Young Omar Siyad plays outside his home in Mogadishu just like every child in the world does, but the sound of the distant gunshots and the artillery shells that could stray towards his home is what makes his childhood perilous.
As the world marks World Children's Day on Monday, the situation of Somali children is very exceptional because the Horn of Africa country has suffered nearly two decades of civil conflict which took away the innocence of childhood from a generation of Somali kids.
"I have seen many people killed and wounded last week. I am afraid that I may die. Every night I have nightmare. I see people killing each other," said seven-year-old Omar, his family still remaining in Mogadishu where the recent flare up forced thousands of residents out of the city.
Children are most affected by the violence in Somalia where most of the casualties are civilians caught in the crossfire.
Most of the schools in Mogadishu have been closed in the fighting with future of Somali children overshadowed by the collapse of the education system.
Yusuf Moallin is a teacher at Al Khaliil Elementary School, which was closed due to the ongoing violence in the capital.
"In our school we had nearly 1,000 students but the fighting around this area made the school unable to educate the children, so we had to close it," Moallin told Xinhua.
Medical sources in Mogadishu say many children suffer from acute malnourishment while higher percentage of them do not receive regular and proper vaccination as the children's families constantly move because of the violence.
"The fighting in the country adversely affects children's physical and mental health as well as their future because the few educational institutions that exist remain closed," says Muqtar Faruk, a medical practitioner in Mogadishu.
But Omar, who says he would like to be a teacher when he grows up, is optimistic despite the chronic chaos and lawlessness in his country.
"When my school opens again I will study well and I am going to be a teacher at my school and teach students," Omar tells Xinhua as he kicks an improvised ball made of stuffed sock, which he usually plays with friends his favorite game of football.
The Horn of Africa nation has been embroiled in civil conflict since former ruler Mohamed Siyad Barre was overthrown by warlords, who then turned on each other plunging the country into perpetual chaos and lawlessness.
Source: Xinhua
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