STORY: KISMAYO AIRPORT REFURBISHED TRT: 04:29 SOURCE: AU/UN IST RESTRICTIONS: This media asset is free for

editorial broadcast, print, online and radio use. It is not to be sold on and is restricted for other purposes. All enquiries to news@auunist.org CREDIT REQUIRED: AU/UN IST LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/SOMALI/NATS DATELINE: (File) 02 OCTOBER 2012/19th AUGUST 2013/ 02nd MARCH 2014 KISMAYO, SOMALIA SHOTLIST: DATELINE: (File) 19th AUGUST 2013 KISMAYO, SOMALIA 1. Wide shot, workers sweep the runway at Kismayo International Airport 2. Med shot, personnel cleaning runway 3. Wide shot, workers sweep and collect rubbish at the airport 4. Close up, runway being swept 5. Wide shot, dilapidated structure of the Airport left by al Shabaab terrorists 6. Wide shot, workers begin renovation of Airport structure 7. Close up, worker scratches old paint off the wall FILE: 02 OCTOBER 2012 KISMAYO, SOMALIA 8. Wide shot, AMISOM Soldiers keep guard at airport 9. Med shot, sign reading Kismayo on the wall 10. Wide shot, sign of Airport on the wall as soldiers keeping guard 11. Med shot, al Shabaab flag at one of the buildings DATELINE: 02nd MARCH 2014 KISMAYO, SOMALIA 12. Wide shot, newly refurbished Kismayo International Airport 13. SOUNDBITE (English) Major Emmanuel Aptiony, AMISOM Soldier In-charge of the Airport Security: We ensure that we secure the outer perimeter and make it safe for all users, all aircrafts coming in to fly and make it safe for commerce to take off. That way even AMISOM and other agencies like the United Nations are able to use it. We sieve civilians at the main gate to ensure that hostile elements or wrong elements in that regard are not getting into the airport. 14. Wide shot, plane lands at the Airport 15. Wide shot, passengers disembark from the plane 16. Med shot, travelers alight from the aircraft 17. SOUNDBITE (English) Captain Ibrahim Mahad, Pilot, Freedom Airlines: We have been coming to Kismayo over the years, personally I have been operating from 1991 from Kismayo and Somalia generally. Security and the situation in Kismayo seem to be very okay compared to the previous years.

The Jubba Administration and the KDF are doing a great job and I would encourage them to keep it up and hope it continues but for now, everything seems to be very good, 18. Wide shot, man undergoes security check at the airport 19. Wide shot, passengers await immigration clearance at the airport 20. Wide shot, travelers at the airport 21. Wide shot, passengers at the immigration points at the airport 22. Wide shot, Immigration officers attend to passengers 23. Med shot, traveler awaits clearance by immigration officers 24. Med shot, Immigration officer checks travelers passport 25. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Arab Ahmed Ali, Manager Kismayo Airport: Another thing we are planning to do in the future if Allah wills, is to expand the airport runway and build terminals. Our Airport is at international standards; when it comes to the parking area its considered one of the largest in Africa or Somalia. We therefore intend to finish what we have started and also start on what we havent worked on and build on it, this includes anything that needs to be repaired on the runway and airplane parking that has been destroyed or damaged by mortars. 26. Wide shot, travelers wait at the airport 27. Med shot, waiting passenger at one of the airport lobbies 28. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Abdulaahi Xasshi, passenger: Honestly, if you compare the airport to earlier years, there has been a lot of changes, if you look at a couple of years ago, we didnt have this waiting area, we use to wait for the airplane outside but now we have an indoor waiting area, we feel welcomed, so the change to me is evident,. 29. Wide shot, workers push luggage at the airport 30. Wide shot, activity at the airport 31. Wide shot, plane taxes away STORY Kismayo International Airport, previously in shambles and run down by the al Shabaab terrorists has now been refurbished and is fully functional. The Airport was a major stronghold and headquarters for the insurgents until its liberation by Somali Forces and AMISOM troops, under the command of the Kenyan Defense Forces in September 2012. The liberation of Kismayo allowed for normal operations to resume at the airport but without basic structures. Decades of civil war, coupled by the al Shabaab insurgents had destroyed the facilities that were in place at the airport, leaving the building in terrible condition.

Today, the Kismayo International Airport is shining bright, having undergone a facelift. The new look has been championed by the Jubba Interim Administration with the support of the Federal Government of Somalia and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) ensuring that security is not compromised. Major Emmanuel Aptiony, in-charge of security at the Airport says AMISOM will work continuously to ensure that the airport is secure for its travellers. We ensure that we secure the outer perimeter and make it safe for all users, all aircrafts coming in to fly and make it safe for commerce to take off. That way even AMISOM and other agencies like the United Nations are able to use it. We sieve civilians at the main gate to ensure that hostile elements or wrong elements in that regard are not getting into the airport, he says. For the people in the airline industry and other frequent traders operating in Kismayo, this comes as a major relief, especially for those that have had to endure years of a dysfunctional airport. Captain Ibrahim Mahad, a pilot of with Freedom Airlines says the revamping of the airport is a hugely welcome development. We have been coming to Kismayo over the years, personally I have been operating from 1991 from Kismayo and Somalia generally. Security in Kismayo seems to be much better compared to the previous years, the Jubba Administration and the KDF are doing a great job and I would encourage them to keep it up and hope it continues but for now, everything seems to be very good, he notes. The Management of Kismayo Airport asserts that this is only the beginning if major works that are to be undertaken. Arab Ahmed Ali, the Manager Kismayo Airport says they will work uplift the standards of the Airport to international standards. Another thing we are planning to do in the future if Allah wills, is to expand the airport runway and build terminals. Our Airport is at international standards; when it comes to the parking area its considered one of the largest in Africa or Somalia. We therefore intend to finish what we have started and also start on what we havent worked on and build on it, this includes anything that needs to be repaired on the runway and airplane parking that has been destroyed or damaged by mortars. For the travelers through Kismayo Airport, simple comforts such as a clean room and a place to rest is not taken for granted as Abdulaahi Xasshi shares: Honestly, if you compare the airport to earlier years, there has been a lot of changes, if you look at a couple of years ago, we didnt have this waiting area, we use to wait for the airplane outside but now we have an indoor waiting area, we feel welcomed, so the change to me is evident, he says.

Kismayo was the al Shabaab bastion with the airport used as their headquarters, while the seaport provided financing for their operations. With its recovery from the al Shabaab, AMISOM troops embarked on pacifying the area and this has since allowed for administrative structures to be set up including the Jubba Interim Administration. The administration was recognized by the Somali Federal Government in August 2013 and its Executive Council inaugurated early this year. Its set up followed months of IGAD brokered talks that saw an agreement eventually signed by both Jubba Interim Administration and Federal Government of Somalia. According to the agreement, the management of both the Airport and Seaport in Kismayo are to be handed over to the government and revenues generated to be utilized and invested in priorities identified in the Jubba areas. For the people of Kismayo and travelers, the operational Airport now creates the much-needed link to the rest of the world and is undoubtedly a symbol of the rebirth of Somalia. END.