That company, a telecommunications business, grew to employ an estimated 3,000 Somalis. Mohamad's husband, a former minister of industry, was soon asked to help form Somalia's new government. While her husband returned to Somalia's war-torn capital, Mogadishu, for the first time since 1982, Mohamad and her children moved to Owatonna, a city already home to her aging parents, sister and a sizeable Somali population. She believes Somalia and rival factions are ready for peace. It's just trying to do the right thing.
People are tired of the fighting.
Even if peace returns to the region, it will takes years to rebuild. Mariam Mohamad predicts she will need to remain in the U.S. for another decade before she can be assured a safe return for her family to Somalia. Major funding for Minnesota Public Radio's regional Internet activities is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.