Thursday July 27, 2023
A taxi driver affected by travel restrictions /File Photo/Ergo
Hussein Abdi Jama, a driver, has been struggling to make ends meet for his family after clan conflict disrupted transport along the key road connecting Balanbal and Guriel in central Somalia’s Galgadud region.
He is among hundreds of transport workers affected by the insecurity in the area and blockading of the road by armed militia.
Hassan stopped working on 5 May after being attacked three times along the route, suffering beatings and threats by the clan militia.
He and his wife and eight children have been evicted from three rented houses in Guriel between May and July after he failed to pay the monthly rent of $30.
“We have been buying food on credit but they’ve stopped giving us food now as I haven’t repaid the previous amounts. We used to eat three meals a day but we’re now down to just one, and we blame the clan conflicts for that,” he complained.
As a taxi driver he was earning $150-200 a week. With no other skills or readily available odd jobs, he spends his time at home.
“I couldn’t change the routes I was operating because it was a busy road with many passengers. Balanbal, Abudwak and Guriel districts have a huge rural population. I am not used to other roads, there are other drivers working there,” he said.
Relatives have given them five kilograms each of flour, rice and sugar. Hussein says is facing the worst financial situation he has experienced in six years as a driver.
Another driver affected by the clan conflict is Mohamud Abdi, a father of eight living in Adado. He used to bring home $30-35 but he has not earned any income since June. The owners of the car he was driving took it off the road fearing that it could get damaged or stolen.
Last November, he sustained a left leg injury after being attacked by a group of armed gunmen while he was travelling from Galkayo to Dhusamareb at night.
The conflict has been worsening and his hopes of resuming his work are getting bleak. Mohamud separated from one of his two wives as he could not support her. He has already accumulated loans of $480 for household expenses.
“There is nothing I can do for the family except borrow money and hope that one day the roads open and I can go back to work. Across the country there are clan conflicts and militias that have seized control,” he said.
He has not been able to pay the $300 monthly fees for his two elder children in university in Mogadishu and Banadir for two months and fears they may be forced to stop their education.
Passengers have been badly affected by the conflict and blocked roads. As a civil servant working for Galmudug state government, Hussein Abdullahi Issa regularly travels between his home in Adado and his workplace in Dhusamareb.
He has a tough choice deciding whether to go to work or stay with his family.
“We are facing a lot of problems. Our car even got shot at and roadblocks were put up to stop us. Sometimes you come across dead or injured people on the road. Sometimes you travel with your parents or relatives and it is very frightening. I haven’t been physically injured although the experience is always heart-wrenching,” he said.
Many travellers speak of being extorted of money by clan militias at roadblocks and being robbed of their belongings. Hussein says the level of fear among travellers is very high.