MOGADISHU (Kaab TV) – Business owners who trusted their country and relied on the markets of Xamarweyne and Suuq-bacaad for their daily livelihood are now in distress. Their businesses have been closed for nearly ten days after they were subjected to excessive tax-like payments imposed on them.
The Eastern Revenue Authority has levied new charges on these traders, but the business owners say they cannot afford them and believe the fees are unjust. They also claim that government security forces, especially NISA, are being used to pressure and intimidate them into making the payments.
No government office or special authority has intervened to resolve the traders’ issue; instead, the matter has been met with silence. Meanwhile, the traders say their money is being used to purchase vehicles and build apartment blocks, suggesting that other groups are seeking to profit at their expense.
Some traders who spoke to the media expressed deep frustration and hopelessness over their government’s silence regarding the hardship they face.
The situation in Mogadishu remains tense, and the suffering of the local population has intensified. “The idea of state authority is being used as a tool for coercion,” some Mogadishu residents told the media.