Mogadishu

Mogadishu has been the scene of many battles after rebel forces took the city in 1990 forcing the president of Somalia to flee to Kenya the following year. Despite UN intervention, Mogadishu was the effectively ruled by warlords until 2006 when the Islamic Courts Union took control. Later in 2006 Ethiopian forces swept into the country ousting the ICU and restored the former government which had been in exile in Kenya.

Despite this there is no effective government in Somalia and Mogadishu has continued to be a battle zone with hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants being displaced. It is a city even humanitarian aid workers fear to work with thirteen of their number killed and many more injured and abducted since 2009.

This video shows day to day life in Mogadishu and the challenges its people face to survive. After you've watch the video make a virtual landing at Mogadishu International Airport over the stunning blue waters of the Indian Ocean here then explore Mogadishu in more detail using our interactive map of the city below.