North Western State of Somalia Closes Major Livestock Hub Amid Export Agreement Dispute with Somalia
Hargeisa (AX) — In a recent drama unfolding in North Western State of Somalia, the government has pulled the plug on the operating license of a pivotal livestock inspection facility in Berbera. The decision, fueled by allegations against its Arab proprietor, Abu Yaasir, claims he inked an unsanctioned pact with the Somali federal government. It’s a maneuver perceived as jeopardizing the lifeline of North Western State of Somalia’s thriving livestock export sector.
Does one ever pause to reflect on how a single decision can ripple through an entire economy? Berbera’s facility, managed by the contentious businessman Yaasir, is one among a triad of quarantine hubs. These centers are the gatekeepers, ensuring livestock ready for export meets global health benchmarks. With Saudi Arabia as their biggest client, the stakes are high. North Western State of Somalia’s Minister of Livestock, Omar Shucayb, unveiled the shutdown, asserting it as a protective measure for the region’s financial health.
Minister Shucayb voiced his concerns to BBC Somali: “Upon unearthing the businessman’s involvement in this pact, halting the facility was our sole recourse.” Despite attempts to coax Yaasir out of this precarious arrangement in Djibouti, his admission of guilt did not translate into action. “He confessed to the misstep, yet defied withdrawing from the agreement, compelling us to rescind the license,” lamented Shucayb.
The bustling port city of Berbera isn’t just a point on the map; it is the very axis upon which North Western State of Somalia’s livestock trade spins. The annual exodus of goats, sheep, camels, and cattle towards foreign markets, predominantly Saudi’s Gulf plains, is a spectacle of economic necessity. Quarantine stations, like that of Yaasir’s, are linchpins in preserving North Western State of Somalia’s rights to these lucrative corridors.
This monopoly, controversially bestowed upon Abu-Yasir, has ignited a firestorm of protest. Nearly a hundred Somali parliamentarians lambasted the federal government for this risky gamble in a sector that anchors the livelihood of 60% of its people, contributing a staggering $1.07 billion per annum. Alarm bells are ringing on the ramifications of sidelining indigenous traders—echoing fears of job hemorrhages, corrupt dealings, and destabilized futures.
The parliamentary halls bristle with anticipation as lawmakers commit to hauling senior government figures into the spotlight, including the Minister of Livestock, when chambers reconvene. “Never before in Somalia’s chronicle has a solitary figure been vested with such unfettered sway over a crucial economic pillar,” remarked MP Mursal Mohamed Khalif. “It’s a perilous decision, casting our economy adrift and ushering countless herders, intermediaries, and transporters towards income uncertainty.”
From North Western State of Somalia’s vantage, the federal government’s gambit is seen as a strategic chess move to erode the autonomous administration they’ve upheld since 1991. Minister Mohamed succinctly captured the sentiment: “This monopoly not only rattles trade but is an affront to North Western State of Somalia’s sovereignty over its economic assets.”
Abu-Yasir, cloaked in controversy, has waded through allegations of exploiting and double-dealing Somali merchants before. His singular hold has recently torpedoed Berbera’s export activities, pinning herders in a bind, unable to peddle the livestock crucial for their sustenance.
Silence cloaks the corridors of Somalia’s federal headquarters as they withhold immediate comment on these rising contentions. Perhaps they ponder Shakespeare’s wisdom, “When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.”
In this pulsating tale of geopolitical intrigue, what will the next chapter hold? The echoes of this controversy will shape the economic landscape of the region for years to come.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring
