The warlords of Mogadishu are a courteous bunch. They reason in soft tones. They even serve visitors cardamom tea and something sweet and orange resembling Tang. But it is not their good manners that you notice first. Outside his house here, Mr. Atto's militia was decked out with countless automatic weapons, including a spiffy submachine gun that would fit nicely under a jacket.
Many militiamen drive around town in pickups mounted with antiaircraft guns.
That might seem excessive, but apparently it was useful when gunmen allied with Mr. Atto blasted down a steel gate recently to kidnap two foreign aid workers for ransom money. Not as much as they once did, many Somalis say, but enough to make trouble. The question will be put to the test if, as expected, the first Somali government since 1991 is formed and actually tries to govern. For the last several months, thousands of Somalis have gathered in neighboring Djibouti to plan. They have already set up an assembly aimed at establishing a permanent government.