File photo: Al-Shabaab militants. AP
It was an early Sunday morning when silence shattered near Mogadishu’s bustling airport; Al-Shabaab militants, notorious for their swift and sudden attacks, sent a wave of mortars crashing perilously close. This hostile disruption wreaked havoc on international flight schedules, casting a shadow over Somalia’s efforts to maintain its fragile peace. A security official confided in AFP, shedding light on the severity of the intrusion.
Reflecting on the incident, one cannot help but ponder the irony of our times: how do nations heal when a handful disrupt the peace so profoundly? Just weeks prior, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud narrowly evaded disaster — a roadside bomb heralding yet another claim of responsibility from Al-Shabaab. The specter of violence seemed unrelenting.
Security sources, operating with a duty that often goes unacknowledged, traced the trajectory of those lethal mortars. Launched from the fringes of Mogadishu, they found their mark in the unoccupied expanse of Aden Adde International Airport. “Approximately two to three mortar shells struck an open area this morning,” disclosed a security official under the cloak of anonymity.
Amidst this turmoil, there emerged unsung heroes of aviation. A Turkish aircraft, on its descent, was rerouted mid-air, diverting to the relative calm of Djibouti. This unscheduled deviation carried urgency, as another anonymous voice from the airport revealed, “EgyptAir also cancelled its flight today.” Such decisions, though made in haste, prioritize the sacred human responsibility of safeguarding life.
Halane Camp, known for its robust security, also bore the brunt of this chaos. This compound, a fortress of international diplomacy and humanitarian outreach, houses the UN, NGO workers, foreign missions, and serves as the nucleus for the UN-backed African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). Lt. Col. Said Mwachinalo of ATMIS provided a sobering update, “There has been shelling. Our team is currently on the ground making assessments.”
Remarkably, amidst echoes of explosions, reports suggest no casualties. The airport operations, it seems, strive undaunted, a testament to human resilience and an unyielding spirit even when faced with adversity.
The silence from the government’s end may appear to many as a side note, yet it speaks volumes about the complex tapestry of governance and strategic patience.
Al-Shabaab’s shadow looms large over Somalia, a thorn in the federal government’s side for over 15 years. As analysts put pen to paper, discussions on this rising threat grow increasingly pointed. The persistent aggression threatens to unravel the painstaking progress achieved through Somalia’s partnerships with the international community.
Reflecting on such resilience amid adversity, one cannot help but think of Nelson Mandela’s words: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” In the face of terror, Somalia, caught in the crosswinds of hope and despair, presses onward.
Can persistent peace ever truly prevail in this vibrant yet volatile nation, or will the echoes of mortar fire forever delineate its path forward?
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
