Somalia's trafficking boom town

[Gabbal]

The port town of Bossaso in north-east Somalia is a sea of humanity, but not all in this town are original inhabitants.

 

Thousands of people stay here because it has become a key site for a massive people smuggling operation.

 

This Red Sea port has always been the gateway to the Yemeni coast but of late people smugglers have started taking migrants to Italy, making Bossaso a popular spot for those wishing to get to Europe.

 

The people smuggling business is booming for those who run it but it is dangerous and at times tragic for the migrants themselves.

 

Because of the lack of a meaningful authority in this part of war-torn Somalia, this business undertaken by networks of smugglers and their counterparts all over Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Italy is getting bigger and more lucrative by the day.

 

Sri Lankans for Italy

 

Those coming to Bossaso to migrate come from far and near. The majority are from inside Somalia and neighbouring Ethiopia.

 

But there are those from far off places such as Tanzania and even Sri Lanka.

 

There are more than 470 Sri Lankans in Bossaso. Some of whom have been holed up in this town for as long as one and a half years.

 

Some of those I spoke to said they had never heard of this town until they were brought over by the smugglers from Sri Lanka by plane through the United Arab Emirates.

 

The Sri Lankans are on their way to Italy and remain confident that the smugglers will keep their word.

 

"I do wonder why our agents brought us here in the first place, when they told us that they will take us directly to Italy," Sri Lankan Inda Kumar said.

 

Each of them has paid $5,000 for the trip.

 

Yemen bound

 

The main destination for most Somalis, Ethiopians and Tanzanians is the Yemeni coast which is about 20 hours ride by boat from Bossaso.

 

They then strive to get through to Saudi Arabia, where they hope to find work. They are usually packed onto small and dilapidated fishing boats.

 

The Somali migrants say they have no alternative but to flee the hopelessness and insecurity at home.

 

They are charged a fee of between $30 and $50.

 

These sea expeditions often end in tragedy and relatives are called to the beaches of Bossaso a few days after their departure to be shown the bodies.

 

Ordeals

 

Survivors, who either return voluntarily or are deported by the Saudi authorities, narrate harrowing tales of inhumanity that migrants face at the hands of the smugglers.

 

They speak of incidents where sailors off-load people in the middle of the sea when the risk of capsizing due to overloading becomes too great.

 

Those who refuse to jump are shot and their bodies heaved off the boats.

 

But the most common way in which many migrants meet their death is when the smugglers, fearing being caught by Yemeni coastguards, abandon their passengers far from the shore.

 

Those who can't swim, especially women and children, often meet their death this way.

 

Said Hirsi Mohammed survived such an incident in which more than 200 people died.

 

He says the smugglers prefer to take people from other parts of Somalia and other countries to those from Puntland as they do not want to be held liable for the crimes at sea.

 

Somalia has been without a central government since 1991, and the authorities in the breakaway Somali republic of Puntland, who control Bossaso, say they have been overwhelmed by the large numbers of migrants, and do not have the resources to guard their 1,700km coastline.

 

Puntland Police Commissioner Abdirizak Mohamed Afgudud told me that though they have arrested many of the smugglers and migrants, a lack of proper jails and finances prevents them holding the culprits for long.

 

And this, he says, enables the illicit trade to flourish.

[Liqaye]

It is sad, but when the bussiness of somalis becomes bussiness there are no depths they would not plunge to to get at the dollar.

Bossaso our brave new world?

[General Duke]

Its tragic because so many lives have been lost because of this evil endevour and the authorities have waste resources and time in dealing with it once and for all the rest of the world does not care.

If you dont look after yourself no one will.

The problem for Somali's is that the grass is always greener, that they will risk everything in order to end up in the promised land, Europe or Yemen it maters not as long as it is not Somalia.

[Baashi]

Originally posted by Mad Mullah:

Some Puntland businessmen are getting rich of the smuggling of

non-puntland Somalis and foreigners.

Businessmen? Is that what u call them?

[Qudhac]

I wonder why it happens in this region, i was led to believe that puntland had MAMMUL goboleed or is this all but in name,

 

I wonder if these crooked so called ministers actually are in this bussiness but i then again i wouldnt be suprised at all when you consider that MADAXWEYNAHA puntland gets rich off dumbing nucleir waste by foreing companies on the coast of bossaso.

 

 

Mad muller

 

you seem to be proud of this "bussiness"

[Saxardiid]

as long as it is not Somalia

Many of as done this why not them.

[General Duke]

Sooyaal, what have we achieved here? Are we living the promised dream?

 

 

Qudhac, the orphan of her majesty the Queen of England you guys still talking?

