Mogadishu’s Interim Mayor Takes Initiative to Reopen Streets

Salaad Iidow Hasan (Hiis), Hiiraan Online
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Saturday August 16, 2008

Mogadishu's Interim Mayor, Mr Mohamed Osman Ali (Dhagah-Tuur)

Mogadishu, Somalia (HOL) – The interim Mayor of Mogadishu announced today that it will reopen streets in the city that were closed due to the fighting in the city in 2007. Some senior city administrators visited some of those streets.
 
The interim Mayor of the city Mr. Mohamed Osman Ali (Dhagah-tuur) accompanied by the administrator of the district of Wardhigely Mr. Hasan Ali Mohamed (Hashaash) told reporters that one of the main streets in the city called Street 30 which has been closed for more than a year will be cleaned soon and will be open to both traffic and people.
 
In a press conference held at Ali Kamin Intersection, the interim Mayor was asked how it would be possible to reopen the street when Ethiopian troops are stationed there. The Mayor responded that Ethiopian troops will be redeployed to military camps
 
“We call all residents near the street to clean the areas near their residence adjacent to the street and as soon as the cleaning is finished the street will reopen for traffic and people” said the interim Mayor who was appointed to the position on interim basis after the former Mayor Mr. Mohamed Dhere was dismissed by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet for financial mismanagement and incompetence.
 
Street 30 is one of the main streets in the city but has been closed to the public since last year and that caused major disruption to business and social life of the city. The area of the street most affected by the year long closure is the stretch between Ali Kamin and Bar Ubah which is a very busy area in terms of business and social life.
 
If the city’s interim administration succeeds in reopening this street, the next move is expected to be the reopening of Warshadaha Street which also has been closed similarly due to the fighting in 2007. It will also be a major achievement for the interim administration whose appointment has been opposed by the country’s interim President and now is a major source of disagreement between the President and his Prime Minister. Both men are now in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to resolve their differences.
 
Additional contribution by Mohamed Amin Ahmed, Hiiraan Online
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