By Billow Kerrow
My visit last week to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, together with a group of MPs from North Eastern was an eye opener for me, as much as it was a positive public relations coup for the flagile regime.
Coming just days after insurgents attacked the official residence of the President and the popular Lido beach area, our visit gave Mogadishu an all-clear sign to would-be travellers to the city recovering from many years of civil war.
Last time I travelled to the city that was once dubbed ‘the cleanest city in Africa’ was in 2006 when Sheikh Shariff’s Islamic Courts Union had taken control and there was unprecedented calm. At the time, the city though very peaceful, still had scars of the destruction and anarchy of two decades of internal war.
It slipped back to chaos after Shariff’s outfit was bundled out by Ethiopians. An uneasy calm has been restored in recent months though, and thousands of Somalis have trooped back from the diaspora.
I was struck by the complete facelift of the airport that was a derelict piece of antiquity only a few years back.
’ The ride from the airport to Villa Somalia in the city centre was pretty smooth; the roads had been tarmacked, streetlights installed and traffic officers literary manned the roads! Accommodation at Jazeera Hotel was exceptional, 4-star with wifi in the rooms, and an excellent courtyard.
The streets in downtown Mogadishu were clogged by heavy traffic; shops were open till late and there was hardly any sound of gunfire for the two nights I spent in the city.
To the residents, it was the usual hustle and bustle of the city. Most buildings have been renovated and many new ones were up.
There was running water and uninterrupted power. In place of the old ramshackle they called vehicles that once littered the town, I saw mostly new cars on the streets, unmanned by gun-totting militia.
Mobility in the town was perfectly normal and had it not been for the pressure of time, I would have joined the masses for a swim at Lido beach.
But even as remarkably calm as the security seemed to be in city, the situation in other Southern regions was different.
Parts of the country still remained under the control of Al Shabaab, with the Amisom troops being reportedly confined to major towns and highways.
The political situation still remains fluid, uncharted. Even as we met the President to discuss the political situation in the country, two groups of political leaders were in Baidoa preparing for presidential elections of two new autonomous regions.
While it is not clear whether the government is rattled by these developments, the recent creation of Jubaland has emboldened other regions to follow suit.
Somalia needs the support of Kenya and other nations now as it pursues the overhaul of its constitution by end of this year.
For a nation torn between the desire to embrace federalism and maintain a strong central government, the challenge to re-write the constitution is enormous.
In a couple of years, it is expected to conduct universal suffrage as opposed to boardroom political appointments by clan elders.
’ If that happens, it will be the first time Somalis will have gone to the polls since 1969.Still, they will have to overcome the insecurity challenge and clan dynamics first, a tall order by any measure.
Kenya is a key ally but must not view the Somalia situation merely through security prism.It is time we engage more deeply with our neighbour to pursue socio-economic development.
—The writer is Mandera County Senator and a political economist
Source: Standard Digital
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