1st ship docks in capital after 11 years of disuse

? Several hundred people Friday greeted the first ship to dock at the main port in Somalia’s capital in 11 years, the latest sign the city’s Islamic fundamentalist rulers are trying to restore confidence after more than a decade of anarchy.

The 800-ton vessel arrived from Kenya and was carrying tea, building materials and medical supplies for relief organizations working in the country.

The seaport, which reopened Wednesday, had not been operational since 1995 when U.N. forces left Somalia by sea and air amid political and clan-based violence. The country’s last effective central government was toppled in 1991 by rival warlords who then turned on each other.

The port and surrounding area were controlled by rival warlords whose militias prevented its use. Businessmen and aid agencies used a smaller port outside the capital, with the risk that imported goods and those for export might simply disappear.