Hope and Peace Loom In Mogadishu
Mogadishu has for years been a battlefield. But Somalia’s battered capital has finally fallen under the control of western-backed troops after overturning a 4-year brutal insurgency from the militant group al-Shabaab.
“Last night’s attack seems to mark the end of the 4-year al-Shabaab insurgency and the beginning of peace and development,” says Mohamud Salad Mayow, a senior Somali political analyst.
According to Mayow, the al-Shabaab fighters had been demoralized, hence the devastating defeat.
“I saw demoralized al-Shabaab fighters waving hands around streets as they were escorting a tinted vehicle towards the Afgoye corridor,” he said. Local leaders, including district commissioners, visited the vacated areas in north Mogadishu on Saturday. They said the areas visited, including Yaqshid district, were previously under the control of al-Shabaab but had fallen in the hands of the Transitional Federal Government following the insurgents’ defeat.
“Today is a historic day because we again raise the Somali national flag in Yaqshid district and lower the black flag of the al-Shabaab,” Muhidin Hassan Juris told reporters in Yaqshid district.
Juris says the win over the al-Shabaab by the AMISOM troops is a great achievement for Somalia as a country and hoped that stability will be restored quickly.
Upon their arrival in Yaqshid district, the local leaders were received by thousands of people who had poured into the streets to celebrate the eventful day.
“People came out on the streets and to welcome the government troops,” said Sahro Abdi Nor, a local resident, adding that some remained skeptical that change would be forthcoming. But most city residents are eager to return to their homes after years of living in despair as internally displaced persons (IDPs).