 

And with regards to the post it should not be seen as an insult only to Puntland its a tragedy for us all.

 

Making money is one thing but this activity should not be excused.

[Saxardiid]

Originally posted by Shaheed Rantisi:

Sooyaal, what have we achieved here? Are we living the promised dream?

i don't know about you but my situation is something near promised land. I travelled From civil war and distruction in mogadishu in 1991 and came to peaceful country where i can have job, education etc. That is where most people are trying to get in to. What are you expecting people who are under civil war and hopeless situation? As long as Somalia stays the way its now i'm afriad lot of people will be trying to escape.

[Rokko]

Qudhac, are ya telling me there are no illegal bussiness in Somaliland. loool. You must be kidding me sheikh.

 

You are a very funny dude indeed. loool

 

Don't report anything because you will be scorned for being "unpatriotic" by the Somaliland supporters na'mean.

[rudy-Diiriye]

some how i knew this place was gonna start slave trade all over again.

 

u know many africans say nomads were the dilal during slavery and blame us for that till now!! i am sure this city has legs into the earlier one too!!

 

so long bosaaso!!

[raula]

So sad that some people are ripping to shreds such a burning issue to soothe their political gratification -shame on you. (months?)ago the same incident occured at the shores of Morocco(?) on its way to spain (italy?)regarding trafficking of somalis and other migrant individuals..were you guyz feeling the same(visualizing PUNTLAND VS. SOMALILAND or vise versa?) :confused: -I wonder! :mad: Subxanallah! Walaahi, some somali people amaze me-No wonder we can't even get along

 

All in all, I hope we can all attain peace and insha-allah, the "RUN FOR THE BACON" (DREAMLAND=Western World) would end some day and we will appreciate living in our HOMELANDS(whatever the place it is for you!)

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

^^ Raula I agree with you. Let us not politicize this issue and turn into a tribal pickering.

 

By the way, Isn't this method of using falsified passports, dilaals at the airports, tahriib and other "soomaali bug" stuff how most Somalis came to the West?

 

Have the Somalis become "clean" all of sudden?

 

The only thing different is that this illegal way of getting into Europe and North America is happening in Boosaaso instead of Nairobi, Cairo, Dubai or Jeddah.

[Baashi]

Libaax,

Sxb No! that is not the "only" thing different as you put it.

 

Think of it this way...400 Somalis in a boat with capacity of 60 sent to sail in high seas knowing it will sink if the high winds strike or if the waves get violent as they do most of the times.

 

When that happens bailing water out of the boat wouldn't fix the leak (if it escapes capsizing at all), if you ask me these greedy men whoever they are know these boats are floating safety hazard and they willfully and knowingly sent these innocent Somalis who know no better to their death! for few bucks. BTW, Puntland gov. officially distant themselves from these smugglers cuz they know the moral implication...

 

I just don't see the analogy you trying to draw from the "tahreeb" and tacabur most Somali refugees had succesfully done through Kenya and Ethiopia...certainly these little boats are no KML and Lufthanza.

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

^^ Baashi, inadeer, doesn't past migrant trafficking business in East Africa merit any comparison with what Boosaaso is becoming rife with today? Or are you only concerned about the "risk" involved? Is the "success of the mission" all that matters? Is dumping paid customers on foriegn lands without proper documents legal?

 

I haven't heard of migrant trafficking business being legal in Puntland. The illicitness of such a shady business based on bribery and under-the-table-deals is what I used to draw a parallel with past migrant trafficking business (bug) on which most Somalis in the West were on the recieving end. I wasn't focusing on the "crowdedness" of these boats or the risk involved per se, only the legality of this business in the first place.

[General Duke]

Sooyaal

Don’t know about you but my situation is something near Promised Land. I travelled From civil war and distruction in mogadishu in 1991 and came to peaceful country where i can have job, education etc.

Sooyaal brother, I too fled Somali before the civil war with my very young family we where raised by a tough focused and all inspiring single mother and with the grace of Allah we have had many success in our new home. However what I have seen in the United Kingdom has been far from being the promised land for the Somali’s as a whole we face many obstacles, fragmentation, lack of employment leading to dependency on the state, failure of our children in general to achieve reasonable results in their schooling, high crime rate, drug abuse [khat] which has led our community to be the most marginalised and victimised community in the country.

The picture is bleak for Somali’s in the UK the largest community in Europe with a population which is near 200,000. As an individual I have it good with a postgraduate degree and a good job but what I see around me frightens me and has made me question this utopian idea which Somali’s have of the west, where they are not needed or wanted and seen as a burden to society.

 

This mindless dangerous migration is another failure of the Somali race.