Question of the day Where do you believe is the worst city in Africa?

is home to the ‘Black Hawk Down’ escapade and even more worryingly it’s a hotspot for Al-Shabaab, an offshoot of Al-Qaeda.

Mogadishu was a major battleground in the Somali civil war, which ravaged the country from 1991 until 2012. Since then, the city has experienced a period of rapid reconstruction, including a brand new international airport, paved roads, new hotels, and embassies which have been financed by the Diaspora Somalis and the international community.

Benghazi, Libya

Since Muammar Gaddafi’s oust from power as the leader of Libya in 2011, the whole country, including the second largest city of Benghazi, has been engulfed in a civil war. The city is ever at risk of radical Islamic terrorist attacks. In September of 2012, the US Embassy in Libya was attacked by violent extremists, and 4 US government employees, the US Ambassador to Libya included, died in the chaos.

According to the OSAC, crime levels across the whole country are still rising. Incidences of carjackings, robberies, burglaries, and gun attacks are now more prevalent, largely due to the looting of government artillery that ensued in a mad scramble for economic and military gains after Gaddafi’s removal.

Sexual harassment of women is also rising, as well as petty and hardcore street crimes alike. Even stricter laws on people’s dress make expatriate women who don’t dress conservatively susceptible to attacks from Islamic extremist militias.