To get inside, you must squeeze through a hubbub of waiting people so dense you wonder how he gets any work done. Some are waiting to ask him for jobs for themselves or their children or nephews. Some have no food to give their children. Many are caught up in land disputes, as people, encouraged by a year of relative peace, move back to their houses and property, only to find others have taken them over. One of those who has come to see the mayor is an old friend from the Somali diaspora who used to play on the same basketball team in Mogadishu, in the good old days, before things went south in He works with them every day, as do foreign aid agencies.
But analysts say many of the district commissioners in Mogadishu are actually warlords with substantial militias, raising fears of a reprise of the terrifying years from the early s until , when warlords divided Mogadishu block by block with roadblocks manned by trigger-happy militiamen.
The mayor, 57, sits behind a modest desk, wearing a black shirt and a trim gray goatee. On his wall are five pen-and-ink drawings of the city. After nearly a year of relative peace, Noor brushes aside fears the city could plunge back into conflict. I knew if we reduced garbage, it would attract people. I knew if we increased security, people would stay out later at night. It was filthy. The markets are full. Noor ran an Internet cafe and two community organizations providing services to Somali people in London as an emigre.
Where can we start? Where are the resources? When he took the job, the Al Qaeda-linked Shabab militant group still ruled the city, and Noor knew it would be dangerous. There have been many death threats. When he moves around the city, he has a hefty security outfit. In August , he survived an assassination attempt, possibly by the Shabab, when attackers blew up his car.
He was not in it. I was just a mayor who decided to provide services. The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
