A soldier peers out of the top of an armored vehicle on a road just outside the city of Merca in Somalia on 2 February.
Located approximately 70km southwest of Mogadishu, Merca is an ancient port city that was established in the 5th century and was a popular holiday destination before civil war erupted in Somalia in 1991. AU-UN IST PHOTO / TOBIN JONES. Original public domain image from Flickr