International Seaport Reopens for First Time After 11 Years

By Eddyson Lugangwa Posted 30 August 2006 @ 03:22 pm EET     Print     Reprint     E-Mail     Comments

Mogadishu (IBTimes.com) - Mogadishu’s International seaport has officially been opened for the first time after so eleven years of closure. Union of Islamic Courts second assistant chief Sheik Abdulkadir Ali Omar, accompanied by the Isklamist finance manager Abdulkadir Abokar Omar Addan and marine transport manager Sh. Mohammed Kahiye, stated that Mogadishu’s main port is formally open.

Mogadishu’s main port has been shut down since UNOSOM, the UN & US forces, departed from Somalia in 1995 after failure of forming an administration. Omar Afdoje, an Islamist engineer, made an estimation of one million dollars that, he said, would cost rebuilding the vastly devastated port. A big celebration for the opening of the seaport is anticipated on Thursday.

Many Mogadishu residents endorsed the opening of the port, while many said they had been waiting for the news for a long time. Elma’am, an informal seaport, in north Mogadishu has been the only port business people have been importing their commodities. Reliable sources close to the Islmaists says that the newly opened port would be the only one that Somali business people might legitimately use. This may mean that Elma’an seaport will be out of use.

After UNOSOM many attempts of putting the port into use had failed after Mogadishu’s once most powerful tribal warlords could not compromise over the revenue and which ship was to be taxed of the seaport. It is hoped that the port would alleviate the inflation of all commodities in Mogadishu.