I’m in Mogadishu again. It was critical to get back soon after returning from the US. As we moved into the new year, and through a lot of hard work, we have achieved a funding level never before managed by this office. It’s possible that it may continue to grow a bit over the next few months. It’s good for us, in the sense that it means more aid to the country. But it does mean more work as well as some possible need to restructure the organization.
I arrived a couple of weeks ago, picking up where I left off in December. It would be a longer stay than normal. My guess is that the abundance of meetings has something to do with a lot of post-holiday coordination – catching up in the new year. Having said that, given that Somalia is a Muslim country, the holidays have much less impact than they do in other contexts. The train just keeps on moving.
I should mention that while I’ve been typing, I’ve heard some explosions. While it could be from a military training facility not far away, this sounded a bit different. I’ve sadly picked up somewhat of a keen ear for such sounds.
Sure enough, after a quick check of my phone, it’s confirmed that at least four mortar shells landed near the presidential compound. No word at this point if there have been casualties.
It’s an eerie thing to be in a place that is undergoing such attacks. It’s happened to me several times. I don’t get the sense that I’m in danger. Chances of getting hit are incredibly slim. It’s more the speculation as to what is happening where they do hit. Interestingly, and thankfully, there have been few such attacks that have resulted in casualties. Surprising in such a densely populated city.
By the time I finished drafting this, at least two more landed on the exact opposite side of us, in the airport “green zone”. I happened to be taking a break and getting some air on the roof (some might say that’s rather stupid at times like this) and saw the smoke beginning to billow from one of the explosions.
There is a high-level meeting taking place in Mogadishu specifically discussing ridding the Horn of Africa from terrorism. The shelling is most certainly a not-so-subtle wink from the terrorists. Though there were some injuries, no deaths were reported.
There has subsequently been some online mockery as a result of the extensive road closures and flight cancellations over the course of two days, frustrating residents and businesses. Observers alluded to the excessive actions taken in the interest of security that, in the end, didn’t address the threat.
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| another great lunch at the Lido |
Otherwise, the trip has gone smoothly, at least by Mogadishu standards. There were several coordination meetings hosted by the UN. I had a visitor from our regional office that we entertained by taking her to our traditional lunch place on the beach. I love the fact that I’m one of the few international residents that has security clearance to do such things. It’s also important for my team to be able to show off their city and drive home this idea that Somalia, while certainly having its issues, also has some amazing beauty. As I’ve mentioned in the past, it has the longest coastline in Africa (not counting the island of Madagascar) and tremendous potential.
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| cool shop, driving across Mogadishu |
I’ve also begun going out for tea at the end of the workday from time to time. It’s a nice break since security doesn’t allow me to move about without an armored vehicle. Sharing a Somali tea (black tea with musty camel milk and loads of sugar) with a couple colleagues gives me a small sense of “normality” in what is very much not a normal environment for a Westerner.
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| Somali tea - shaah (black tea with camel milk, cardamom and loads of sugar) |
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Among the many meetings I had in the protected “green zone”, was an opportunity to meet with the US Ambassador to the UN (along with the US Ambassador to Somalia). Five heads of agencies for international organizations were invited to a 45-min. meeting to discuss the severe drought in Somalia. Given her role, the conversation focused more on UN relations, policy, security, etc. rather than ground-level aid delivery. As she was coming to the end of several days on the continent (and admittedly some lack of sleep), she held her own over the course of the meeting. She would only have a press conference after our meeting before hopping on her plane and heading out.
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| meeting with the ambassadors |
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One question that loomed in my head as the second week wore on was whether I be able to get a flight out at the end of the week after two days of airport closure. Though I already had a reservation, a booking in Somalia sometimes feel more like a “suggestion of interest” rather than a paid-for right to a seat on an airplane. The plane may or may not have a seat for you when you arrive at the airport. The plane may have your seat, but for some reason won’t fly until much later in the day, or even the next day. Or, the airline may have your seat and it will leave more or less on time, but when you walk out to the tarmac, you realize that the plane is from a different airline. There are limitless possibilities as to how things might play out. And after the closure, the possibility of the airline bumping me for someone of greater importance gave me some concern.
As it turned out, I did indeed get my seat.
