Mogadishu Families Hit the Beach as Security Improves in Somalia
(AWP) - People from the Somali capital of Mogadishu are flocking to the beaches of the Indian Ocean, taking advantage of the good weather and improved security conditions in a country that has lacked stability for over three decades.
Lido Beach, in the northern part of Mogadishu and torn apart by explosions and violence for years, has been serving as an outlet for citizens, with the violence subsiding in recent times.
Abdel-Qadir Abdullah, a Somali citizen who took his family to spend some time on the beach, said things are improving as the fluidity of movement is now easier following the removal of many security checkpoints.
He said, “This is completely different from the previous period, when the capital city witnessed violence and explosions. Now you can see people and life on the streets. Thank God, the city is witnessing great development.”
Water sports and boat rides are returning to Somali shores; activities which were absent for decades. Additionally, there are women selling tea to beach-goers in search of a livelihood.
The armed movement Al-Shabaab posed a threat to successive governments in Somalia for the past 20 years, launching attacks since taking arms against the authorities in the Horn of Africa country in 2006.