STREETS

With an uneasy peace holding in Mogadishu people are

again coming out onto the streets.

HELICOPTERS

But the nervous US troops patrolling the streets and the

helicopters circling overhead tell that this is a country still

at war. In the last 4 months there've been perhaps 1500

casualties, including 67 from the United Nations.

GUN & GUARD

There might be a truce but Mogadishu's guards are still

doing good business. Even they are nervous going into

Bakkara market, Scene of the recent fighting between

Somalis and US forces. The fighting has left many

Somalis angry and resentful.

DRIVING INT:

'What they came in here for are humanitarian rights

but that way it looks if you see their actions and what

they are doing, they are dividing the Somalis, and it

looks as if they want to start again the civil war. '

WRECKAGE

What the UN never expected was the force that Somalis

could level against them. The UN says on Sunday 3rd of

October these vehicles were searching for General

Aideed when they were ambushed. The Somalis say they

attacked because of the unnecessary force the UN was

using.

INTERVIEW

Mohamed Shafi

SNA Militiaman

'When the UN were passing this area they attacked

civilians who had nothing to do with the war in Bakkara. When people heard the gunfire they came

from their houses and responded to the American

shooting. We burned this vehicle and we killed 2 of

the Americans. '

HOSPITAL

Somalis wounded in the bloody Sunday battle were

brought here, to Digfa Hospital. Though both sides

dispute exactly who was to blame, it's clear there were

large numbers of civilian casualties. The hospital director

says the numbers of wounded civilians have forced him to

reconsider his support for UNOSOM, the acronym for the

United Nations' forces here. Twenty year old Hakima was

one of those injured. She's now paralysed.

INTERVIEW:

Dr Mohamed Fuja

Director of Digfa Hospital

'You can imagine - that old lady - she is almost 50

years. This one you see is very young and she should

expect a better future. Now if you ask her she will say

"1am against UNOSOM". That's the kind of animosity

which started after the war.

HELICOPTER

& MUSIC

Though the Americans still tease the Somalis with loud

rock music from their helicopters over Bakkara Market,

they've now announced their departure from Somalia.

HELICOPTER

WRECKAGE

It was the downing of this, Michael Durant's helicopter, his

capture, and the video pictures of dead US airmen

dragged in the streets, which was enough to over-turn

America's resolve. Other countries have also announced

their imminent departure.

NEWSWEEK

But in effect it was the pictures from just one ordinary

Somali which were responsible for the American about

face. Ahmed Hassan was the CNN amateur cameraman

who took the pictures of the dead and captured

Americans. He could go where foreign journalists couldn't.

A fortnight ago it wouldn't have been possible for foreigners to attend this pro Aideed rally, they would have

risked being lynched.

CROWDS

This rally is little more than a publicity event arranged to

persuade international opinion of Aideed's local

popularity. There's a feeling of victory. The foreigners are

leaving. And, among the UN's leaders there's also a

sense of disquiet that increasingly video pictures are

dictating international policy.

INTERVIEW:

Admiral Jonathan Howe

Commander of UN in Somalia

'Well, I think this is something that people need to sit

back and analyse, and think about - how in this

television age, graphic pictures, whether they're of

starving people, or of bodies being mistreated and

mutilated, can cause strong emotions to rise and

where the analytical process enters in, and how you

reach sound policy. '

STUDIO

This is where CNN found Ahmed Hassan. He runs a small

photo studio in Mogadishu. Previously limited to wedding

and family videos he had little idea of the impact his

pictures would have on international policy.

INTERVIEW

'I'd be very happy if my pictures help to change the

situation, and push the Somali situation towards

peace. I'd like that but my original intention was only

to take pictures of the events. But if I can contribute I

welcome it. '

TV SCREEN

Ahmed Hassan better than anyone has seen both sides of

this terrible conflict. His pictures of an American attack on

a house full of meeting Somali elders caused less of an

outcry than American bodies being dragged through the

streets.

RUINED HOUSE

That attack more than anything began to turn ordinary

Somalis against UNOSOM. Up to 70 unarmed Somali

elders died. It was an attack even President Clinton's legal department has questioned. UNOSOM insists it was

a necessary part of the war they found themselves

embroiled in.

INTERVIEW:

Admiral Jonathan Howe

Commander of UN forces in Somalia

'1think people will find that as regrettable as that

particular episode was it was essential under the

situation. And people forget - they take these things

out of context - they forget that on the 2nd July was

the very violent ambush of the Italians near the pasta

factory. On the 7th July 6 of my Somali employees

were murdered in cold blood. So we have to see

things in the context of the time and the violations

that were occurring.'

BATTLE

Pause for effects

US helicopter gunships surrounded the house and

rocketed it as the meeting took place. There was no

returning gunfire. Under duress the UN now accepts there

were no militia in the house. And without these pictures

it's unlikely anyone could have questioned the UN's

tactics. A few minutes after these pictures were taken

four journalists who arrived to cover the attack were

hacked to death by furious mobs.

INTERVIEW:

Yusuf Mohamed

Businessman

'1think the UN they made a big mistake. Why? We

were riot speaking about UN problems and those

people who were here were not speaking about UN

problems and American problems. The people

meeting here were just planning how to meet and

how to discuss about the situation of Somalis, only

Somalis.

ROADBLOCK

Pacification in a foreign land has never been easy. At this

checkpoint the troops hardly understand the wild nomadic

traditions where everything relates to one's family pride.

With every knife taken another Somali feels insulted - and

in Somalia that means his clan is insulted.

NEWSPAPER

It's a system which enables wildfire mood swings through

its city. Coupled with Eider's successful employment of

the local media he's easily turned ordinary Somalis in

which ever direction he wants.

INTERVIEW

Dr Hussain Mursal

Somali Lecturer

'Aideed has an edge over Admiral Howe because he

knows Somalis. He gives the message to ;Somalis and

he competes with Admiral Howe for the international

media. But Admiral Howe cannot compete with

Aideed for the local media. That's why Aideed had an

edge over Admiral Howe on media manipulation. '

Refugee

Camps

Video pictures of the starving brought the world to

Somalia, Now video pictures are driving them out. But in

Mogadishu - the centre of Somalia's problems - little has

been done to bring stability in the long term.

Traffic

Police

One ofthe few attempts made by UNOSOM to restore

order on the streets is the recreation of a Mogadishu

traffic department. Though they try hard they're not likely

on their own to bring order to Mogadishu. And they only

work ...

UAE Forces

... where there's easy backup from the UN , in this case

soldiers from the United Arab Emirates. And just a few

miles away ...

Gunmen

General Eider's main adversary is readying to renew the

civil war. He's the self styled President - but only in

Mogadishu North. Ali Mahdi has enjoyed seeing Aideed

on the run but now he's making thinly veiled threats about

what will happen when the UN abandons the hunt.

INTERVIEW

Ali Mahdi

Self Styled Somali President

"We are sure that if the US pulls out its troops

Somalis will go back to disaster, starvation and

death. "

Outside the main UN compound Somalis gather to watch

the foreigners military manoeuvres. It's almost become a

sport. They taunt the tanks by parking in front of them.

But, soon the whole show will be gone, leaving Somalis

again free to solve their own problems. What will happen

is uncertain, except that they will still have a :Iot to solve.

And, by then the international community, CNN, and the

rest of the media probably won't be there - until, that is,

it's too late.