24/08/06 (B363-B) Les tribunaux islamiques rouvrent le port de Mogadiscio qui était fermé depuis dix ans. (BBC en anglais – info lecteur)

Mogadishu port formally reopens

No ships have docked at Mogadishu so far
The Somali port of Mogadishu, once one of the busiest in East Africa, has been declared open after a 10-year closure.
The Union of Islamic Courts, whose militia seized control of the capital in June, marked the opening with a ceremony at the quayside.

Workers have spent weeks clearing away debris blocking access, reports say.

But no ships have arrived yet, and this is not the first time the port has been declared open, the BBC’s Hassan Barise reports from Mogadishu.

The port and international airport have been closed since United Nations and US troops ended their operations in the city as it descended into chaos in the mid-1990s following the collapse of central government.

Since then, rival warlords have announced the reinauguration of the port on several occasions, but disagreements over revenues have kept the harbour closed, our correspondent said.

Regular commercial flights, to the United Arab Emirates, resumed three weeks ago for the first time since the closure of the airport.

The Islamic courts are opposed by the transitional government of Somalia, which is based in the town of Baidoa.

East African diplomats have been trying to bring the Islamists and the government together for talks.