Life after al-Shabab in Mogadishu

A year after the armed group al-Shabab was driven out of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, life is returning to normal in the city.

But the relative calm has presented a problem.

Somali police, whose tactics during the two-decade-long civil war led many in the country to fear them, are now struggling to operate in a changing post-war environment.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from the Somali capital, Fatuma Abdulahi, a Somali blogger, said despite the setbacks, Mogadishu is very peaceful and that she has felt “very secure” over the last three months.

Though the capital’s police forces used to have a “bad reputation” in the fight against al-Shabab and other groups, Abdulahi said it is the Somali and African Union soldiers who suffer from a negative reputation.

When they enter al-Shabab controlled areas today, Abdulahi says locals have reported cases of abuse, including the looting of homes.

Al Jazeera’s Peter Greste reports from Mogadishu, where he met with the police force.

Source: Aljazeera