Somalia Bans The Narcotic Khat Trade
On Tuesday evening, Somali Ambassador to Kenya Jamal Hassan said the governor of Meru state of kenya’s visit to Hargeisa in July had caused political pressure back in Somalia to have the trade stopped.
“He linked the territorial integrity of the country to the Miraa/khat trade and interfered in the internal affairs of the country,” he told the news outlets.
“This has created a lot of unbearable pressure on the government. We have suspended the trade to have these matters addressed,” he added.
On Monday, Somalia announced it will no longer allow flights from Kenya carrying khat, most of which is grown in Meru County region of kenya.
In July, Mr Munya the governor of Meru County had travelled to Hargeisa, Somalia’s second largest city in the Somaliland region to lobby the regional government officials for easier trade rules for Khat exporters in Kenya in exchange for some form of recognition for Somaliland as an independent state from the rest of Somalia.
While there, he met with Deputy President of Somaliland region Abdurrahman Ismail, with some other officials in the business sector.
But the Somali ambassador said Mr Munya’s reported comments on the probable independence of Somaliland angered Somalis inside and outside the country.
And the absurdity of it all is that kenya has a large part of greater Somalia under it’s control currently, we should be talking about how we can reunite Somalia and not divide it further said a member of the somali Parliament.
Kenya sends about 540 planeloads of Khat to Somalia every month.
The ban could cause millions in losses, especially since Somalia was the last standing market for Kenya following bans in the UK and in the Netherlands several years earlier.
It’s the first time in 26 years Since a decision by a Somali government has directly impacted another Sovereign nation State.
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