Until recently, artists working here at Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, had either given up their craft or were painting in secret.

Art, sports and various other forms of entertainment were forbidden by the
extremist al-Shabaab, whose time in power is considered one of the most repressive
since Somalia’s troubles began in 1991.

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In 1990, when he was just three-months-old, Yahaya Osman’s parents decided to flee Somalia’s fighting. They ended up in the USA where Yahaya grew up, studied Business and played basketball at college level. 23 years later, he’s back to support and invest in the country that he still calls home…

The post FOCUS ON SOMALIA: Somali Voices – “NO FEAR” – Ep. 18 appeared first on Stratcoms Ltd..

It’s early morning in Mogadishu and fishermen in the Somali capital are bringing their catch in to the harbor. Somalia’s 3,300 kilometre coastline – the continent’s longest – gives the country’s fishermen access to over 400 different species of fish in both the Indian Ocean in the east, and Gulf of Aden in the north. Decades of insecurity has made it difficult for most fishermen here to cash in on their country’s rich marine stocks.

In the 1980’s the government of former president Siad Barre created fishing cooperatives and legislation to regulate and develop the sector, as well as manage its fleet of five fishing trawlers operating in Kismayo and its other ports.

But like most of country’s infrastructure and economy, the fishing industry was devastated during the civil war that followed Barre’s ouster in 1991. Pirates took charge of many stretches of Somalia’s coastline and foreign trawlers were seen fishing here illegally as the transitional government battled al Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab for control of the country.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was deployed in 2007 and has supported troops serving under Somalia’s new government force al Shabaab out of Mogadishu and most of central and southern Somalia.

The post FOCUS ON SOMALIA : Somalia Fishing Industry – Ep.3 appeared first on Stratcoms Ltd..

Over the last two years, the Somali National Security Forces, with the support of AMISOM, have forced al Qaeda linked extremist group al Shabaab, out of most urban centres across south and central Somalia, enabling the country to inaugurate a new and representative political order.

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