Islamists controlling much of southern Somalia on Wednesday reopened the capital’s main seaport that was closed 11 years ago at the height of unrest and chaos in the lawless nation.
In their latest move to assert authority and restore order to Mogadishu since seizing the city from warlords in June after months of fierce fighting, the Islamists declared the Indian Ocean port open for business.
”After 11 years, the port is open and we call on international and local businessmen to make use of it,” said Sheikh Abdulkadir Omar, deputy chairperson of the executive committee of the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia (SICS).
”This is where vessels should dock,” he told reporters at a news conference in the capital, urging shippers to no longer use natural ports that have sprung into use since the port was closed.
The Mogadishu International Port was closed in 1995 after rival warlords fought to control its revenues following the withdrawal of United Nations peacekeepers who had unsuccessfully attempted to restore stability to the anarchic nation.
The port’s reopening came 10 days after the Islamists seized control of the port town of Haaradere, about 300km from Mogadishu, which had been used as a base by pirates who hijacked vessels in the Indian Ocean.
It follows the reopening of Mogadishu’s main international airport last month by the Islamists, who have moved rapidly to expand their territory, posing a serious challenge to Somalia’s weak transitional government. — AFP
