Civil war turned Somalia’s main soccer stadium into an army camp. Now it’s hosting games again

By OMAR FARUK
Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A stadium in Somalia’s violence-prone capital is hosting its first soccer tournament in three decades, drawing thousands of people to a facility that had been abandoned for years and later became a base for military — and even extremists — amid civil war. The competition is a milestone in efforts to restore public life after decades of violence. The Islamist extremist group Al-Shabab, which has ties with al-Qaida, still launches attacks in Mogadishu, but many Somalis are willing to brave the stadium, which has a heavy security presence. One fan says she feels “as though we were emancipated.”