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Mogadishu: A short history of a long war

With Al Shabaab on the run, a relative peace has returned to Mogadishu, Somalia's capital. A GlobalPost infographic charts the country's two decades of conflict.

- Kyle Kim

Governed by Al Qaeda

RAS KAMBONI, Somalia — The port town of Kismayo on Somalia’s southern coast must be among the worst places on the planet to live right now. Not only is it governed by the fanatical Al Qaeda spinoff Al Shabaab, it is also a battleground where a regional coalition of African armies is fighting the extremist group. The testimony of fleeing residents is now providing a rare insight into what it’s like to live under the rule of Al Qaeda.

- Tristan McConnell

After Somalia famine, new horrors

MOGADISHU, Somalia — When a drought became famine here last year, hundreds of thousands of people bundled together what few belongings they had and began to walk, either across the border or toward Mogadishu, searching for food. The good news it that although hunger remains, the famine has abated. The bad news is that for the women and girls still living in the refugee camps, another horror has taken hold: rape.

- Tristan McConnell

Peace, but little else in rural Somalia

RAS KAMBONI, Somalia — Last year, the main problem in this rural corner of Somalia was Al Shabaab, the country's resident Al Qaeda affiliate. Now it’s everything else. “The main problems here are lack of water, medicine, education and food,” said Ali Mansour, a local elder. “We don’t take baths or wash our clothes. We live here like animals. Our children are all fishermen, not students.”

- Tristan McConnell

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A symbolic step towards a 'normal' Mogadishu

- Tristan McConnell

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Photos: The New Mogadishu

Mogadishu: A short history of a long war