Al-Shabaab loyalists on Sunday burnt to ashes a pick-up
truck and several donkey-driven carts which were transporting khat,
according to reports from Geo region in southern Somalia.
The incident happened in Bardhere town, about 420km south-west of the Somali capital Mogadishu. The donkeys were spared.
The burnt vehicle and the carts were transporting
the khat imported from Kenya. Khat is a mild stimulant widely chewed in
Somalia and in the Somali diaspora.
Residents told local media that 10 persons were
involved in transporting the khat. Each was fined Somali shillings 5
million ($250). “Non payment of the fine will lead to incarceration,”
warned the local Al-Shabaab authority.
All the arrested persons paid the money to avoid being locked up inside the Islamist group's notorious jails.
The burning of the the vehicle, carts and the khat
cargo was in line with stricter measures taken by Al-Shabaab against
the sale and consumption of the herb.
Outside the areas controlled by Al-Shabaab, khat is traded freely. It is mainly imported from Kenya and Ethiopia.
SOURCE: AFRICA REVIEW
SOURCE: AFRICA REVIEW
