In a rare display of unity but characteristic defiance of authority, a group of them recently announced they would stop the government from reopening Mogadishu's main seaport. The gun is loaded. A decade of fighting has left Mogadishu in ruins. Gangs steal power lines, telephone cables and streetlights. Like vultures picking at the bones of a dead animal, men have dug up the pipelines at the old oil refinery, carrying them away to sell.
People survive on money sent by relatives abroad.
The destruction is not only physical. The whole concept of a state has been distorted. At the airport, militiamen charge landing fees and sell exit visas. Mohamed plucks a rusty M-16 assault rifle from the open safe. This is my protection.