South London Stories. Little Lord Vader. April The conclusion of our journey from Ethiopia to Somalia brought us to the capital, Mogadishu. Until recently this was the frontline in the war against Al Shabaab, but thanks to 17, African Union peacekeepers working with the Somali army, the militants have been pushed north and some semblance of normality has returned to the city. However, it remains an exceedingly dangerous place to visit, with regular guerilla attacks, kidnappings and suicide bombings disturbing the shaky peace.
You can read the article at the bottom of this page. For all the violence and instability here, everything ran like clockwork thanks to our fixer Bashiir Yusuf Osman. Bashiir is the owner of the Peace Hotel, memorably described by Time Magazine as "the best hotel in hell", and he set up our five man security team and led our tour of the city, as well as providing us with secure accommodation. He's an extraordinary man, offering a much-needed service under unimaginably difficult circumstances.
And yet he seems to be thriving β having already built two hotels, he's now in the process of constructing Mogadishu's first beach resort.
For all the risks, Mogadishu was, without doubt, the highlight of our trip, and our 24 hours were nowhere near long enough. We are already planning our return Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu. Security at the airport is tight, with blast defences, sandbagged machine gun posts, armoured personnel carriers and hundreds of African Union soldiers and Somali police.
This is the safest place in the city β and home to the new British Embassy. Our five man security team, who rode ahead of us whenever we left the Peace Hotel. Mogadishu's roads operate on a "right of might" basis β meaning that the car with the most guns has the right of way. Cows, however, don't always respect this unwritten rule. Traffic jams in Mogadishu are dangerous places: suicide attacks are common and as a result drivers are twitchy.
