United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Monday, December 11, 2006
The UN is now actively exploring ways of boosting its presence and activities in the city based on principled engagement, among other things to enhance the delivery of assistance to around a quarter of a million IDPs who, over the years, have received very limited relief. Any enhanced engagement, however, will be gradual and progressive and hinge upon security guarantees; while overall security has generally improved, the risk of spoilers and hardliners remains. Recent assassinations in Mogadishu include that of a Swedish cameraman during a public demonstration, in June 2006, and that of an Italian nun working for an NGO in September 2006. Mogadishu (capital of Benadir region with an estimated population of 1.3 -1.5 million) remains the financial and commercial centre of south/central Somalia. Business has managed to thrive in one sector; Mogadishu leads the East African market in telecommunications, the internet and a modern communications network, including local cellular telephone systems with international connections via satellite. One of the reasons for this success has been the absence of centralised government, which has yielded free trade without taxes or regulatory expenditures.
The main market in Mogadishu (Bakara) offers a broad range of goods from food to electronic gadgets to arms. In the absence of a formal banking sector, money exchange services widely available in Mogadishu handle between US$750 million-1 billion annually in remittances from the diaspora. This money far exceeds what the country receives in aid; triggering trade and averting a worse humanitarian crisis. Years of a lack of government means that the US dollar is the currency of choice – even IDPs beg in hard currency. The city has several radio stations, two television broadcasters, a Somali Institute for Management and Administration and a university.
In 2005, Mogadishu University was ranked among the top 100 African universities and placed 79th in Africa - preceding well-known established universities on the continent. North and South Mogadishu are linked by road networks, most of which need repair or reconstruction. Freedom of movement within the city has greatly improved with the Courts' dismantling of militia roadblocks. In July, the Courts took control of the city's main seaport and airport; both ports are now operational and the first plane for 15 years landed in mid-July. Three other airstrips close to Mogadishu – Issiley, Dayniile and K50 (50 km outside Mogadishu) – continue to function. UN flights usually land at K50 but the latest missions landed at Mogadishu International Airport, while some international NGOs use Issiley.
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