Somalia: Profiting from misery
Blogged by: Nina Brenjo
Somali insurgents prepare to reinforce their troops in the battle area near Jamhuriya. Photo by REUTERS\Stringer
Every war has profiteers who make their riches in war time off the backs of other people's misery. But with 16 years of practice behind them, opportunists in Somalia are now considered one of the main reasons for the continuing conflict, the New York Times reports.
"Taxes are annoying," says Omar Hussein Ahmed, an olive oil exporter, by way of explaining why he and other traders began attacking government soldiers with missiles, according to the paper.
They are not the only group of profiteers who have joined the radical Islamists in their efforts to topple the current transitional government.
Sellers of expired baby food, teenage gunmen for hire and squatter landlords who seize abandoned government property such as ports and airfields are all in on the game.
Measures such as raising the port tax by 300 percent didn't sit well with one of the clans who now support the resistance. Neither did a sudden government takeover of the airfields that used to bring revenue to businessmen from the main southern Hawiye clan. They're now the main backers of the insurgency.
These illicit businesses boomed under the rule of the Union of Islamic Courts, which temporarily ruled the country last year, until it was overthrown by the current regime with Ethiopia's help. The Courts stopped short of confiscating property or imposing high taxes, while offering some the stability necessary to conduct business.
"Our best days were under them," the paper quotes Abdi Ali Jama, an electrical supply shop owner from Mogadishu, as saying.
And for those who think clan conflict is the main driver of the conflict in Somalia, Abdirizak Adam Hassan, chief of staff for Somalia's transitional president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, has a different message:
"Even if we turned Mogadishu into Houston, there would still be people resisting us. I'm talking about the guys bringing in expired medicine, selling arms, harbouring terrorists. They don't have a clan name. They're a congregation of people whose best interests are served by no government."
Meanwhile, the conflict may be raging within Somalia's borders, but it is increasingly being branded as a regional war. According to the Economist magazine, "the entire Horn of Africa is back on edge". Ethiopian troops are still in the country, harbouring what Britain's Daily Telegraph calls "utterly fanciful" hopes that they'll be replaced by African Union forces.
Eritrea is in effect fighting a proxy war with Ethiopia by funding and training Somali Islamists. Kenya, which is a main recipient of Somali refuges, is also flooded with illegal weapons coming from its neighbour and the Daily Telegraph speculates that the Islamists must have crossed the border into Kenya more than once.
There has been western backing for Ethiopia, particularly from the United States. But what good has it done, wonders Britain's Guardian, given that hardly any of the Al Qaeda fighters that Washington says it was pursuing have been caught.
While the many different actors in the Somalian shambles - be they profiteers or foreign powers - continue to pursue their own interests, ordinary people remain caught in the crossfire. Britain's Times correspondent Martin Fletcher reports from the capital Mogadishu, where he witnesses vast refugee camps, burned-out slums and patients lying on hospital floors soaked in their own blood and vomit. It is, in his words, "enough misery to last a lifetime".
Reuters AlertNet is not responsible for the content of external websites.
6 responses to “Somalia: Profiting from misery”
Please note that comments should not be regarded as the views of Reuters.
Leave a Reply
When you submit a comment to us we request your name, e-mail address and optionally a link to a website. Please note where you submit a website address, we may link to it via your name. By sending us a comment, you accept that we have the right to show the comment and your name to users. Although we require your email address, this will not be published on the site, and is only required to enable us to check facts with you, e.g. if you are making a claim we can not confirm easily. Additionally, if you would like your comment removed at anytime, you'll have to use this e-mail address when you contact us. To remove a comment at any time please e-mail us at blogs-(at)-reuters-(dot)-com (address obscured to avoid spam) specifying who you are and what you would like removed. We moderate all comments and will publish everything that advances the post directly or with relevant tangential information. We reserve the right to edit comments in order to maintain the quality of the comments, and may not include links to irrelevant material. We try not to publish comments that we think are offensive or appear to pass you off as another person, and we will be conservative if comments may be considered libelous. Reuters will use your data in accordance with Reuters privacy policy. Reuters Group is primarily responsible for managing your data. As Reuters is a global company your data will be transferred and available internationally, including in countries which do not have privacy laws but Reuters seeks to comply with its privacy policy.
28 Apr 2007 08:35:29 GMT
Well folks, it seems that the Ethiopians and the Somali "government" are successfully restricting Islamist activities. Could it be because they are not as reticent as Westerners in engaging in war. The West seeks a "sterile" conflict.
28 Apr 2007 08:36:20 GMT
Strange no mention of US oil companies speculating to reactivate their contracts they had with the original Somali government. Is'nt that an important factor for the US "efforts" in the region.
