Somali food riot turns deadly
2008-05-05 21:37
Mogadishu - Security forces killed one person and wounded four others on Monday in the Somali capital Mogadishu when they opened fire to halt riots sparked by rising food prices and record inflation, witnesses said.
Around 7 000 people burnt tyres and threw stones in demonstrations accusing unscrupulous traders of helping to push inflation to record levels by refusing to accept Somali shillings and favouring US dollars, they said.
But things turned nasty in certain areas of the capital when rioting broke out and police were called in to quell further unrest.
"A police patrol opened fire on a crowd in K4 area, killing one and wounding another," said witness Ahmad Ali Bashir.
Although there are no official inflation figures, UN monitors say cereal prices have increased by between 110% and 375% in the past year as central Somalia has endured its worst drought in recent memory.
Fuelling the inflation problem
The dollar is now equivalent to 25 000 Somali shillings up from an average of 4 000 shillings in 1991.
"We are asking traders to stop their cruel business practices. They are refusing to take the Somali shilling and are instead insisting on the dollar," said Hussein Mohamed Ali, a demonstrator.
"Aren't we Somalis? Is the US dollar our money? The answer is no."
"We have our own currency, if that currency is rejected, it means that we have no way to live and that is why we are demonstrating today," added Mukhtar Ali, another protestor.
A shortage of dollars has led to a bumper crop of fake 1 000 shilling notes - the only available denomination - appearing in market places and fuelling the inflation problem in the war-ravaged Horn of Africa nation.
"The government has no money, therefore, some traders are printing fake Somali currencies and others refusing to accept the old Somali 1 000 shilling note," said Mire Hussein, a resident.
Many blame the fake notes for weakening the shilling, and fear the abundance of counterfeit notes could lead to the eventual invalidation of the local currency and the adoption of the dollar.
Some 2.6 million Somalis now require help to feed themselves, an increase of 40% since January, according to figures compiled by the Food Security Analysis Unit, part of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
- AFP