Study finds Somalis in Mogadishu feel more optimistic

Global Business

Somalia’s government hopes to produce oil within six years as it recovers from two decades of civil war. The country has long been at the mercy of Islamic militants, but the tides may be turning. CCTV America’s Owen Fairclough reports.

Many are beginning to embrace a fragile peace after more than 20 years of violence and instability.

Somalias in Mogadishu are feeling much safer and more optimistic about security there, according to a recent survey analyzed by the Heritage Institute of Policy Studies, a research institute in Somalia.

The survey was conducted by the Observatory of Conflict and Violence Prevention in Somalia which polled 1,664 people across Mogadishu’s 17 districts between February-March 2014. The Heritage Institute of Policy Studies prepared a policy brief based on the survey’s findings.

The Al-Qaeda-linked terror group Al-Shebab was forced out of Mogadishu in 2011, but they still stage frequent attacks in the city and control many rural areas. However for many Somalis, this remains a marked improvement compared to past decades of violence.

Follow Owen Fairclough on Twitter @cloughieDC