The illicit charcoal trade resumes at Barawe port

[Hiiraan boy]

BARAWE, Somalia May 2 (Garowe Online) - Somali businessmen who trade in charcoal export have resumed their illegal operations at the natural port in Barawe, locals and officials said.

Witnesses said on Wednesday that columns of trucks have been pouring into the port since yesterday. A large vessel registered in the United Arab Emirates was docked at the port and was being loaded with charcoal-for-export, according to local officials who declined to be named in print.

The illegal export of charcoal from Somalia continues despite a February 16 ban imposed by presidential decree. President Abdullahi Yusuf’s transitional government is struggling to impose its authority across the lawless country, observers say.

Residents in the town of Barawe, which lies on the Indian Ocean coast, expressed growing concern over the desertification of the land. One resident described seeing locals cut down trees for export to gain a few dollars from the traders.

“They don’t [even] consider the long-term effects,” the resident said.

Barawe has been a notorious export point for charcoal ever since warlords carved up Somalia following the collapse of the national government in 1991.

It remains to be seen what Yusuf’s government can do about the illegal traders who continue to profit from the exploitation of the environment.

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

Barawe is not a port. It's a coastal town.