In Mogadishu, shop owners are faced with a dire dilemma stemming from a government mandate that requires them to install CCTV cameras at their own expense. This directive aims to strengthen surveillance against the al-Shabab insurgents, who maintain a significant presence in the city. However, compliance puts these businessmen in jeopardy of violent repercussions from al-Shabab, while non-compliance could lead to police arrest. Many shopkeepers are understandably fearful; they find themselves caught in a tense situation between governmental demands and the threat of retaliation from armed insurgents. One shopkeeper, whose name is withheld for safety, describes the pressures of this environment, emphasizing that irrespective of the choice made, the risk of violence or imprisonment feels imminent.
Hamza Nuur, a former shopkeeper, embodies the predicament faced by many; he relinquished his business to evade retaliation from either side. Initially resisting the installation of CCTV, he was ultimately coerced by security forces into complying with the order. Following the installation, he began receiving ominous phone calls from suspected al-Shabab operatives, intensifying his fear and uncertainty about his safety. He survived a close encounter with armed individuals demanding his compliance with their demands, showcasing the perilous dynamics that business owners navigate daily. Nuur’s harrowing experience elucidates how a seemingly straightforward government directive has spun into a perilous survival strategy, wherein the balance of safety is precariously weighted against the potential for violent consequences.
The Somali government issued the directive last year with the broader objective of disrupting al-Shabab’s funding channels that rely on extortion of local businesses. The initial assessment from city officials indicates some success in curbing violent attacks, with reports of bombings decreasing. However, subsequent government orders compelling residents to also install cameras have sparked fears within the broader community of al-Shabab’s retaliatory strikes infiltrating residential areas. The statistics from the violence monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (Acled) reflect grim realities: in just a span of months, several business owners have been murdered in the wake of this surveillance push. This alarming trend compounds the trepidation felt by not only shop owners but also entire neighborhoods engulfed in the broader conflict.
Critical voices from within the business community reflect a growing disenchantment with government measures. While the authorities assert that no businesses are being coerced into compliance, many shopkeepers recount experiences that contradict these assurances. Sad tales emerge of families torn apart by violence, with bereaved kin like Asiyo Mohamed Warsame sharing the sorrow of losing loved ones to al-Shabab after succumbing to state pressures for security measures. Concurrently, individual accounts from other shopkeepers illustrate the psychological toll of living under constant threat from both state enforcers and insurgents, creating a community steeped in fear and uncertainty.
Despite the harrowing experiences recounted by shop owners, government officials maintain a stance of optimism, asserting that civilian businesses are thriving and that a calm city atmosphere prevails. For many business owners, however, these reassurances ring hollow against the backdrop of their lived realities. This sentiment is echoed in the testimony of shopkeeper Ismael Hashi, who navigates the dual pressures of government mandates and al-Shabab threats, expressing doubt over the government’s ability to protect him or his shop from potential harm. Such narratives underline a chasm of trust between ordinary citizens and an administration that seems disconnected from the violent realities on the ground.
As civilians in Mogadishu grapple with the dire implications of installing surveillance systems, their voices resonate with a plea for acknowledgment of their struggles in the ongoing conflict. Residents like Sidow Abdullahi Mohamed articulate frustrations over the additional financial burden and risk imposed on them in the name of security, highlighting the unsustainable nature of a policy that seems to prioritize state surveillance over the safety and livelihood of its citizens. The entangled fates of shop owners and the government in the volatile landscape of Mogadishu exemplify a broader struggle between state authority, insurgent violence, and the precarious lives of civilians who are forced to navigate this treacherous terrain with few protections.