Somalia - Getting Around

The road network in Somalia is thoroughly dilapidated. About a tenth of the 27,000 miles are paved. Well actually 600 miles used to be paved. There are surfaced roads between Mogadishu, Kisimayo and Baidoa in the south, and between Hargeisa, Berbera and Burao in the north. There is the skeleton of a bus network in the south and no public transportation in the north. Fifty percent of the Somali people are nomads, and the camel is the principal form of transportation in the country. The IDA agreed to repair the road network in Somalia but has yet to get started on the work, for obvious reasons. It seems the Somalis like to steal every ADI vehicle they can get, chop the roof and slap a stolen .50-caliber machine gun on the back. The only way to get around, at present, is to hitch a ride with one of the few aid agencies remaining in the country. In the past, lifts have been available with United Nations High Commission for Refugees vehicles in Mogadishu and other areas. In Mogadishu, you can try hiring a cab or motorbike driver, but you'll probably be abducted or shot, or both. The twice-weekly Somali Airlines flights between Mogadishu and Berbera and the weekly flights to Hargeisa and Kisimayo from Mogadishu have been suspended.

If you do attempt to travel by road, make sure you bring along some friends. Technicals (ideally, with .50-caliber guns) come in very handy at the many roadblocks, which are just a way for the locals to make money. A show of force or a short burst above their heads will force them to ponder the relative value of dying for a few dollars. There are no fixed prices for renting a technical with mooryaan, or teenage gunmen, but there will be plenty of offers. It is estimated by the United Nations that there are 2 million assault rifles in Mogadishu alone.