MOGADISHU, Somalia—In the weeks after a historic transfer of power, there is hope in the streets of Somalia's capital Mogadishu as the new president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, begins his term. Civil servants say they expect to be paid for the first time in a year. Residents hope the city can be rebuilt. And foreign troops here from across East Africa fighting al-Shabaab terrorists hope their mandate will finally come to an end.
"The election has been a big confidence boost for Somalis," says Michael Keating, Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General (SRSG). "Somalis have just done something truly remarkable."
But Farmajo's first week has been trying. Al-Shabaab, at war with the Somali government for the last decade, has ramped up attacks on the new government, launching a deadly mortar attack aimed at the presidential palace and taking credit for a car bomb that killed 39 people.
Adapting to al-Shabaab's shifting strategies will be a long-term challenge for the new administration, but the real test will be whether the new government can prevent a looming crisis: the starvation of its people.
Somalia is on the edge of famine, as severe drought threatens the entire country. Humanitarians say if nothing is done, it will be worse than the 2011 famine that killed a quarter-million people.
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