Hiiraan Regional Leaders and Elders Dismantle Unlawful Checkpoints Disrupting Trade in Beledweyne

Beledweyne (AX) – In a significant community triumph, Ugas Yusuf Ugas Hassan Ugas Khalif, the esteemed leader of the Hawadle tribe, has navigated the successful dismantling of numerous rogue checkpoints along the stretch between Beledweyne and El-gal in the Hiiraan territory.

Flanked by Hiiraan’s regional chief, Muse Salad Wehliye, and a cohort of respected elders, the leader embarked on a mission to clear the main artery linking Mataban and Beledweyne. These makeshift barricades had been a notorious thorn in the side of commerce and local travel.

Word on the street is these unofficial posts, about 36 in total, were manned by armed groups extorting cash from weary truckers. A staggering figure, something like 200 trucks crane-loaded with all kinds of goods were stuck, hemmed in by these fees imposed by the militias.

This logjam had a knock-on effect, spurring a spike in food costs in Beledweyne, the hub of the region, as businesses grappled with stymied delivery of necessary goods.

Edited by: Ali Musa

Axadle international–Monitoring