Traders Protest Eviction Order at Somalia’s Bakara Market
A woman who runs a stall vowed she would reject any sale of the market to a favored group, saying traders were ready to hold their ground to protect their livelihoods.
Traders protest eviction order at Bakara Market in Somalia
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Hundreds of merchants at Bakara Market, Somalia’s biggest commercial artery, poured into the streets Wednesday, saying authorities had ordered the market closed and told them to clear out — a move they fear will pave the way for politically connected investors to seize the land.
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Demonstrators blocked key access roads to the market, decrying what they called an effort to uproot long-established businesses. Many accused the government of trying to hand the property to a small circle of private traders.
From the rally, shopkeepers appealed directly to Somalia’s president to step in without delay.
A woman who runs a stall vowed she would reject any sale of the market to a favored group, saying traders were ready to hold their ground to protect their livelihoods.
Younger business owners likewise warned they would resist attempts to eject them from their premises.
Another vendor, who said she has run a small enterprise at Bakara for 28 years, called the threat of eviction devastating, noting the site has long been her family’s primary source of income.
Collectively, the traders renewed their plea for immediate presidential action, insisting the market remain above political wrangling and promising not to surrender their trading spaces.
AXADLETM