Local flights resume in Bardhere after years of Al-Shabaab rule

Private airline companies have resumed domestic flights to Bardhere town which was captured from Al-Shabab fighters last month.

The first domestic plane with at least 15 passengers since Al-Shabab fighters withdrew from the town, touched down at the airstrip making it the first aeroplane to land there in more than 8 years.

The local flights have eased the flow of people from rural to urban areas as many families either move to Mogadishu or other cities.

The passengers were highly welcomed by officials from IJA including the vice president Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag and Bardhere administration.

The airlines have highly assisted in airlifting emergency cases to the capital as it offers the best medical care compared to the other cities.

Lack of security and poor road conditions restricted people from travelling to other parts of Somalia.

With local flights up and running, many Somalis now have access to the town.

After a decade of dormancy, the administration of Bardhere town and officials from Interim Jubba Administration last Friday officially opened the town’s airport.

Bardhere airport which was the backbone for Humanitarian aid agencies and local flights has stopped operating after Al-Shabab fighters banned UN and other NGOs backed western countries from the areas under their control.

Last week high level delegation from the WFP, FAO, UNICEF, UNDP and WHO among others led by UN head of Humanitarian activities in Somalia Peter de Clercq reached the town.

Bardhere town used to be the largest stronghold for Al-Shabab’s top officials and its foreign jihadist fighters before they fled after heavy military assault by the Somali government forces and the African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM).