Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Chicago More Dangerous Than Mogadishu?

I guess they’re running out of people to kill.
Mogadishu is losing a label it never wanted in the first place: The World’s Most Dangerous City.

The seaside Somali capital is enjoying a peace that, except for the infrequent attack, has lasted the better part of a year. Somalis who fled decades of war are coming back, as are U.N. workers who long operated out of Nairobi, the capital of neighboring Kenya.

Embassies are reopening and a U.S. assistant secretary of state visited here on Sunday, the highest-ranking U.S. official to set foot in Mogadishu since the infamous Black Hawk Down battle of 1993.

Minnesota resident Abdikhafar Abubakar fled Somalia in 1992, leaving behind his mother, three siblings and other family members. He planned to visit twice in previous years, but each time his mother warned it was too dangerous.

Last week, he finally returned to Mogadishu, where he saw his mother for the first time in two decades. This time she said it was safe and she welcomed him home with tears of joy. He later walked the streets with his brother.

“One thing I could say about Mogadishu as the most dangerous city in the world: I’ve been here one week and I never felt any danger,” Abubakar said. “When I was out walking around, I wasn’t scared. There was nothing to be scared of.”
Meanwhile, in the president’s hometown and campaign headquarters it’s been a bloodbath of late.  No wonder the Obamas rarely visit any more. This would make an interesting campaign angle for the media. You know, if they were interested.

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