Traders evade ban

Traders in qat (also known as miraa, leaves of a mildly narcotic shrub - Catha edulis) are evading the trade ban imposed on Somalia by Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi on 28 July, the Kenyan ‘Daily Nation’ newspaper reported on 28 August. About 10 light aircraft carrying qat were leaving Nairobi’s Wilson Airport for Somalia on a daily basis, said the ‘Nation’. Traders were airlifting the merchandise to Kenyan border towns, then trucking it into Somalia. Others were flying the qat direct to Somalia, with the help of unscrupulous Kenyan security officials, the paper said.

According to the ‘Nation’, in order to confuse Kenyan security personnel, some aircraft briefly land in Kenyan towns, then take off again and continue their flights to Somalia. Qat is an important and lucrative trade in Kenya, and the main market is Somalia. The ban was imposed by Moi because of insecurity in Somalia, lack of an effective central authority, and the worrying trade of small arms across the border, diplomatic sources said.