By Ali H Abdulla

Khat or Qaad is one of the three main enemies of the Somali people: the other two being Politicized tribal affiliations and religious extremism. It influences the behavior of its consumers and contributes to the under-development and backwardness of Somalia. It may be safely argued that one of the factors that led to the weakening and eventual collapse of the Somali government might have been its attempt to ban Khat against the wishes of powerful traders who exerted undue influence on a drugged nation.

There are powerful cartels that include countries and individuals behind its cultivation and distribution. It is one of the tools used by some regional countries to perpetuate their divide and rule tactics against the Somali people who although being the most homogeneous people in the Horn, can at the same time be classified as the most divided.

Most Somalis, including those in power, are high on Khat most of the time. They organize Khat gatherings that can extend from lunch time until the wee hours of the night. Most of the topics discussed in these unproductive sittings revolve around divisive clan politics that destroyed Somalia in the first place and continues to hold it down at the bottom rung of human development. When others are landing probes on fast moving objects in space, Somalis continue to languish in illiteracy and ignorance. The people who some credit with starting the ancient Egyptian civilizations, by virtue of their advanced knowledge of the stars, survive on the largesse of foreign nations.

According to Wikipedia, “Khat contains a monoamine alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which is said to cause excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria. In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a drug of abuse that can produce mild-to-moderate psychological dependence (less than tobacco or alcohol),  although WHO does not consider khat to be seriously addictive. The plant has been targeted by anti-drug organizations such as the DEA. It is a controlled substance in some countries, such as Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, while its production, sale, and consumption are legal in other nations, including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Yemen”

The United Kingdom banned khat after a long and painful campaign spearheaded by Mr. Abukar Awale, a Somali resident of London. They call him “Qaad Diid”, the one who rejects Khat. Awale managed to highlight the destructive nature of Khat in the Somali society in the UK. Apart from being a drug of abuse, Khat destroys family cohesion and plays a major role in the high divorce rate prevalent among Somali immigrants in Europe. Men hardly spend quality time with their families and prefer to chew the green and bitter leaf in crowded rooms filled with cigarette smoke, sipping numerous cups of over sweetened tea, and guzzling numerous pints of carbonated beverages. This eventually destroys their health and increases the likelihood of clashing with their spouses and ending up in the street after being kicked out of their homes. Many a wife was grateful for Awale’s successful campaign in the hope of reclaiming their men from the clutches of a powerful adversary, Khat.

After he succeeded in the campaign that has led to the banning Khat in the UK, Awale started a new one to duplicate his efforts in his native country. He mobilized well-known and respected Somali scholars such as Sheikh Dirir and members of the civil society in major cities like Hargeisa, Garowe and Mogadishu to highlight the problems of khat in the Somali society.

I recently met Awale in Sharjah, UAE, where he gave a powerful speech to a large audience celebrating the third anniversary of the formation of the Khatumo State of Somalia, one of the upcoming Federal States that is struggling against a separatist enclave known as Somaliland. His speech highlighted the destructive nature of Khat and its negative effects on the Somali society. He even beseeched Somali girls not to marry Khat chewers in an effort to ostracize and isolate them. This concept is similar to the efforts of enlightened governments employ to ban smoking by confining smokers to tiny and smelly cubicles. Awale is an eloquent and convincing speaker who will in doubt succeed in winning the war against Khat in his native country.

Such an individual deserves respect and admiration for his gallant efforts to save the Somali youth from becoming hooked to a plant that developed countries researched extensively, and found to be harmful to society. Instead of being welcomed as a hero, Awale was treated as a criminal in the first major Somali city he set his foot. The secret service in the secessionist bastion calling itself Somaliland detained Awale for 3 hours and deported him form Hargeisa after subjecting him to the most humiliating interrogation techniques. All his plans to address the Somali youth there and educate them about the ills of Khat was put on hold. This behavior contradicts the claims of an administration that sells itself to the world as being a democratic and tolerant state worthy of recognition.

Some attribute his deportation to the speech he gave at Somaliland’s nemesis, the Khatumo State anniversary celebration in Sharjah, but this is highly unlikely since Awale’s speech addressed the ills of khat and did not wade into the controversial politics of Somalia. The most likely reason for his deportation is the influence wielded by the powerful Khat moguls in Hargeisa. These fat cats who control the Khat trade in most of Somalia have a lot of influence in Somaliland. They can be compared to the drug tycoons of Latin America. They also play an important role in the drug war being waged on Somalia by some of its neighbors. This war can be compared to the Opium War waged by Britain on China in 1839.

Fortunately, Awale was welcomed warmly in Garowe, the capital of Puntland and will no doubt be welcomed in any Somali city that lies outside the circle of influence of the Khat moguls. His next stop will be Mogadishu, the Somali capital, where the Somali government recently imposed a hefty tax on the drug to discourage people from buying and consuming it. This led to the near collapse of the Khat trade between Somalia and Kenya. Let us hope that this strategy continues in the long term.

Finally, I would like to ask Awale not to confine his visits to major cities and to extend his tour to smaller towns where Khat is wreaking havoc on the unemployed youth. The Somali people should also be prepared to defend their country against the Khat war being waged against it by its neighbors in collusion with greedy Somali traders.

If the UN desires stability in Somalia, it should help the Somali Federal government and regional administration to introduce programs that discourage the Somali people from consuming and trading Khat. Just like it is willing to spend millions on fighting FGM, it should also consider funding programs to fight a more serious enemy that contributes to the instability of Somalia.

Ali H Abdulla
Email:aliegeh@gmail.com