourage Somalis in the diaspora to come back during the holidays, particularly to Mogadishu so they can see the progress going in the city. We see a lot of Somalis from different places having a great time at Lido beach and we encourage Somali business people to invest and open bars, hotels and restaurants around Mogadishu beaches," said Ise.
    Mogadishu, however, remains a dangerous, volatile city with the threat of insecurity a concern for many analysts. But for now, the coastal city is beginning to thrive again and bounce back after decades of war.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register