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Remarkable number of Somalis surge to Mogadishu from outskirts
Press TV
Friday, April 06, 2012

For the past week, the Somali capital Mogadishu has witnessed a surge of people flocking it in fear of being caught up in the ongoing military clashes between Somali forces backed by AU troops and the Al-Shabaab fighters in the outskirts of Somalis bullet riddled capital, Mogadishu.

U.N. refugee agency in February 2012 said that more than 7,000 Somalis have left the Afgoye corridor as Somali troops and AU forces warned of advancing deeper into Al-Shabaab stronghold.

Most of the returnees say that they have spent sleepless nights after African Union shells landed in the Tredish, Garasbalay and Sinka Der areas. They say that it’s wise to return to Mogadishu now that it is almost under the Somali government control.

The Afgoye corridor is where many Somalis from the strife torn Mogadishu fled to following intense fighting by the warring factions.

Afgoye corridor lies along 40-km stretch of stretch of road with sprawling settlements and makeshift camps hosting almost 410,000 internally displaced Somalis according to the UNHCR.

However the AU mission to Somalia is happy with the return of the people and argues that the improvement in the security sector is among the major reasons for the massive return of the people.

The endless fights in Mogadishu has forced the locals to either move into the Al-Shabaab or the government controlled side of Mogadishu in fear of being caught up in the event of any military combat.

AMISOM officials in Mogadishu however told Press TV that the people who return to Mogadishu are assured of facilities they lacked in the Al-Shabaab controlled areas.

The UNHCR estimates that nearly 1.4 million Somalis are displaced within Somalia and nearly a million Somali refugees in neighboring countries of Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya.

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