European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 4, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Restorers of Hope first of a three Day series r f villagers gather outside the town of Balboa As a food Convoy led by . Armoured vehicles pass by. At right marines in Mogadishu attract a following. A amps photos by Ken George Somalia . Troops must Cope with. A variety of enemies by Bob Klose staff writer g in the wide open town of. Mogadishu Somalia Rise surface and then Slink Back into the shadows in cadence with the movement of the. United nations peacekeepers. A a efforts by us. And other foreign forces to disarm rival somalian cans which intensified last week in Advance of president Bush a new years visit can produce a false sense of Security both in the somalian capital and Inland. But military personnel and civilians connected to the various famine Relief organizations operate under no illusions. Despite the declarations of peace by the warlords and the decrease in open displays of firepower by somalis there a a common belief a almost dread. A that the guns used to shoot up and wreck most of this country Are out of sight but not out of reach. The end of open hostilities by rival factions must be followed by successful planting and harvesting of food before the famine will end and recovery can begin. Workers closest to the disaster Are sceptical that will happen any time soon. Quot the crop that is being planted now is said Patrick Dillon a 41-year-old american working for Irish concern in Oddur in Central Somalia. Americans sent to Somalia to deliver food found a third world country Back several generations by. Civil War and anarchy Quot this whole town is wrecked Quot said Marine maj. Steve Little a Public affairs officer normally stationed at the Pentagon a . Forces Are virtually importing and erecting a City infrastructure from scratch while living under conditions Little better than you d find on the Moon. All the while they operate on the Assumption somebody has them in the sights of an ak-47. A the troops a marines air forge and army a dress in full combat uniform once they venture past the Gates of the Airport on the Edge of the Indian Ocean they present the natives a no nonsense show of Force for even the most routine Mission a for example two open humvee dispatched recently to the . Embassy with a Load of mail and a couple of hitchhiking journalists had a team of air Force Security officers Riding Shotgun. The vehicles a like All those belonging to the. Foreign military in Mogadishu a Tore through the City like there was no tomorrow accompanied by constant blasts from their horns. Aboard the second vehicle an airman armed with an m-16 scouted the front from Over the vehicle s cab. His partner guarded the rear machine gun. Clockwise from above . Forces patrol Mogadishu troops Call an aircraft hangar Home an armed Marine rides Shotgun on a humvee air Force chief master sgt. James Hogue scans a crowd. Tie. Humvee Cut through crowds of pedestrians what parted to tet the Small military Convoy pass and then folded Back together in its Wake. First glance from aboard the vehicle the Only wet Pons evident Are those carried by the americans. But As the streets fall away behind the speeding con of the muzzles of ak-47s and All sorts of other old and new combat arms come into View a a everything from personal firearms to High powered automatic weapons and rocket launchers mounted on pickup trucks a were everywhere when the americans landed last month. A Here was just of weapons Quot said a new pc u reporter who was waiting for the marines to step Aspre a dancer a n of the americans policy on disarmament it a Bers of warring clans and the so called. Sennica a kept their firearms out of sight. A fam the guns Begarif reappear shortly after . Authorities announced they would confiscate weapons Only to prevent interference with food distribution Quot there Are More guns now than when we got Here Quot said air Force chief master sgt. James r. Hogue who maintained rear Lookout in route to the embassy Quot they were afraid we were going to take the guns away he said a fear reinforced when leaflets dropped Over the country last week promised to confiscate any weapon seen on the Street while president Bush visited troops Over the Holiday. The extent of the disarmament will be measured this week by How Many of the disappearing guns. Resurface after Bush s departure meanwhile the men and women charged with securing and feeding this outlaw country operate. Under difficult conditions. A. A Somalia under the Best of circumstances is hot and humid and before the War possessed few of the conveniences westerners Are used to. Even now the living and working conditions fart to daily by the approximately 20,000 american troops on the ground Are miserable the Challenge of Tho equatorial african landscape and climate is compounded by the fact that warfare. And anarchy reduced this City and areas in Iho Interior to something like 19th-Century Frontier America. Few buildings in Mogadishu escaped damage from bombardment. Other buildings a Homes stores and businesses and factories a have been looted of wiring plumbing roofs and windows to be sold for food. A there a no Rynning Walerow electrical Power and no sanitation system. On this foundation and while encircled by unknown numbers of armed somalian american military personnel Are attempting to establish order and a Relief program. A Quot noisy Dusty arid smelly Quot Taid Marine pfc. Freddy Arencibia of Rome a. Arev Ciuta is among hundreds of marines and air continued on Page 16 Page 14 the stars and stripes monday Janua is the stall Arnup stripes Page 15
