Somali authorities have spent years working to restore the national stadium in Mogadishu, and on Dec. 29 Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre inaugurated the national soccer tournament. The competition is a milestone in efforts to revive public life even as al-Qaida’s East Africa affiliate, based in Somalia, remains a threat. Now, the air crackles with anticipation as thousands pour into the stadium each afternoon. Most recently, between 2012 and 2018, the stadium was a base for African Union peacekeepers. “When this stadium was used as a military camp, it was a source of agony and pain.