28 Apr 2007 18:22:17 GMT
Dear Sirs/Madam,
Why Somali people could not bring peace and reconcilation to their war - torn country? I wonder why they are after each other? The country has been in a great turmoil since the dictator Seid Barie had been toppled from his office. Since then, for 16 years, there was no authorized goverment represented by the people of Somalia that the people had been left behind to supper due to social and economic problems. Their country has been devastated by war between and among clans. No clan or elder was to risk his own benefit by giving peace a chance. This time also some ignorant governments like Afeworki of Eritrea are waging war with Ethiopia indireclty at the expense of the people of Somalia. This Indirect war is still not condomned by the Western Countries. The people of Somalia is just a human being and the poeple of Ethiopia are also human beings just like that of the poeple of the Western and developed countries. So the developed countries especially that of the US government should respond promptly to the sufferning the people of Somalia. Enough should be the message from the Western countries. Even ! the Ethiopian people and government are at great risk due to the killings and sufferings perptrated by the islamist groups including the Eritrean government. We have seen that of the Twin tower history and that in the UK, you were shaked by the bombings and killings of innocent people. We are also innocent people and the people of Somalia is also innocent. So pay attention to the horn of Africa. All the weapons and machine guns are produced and manufactured by you, you developed countries, you are selling to us indirectly. You are expanding and intensifying your market illegally by creating a room for killings, hatredness, dividing us on race and others. We are saying also enough to you. And for this God will protect us and give us the power to reverse this situation. After that we all be one and love each other and reject your missings. God may bless the Horn, Ataklt Abebe,29 Apr 2007 17:26:13 GMT
Nina Brenjo appears to be quite selective about naming the profiteers. I agree with Guy above - why hasn't she mentioned the US profiteers who are waiting in the wings, as they do in every conflict region in the world - at least,those which have natural resources. And it IS the US which has backed this human misery and suffering.
For this glaring omission, this report is subjective, and leads one to question whose interests the writer is serving.01 May 2007 21:13:22 GMT
Well written and reported by why Reuters not giving enough correspond the fact of what is going on Somalia whoâs to blame the genocide that took place in Mogadishu last month.
About four major oil companies in the U.S. went in Somalia early last year and have made deal with Mr. Yusuf to explore oil in Somalia especially in Puntland region and the first meeting which they had present $50 million dollar cheque to show case that they mean business I was there as an interpreter. This is the only reason why U.S. was involved and manipulated the world by using media towards the progress made by Islamic Courts which has done a lot for the people in Somalia and maintain a good form of structure, showing Somalia can have a peace after all, opening and rebuilding both airport and the port which closed almost a decade ago. I was against those so called Islamic Courts at first but when I find out the good deeds they are doing then I have become a supporter because U.S. government agent specially CIA was making financial deals to the warlords in Mogadishu both money and arms as well. Those warlords are those in the government minister currently and these warlo! rds brought 16yrs of anarchy, death and destruction. None of them brought to justice so there is no Justice at all. I donât believe what western media always said about Somalia cause the fact lays between their teeth and their lips, there is no what so called freedom of speech or free press because the current press lies as well.02 May 2007 11:43:12 GMT
I agree with you Mohamed but allow me to review some of your comment in the article. U said you were at the meeting as a translator or interpreter donât you know the meaning of professionalism? Because that meeting was between two parties and whatever they have agreed on should be a secret deal. Why would you post that kind of information?
On the other hand I mostly agreed about CIA involvement in Somalia both militarily and money wise CIA and U.S. Foreign Secretary Office both admitted that they have connection with those warlords. The fact is that no one cares for Somalis and Westerns Leaders are acting a crusade THUGS. There is no what so called U.N. and itâs based on what U.S. and E.U. want. As you have mentioned about those warlords in Somalia never brought to justice whose going brought to justice the U.N.? I do have doubtsâ¦. Even the U.S. Ambassador in Kenya said what happen Somalia wasnât genocide this kind of denial shows you that U.S. government was the mastermind of whole issue and the thousands who lost their love ones in the massacre committed by Ethiopian Troops. U.N. systematically based EU and US agenda for example Darfur crisis was exaggerated U.K. and U.S. by using some loud mouth actors in Hollywood. The government in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe decided to reshuffle the land property in Zimbabwe because White people took the land about 70% and give majority Black 30% when the decisions happen UK and US decided to boycott such a action so lets go back the method of the UN I abbreviated the UN as Useless Nations because they based only White Supremacy as TUPAC CALLED WHITE MENâS WORLD!!! AFRICA UNITE, SOMALIA CAN U FEEL ME ;-)