Along For The Ride

What's life like on the streets of Mogadishu? Well, far from the normality you might be familiar with in the developed world. Actually, far from the normality you might be familiar with from the developing world too. Yet, like elsewhere, life goes on. People can't just sit at home all day.

There is a decent amount of activity on the streets, and plenty of cars and minibuses to go along with it. While seeing vehicles filled past capacity is nothing new in many parts of the world, I think Mogadishu is the first place I routinely saw scenes like this one - several guys hanging onto the side or back of a minibus transporting them around town.

Look a little further into the picture. Perhaps you missed it on first glance, but you can see another tell-tale sign of daily life in Mogadishu. An armed soldier or private security guard sits on the back of a Toyota pick-up truck, assualt rifle readily in hand. There is freedom of travel, but not everyone can freely travel safely, without a small show of force.