Curfew lifted in Somali capital after presidential election

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - A curfew in Somalia's capital Mogadishu was lifted on Monday after nearly 30 hours.

Somali police announced the curfew prior to Sunday's long-overdue presidential election in the Horn of Africa nation to prevent a law and order situation.

Somali parliament elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the country's head of state for the next four years.

Businesses reopened and public transport also began plying the streets.

Flights at Mogadishu's international airport, the busiest in the Horn of Africa country, also resumed.

Incoming and outgoing flights to and from Aden Adde International Airport have been cleared to land and take off, according to the airport authorities.

Hassan Abdirahman, a taxi driver, told Anadolu Agency the curfew was tough for the working class.

"The curfew was tough but it was worth it since our country has elected a new president," Abdirahman said.

Deeqo Adan, a Mogadishu resident, said without public transport she had to walk over 6 kilometers (3.72 miles)

The election is expected to bring to an end a political crisis that has lasted well over a year after Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's, also known as Farmaajo, term ended in February 2021 without an election.