Commentary

By Abdirahman Ahmed Ali

Puntland: Human Cargo trade out of Bosasso

There is one item on the black markets of Bosasso Port that is vying with the traditional contrabands such as drugs and weapons: humans. People who are fleeing the poverty in the East Africa in search of better lives in Saudi Arabia through Yemen fall victims to human-trafficking cartels. Human trafficking in Bossaso, Somalia, is now one of the most lucrative professions there. This malpractice has received widespread condemnation from the international community.

The Somalis and Ethiopians who try to flee to Yemen via illegal boats are forced to disembark away from the coast and often fall prey to man-eater sharks. In last ten years, we can say that human trafficking is “Best Profession” in Puntland.

In one particular incident, a reliable sources say, the crew of the smuggling boat killed all the passengers, except a 10-year-old Ethiopian boy, Badesa, who was spared to clean the bloody mess in the boat. He was eventually abandoned in Bossaso where, after days on end with little water and no food, he was found sitting on a pavement. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) took him to a hospital and arranged for his repatriation to Ethiopia. He is now recovering from malnutrition but unable to speak, traumatized from his horrific experience.”

In another terrifying story, Genet Mengesha, a 24-year-old mother of one and former university student, left her home in Addis Ababa shortly after the 2005 elections to reach Yemen through the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia. She said “I left with my husband and a group of other migrants. We were led by a broker whom we met in Addis, who took us to Nazareth and then to Harar.”

She added “I left Addis Ababa after my brother was killed in the violence that followed the elections in 2005. I did not feel safe and was tired of the violence. The trip was dangerous but I prayed day and night to get through it.

"Some brokers took our money and delivered on their promises but others were very bad and cruel. The worst part of the trip was when we got to Bosasso, Puntland. The broker there was so cruel he held us prisoner for 15 days. He robbed us and took everything we had, including mobile phones. He even killed three people, a woman and two men, for trying to escape.”

There were days when we did not eat, she added. “It took us 30 days to do the journey from Addis Ababa to Bosasso, including walking the last four days to reach Bosasso, which is not what we thought it to be – the place is was very, very hot and we had no one to help us. We had no money, so we had to do odd jobs that came our way.”

In order to survive, she said, she had to work in tea shops as cleaner. “I had to serve tea to customers and at night we slept fitfully under corrugated roofs in front of buildings. If you are lucky you get to sleep in one of the shanty tea stalls. I spent about US$300 to come to Bosasso, but now we have to raise $100 for the trip to Yemen to pay the smugglers.”

"Then I became pregnant and as it was impossible to make all the money to go back, my husband and I decided that he would go first and then send for me. Unfortunately, my husband died on the way and now it is just me and my nine-month-old girl, Sabrina.”

"I love my country, Ethiopia but I cannot go back now, and I cannot stay in Bosasso; there is no life here for me and my daughter. It is not a trip I would wish for anyone. I must find a better life for my daughter, and will continue to reach oil-rich countries for better life.”

The Somali pirates charge between $50 to 100 per passenger, and they cram hundreds of people at a time into small rickety boats meant to carry much lighter cargo. It is unfortunate to hear that the future of thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians hangs in the air, and Yemeni authorities are trying to stall the massive influx of refugees into the country. On the other hand, the deluge of refugees coming into Yemen is giving rise to new social problems for the citizens. The sight of large numbers of beggars on the streets of Sanna is increasingly becoming common.

The current transitional government of Somalia in Mogadishu and authorities in the autonomous Puntland are silent spectators to this pathetic situation in their part of the world, and rumors say the governments are part of the human trafficking business as they practically do nothing to stop it. Some reliable sources also allege the leaders of Puntland take a lion’s share from the revenues of this human trafficking.

The administration in Bossasso, Puntland, was formed based on tribe bases in 1998, as we clearly understand that tribe cannot be a nation. They claimed parts of Somaliland based on tribe and ethical relation with some Somaliland inhabitants mostly in eastern regions of Sool and Sanaag of Somaliland. However, valiant Somaliland forces supported by the people of Sool and Sanaag drove the infiltrators out of international border of Somaliland. The human trafficking started exactly after the administration was formed in 1998, besides the conflict increased in the region due to its false claims of territories that belong to neighboring countries like Republic of Somaliland.

Bossasso shattered in security instability and division inside the administration. The killing and kidnapping the foreigners is common nowadays as hijacking the vessels passing the international water near Somalia is been constantly roped. Mostly, reliable sources highlighted that high-ranking leaders of Puntland are part of the hijacking the vessels to earn the living as Puntland economy goes into its knees.

Compiled by/ Abdirahman Ahmed Ali

email: an.ahmed@somaliland.net