Lido Beach ( so, Xeebta Liido) is a beach in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

's capital,

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

, which overlooks the Somali Sea. The name ''Lido'' derives from the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

word for "beach". The name ''Liido'' is also very popular among locals.

History

The beach in northern Mogadishu was initially developed in the late 1930s for the Italian colonists living in the capital of

Italian Somalia Italian Somalia ( it, Somalia Italiana; ar, الصومال الإيطالي, Al-Sumal Al-Italiy; so, Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaalida), was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th centur ...

. In the 1950s, it was fully developed by the Italian administration under

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

rule, with the enlargement of a nearby hotel that was Mogadishu's tallest building during those years. After decades of

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and

anarchy Anarchy is a society without a government. It may also refer to a society or group of people that entirely rejects a set hierarchy. ''Anarchy'' was first used in English in 1539, meaning "an absence of government". Pierre-Joseph Proudhon adopted ...

in the capital, the beach fell into disuse. However, it has experienced a revival in the last decade.

Al-Shabaab attacks

In January 2016, al-Shabaab carried out a

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roughly divided ...

ing and

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...

at a restaurant, killing about 20 people. In August 2020, al-Shabaab attacked a hotel, detonating a car bomb and engaging in a firefight with Somali security forces. Eleven victims and five attackers were killed; over 200 people were rescued by Somali special forces. The

Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, strongly condemned the

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

attack and said the UN "expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims." In April 2022, a restaurant was attacked by an al-Shabaab suicide bomber.

Present

Many people visit Mogadishu's coastline each weekend. Somalia has the longest coastline in mainland Africa with 3100 km along the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

, which has beaches valuable for

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

. Lido Beach has seafood restaurants, hotels, and parks. The

Somali diaspora The Somali diaspora or Qurbajoogta refers to Somalis who were born in Greater Somalia and reside in areas of the world that they were not born in. The civil war in Somalia greatly increased the size of the Somali diaspora, as many Somalis moved fr ...

plays an important role in recovering Mogadishu, building new luxury downtown and beaches and restaurants, and many more that attract international tourists. There are many newly established businesses there.

Notes

{{coord missing, Somalia Beaches of Mogadishu

History

Al-Shabaab attacks

Present

See also

Notes