Mogadishu’s biggest market Bakara disables?!

MOGADISHU (Keydmedia.net)-The heaviest fighting and bombardments between Islamist militias of Al-shabab and Hisbul-Islam and the transitional federal government backed African Union peacekeeping forces which lasted a week and is still going on, had great impact on the biggest market of Somali Bakara-market, traders said.

Article Keydmedia Online
2 September 2010

The marketers could not dare to open their business centers in Bakara market the last six days which the fighting worsened business circulation and also people who used to go to the market feared of the bombardment which always kills buyers and sellers in the market every clashes between warring parts in the capital of Somali, Mogadishu.

This is the worst time that had ever happened in the market even when the Ethiopian soldiers were in the country, pharmacist told speaking to Keydmedia.net when asked questions relating to Bakara situations recently.

Speaking to BBC Somali service Ali Mohamed Siyad, head of Bakara business committee  told that Bakara market was like serious and weak patient and was going to disable because he said that African Union peacekeeping forces were striking the market with huge weapons killing, wounding and destroying the property of the Somali traders.

Chairperson of Bakara business committee, Mr. Siyad condemned African union peacekeeping forces and pointed them that they are not in the country for peaceful purpose, but massacring us, although he did not say word about the Islamist fighters in the capital who are against the government.

How ever the market used to be very busy and populated one like this season because of the holy Ramadan month which people prepare for Eidul-fitri by buying different products like new clothes, sweets, performs and other beautiful goods for the children and for whole every family who has the ability to buy while beggars used to get help from the people.

The market is different than previous times for many reasons as businessman explained for Keydmedia.net saying, ‘we have divided our products into two markets now here in Bakara market and Bo’le market in Dharkenlay district because there are products which can no longer be needed after this holy Ramadan month and every business person has done like us.

People who used to come to us in Bakara market from southern parts of the capital like Madina, Waberi and Hamar-weyne districts were difficult to them to reach here because the main important road that links Bakara market to those districts was blocked by the warring groups, people from north part of the market like Suka-holaha neighborhoods came to us, the businessman said.

Bakara becomes the second market which the battle and mortars shells affects, Suuk-Ba’ad collapsed earlier, although new other large market was established in Mogadishu outskirts where internally displaced people fled to three years ago.

The new market is said Elasha-biyaha, the second Bakara market as it is copy of the Bakara market which is booming now and rather safer than Bakara market.

Every product you could want and search for Bakara market is available in Elasha-biyaha so forget Bakara, a young boy said.

Governor and mayor of Mogadishu Mr. Tarsan called for property owners of Bakara market to withdraw their asset from the market as it’s strong hold of Al-shabab, he said.

Problems of the market was only natural disasters like fire sparks which burned the market many times, but the situation worsened when the market turned into a guest of mortar shells and bloody site that no one can be courageous to go to the market.

Let alone the mortar shells in Bakara market, but it is too dangerous and every customer can’t go for shopping purpose there because many people were killed in Bakara market in connection with political issues, or other suspects by insurgents, marketer said.

There are also differences about the possibility that causes to collapse Bakara market because the largest telecommunication companies, remittance agencies, warehouses lay in  Bakara and it would take a long time to be moved, or  would never be possible that, people said.

In my view of point Bakara is not functioning as it used to be once in my experience, sales and services would not get market as I have set my eyes on today on Sunday after six days of consecutive fighting between the warring parts in the capital mogadishu.

The sound of heavy weapons are either falling in the market itself or heard in Bakara today when I was in the market and my heart was beating for fear of the shells from AMISOM bases in Mogadishu.

There was traffic jam and only one way that is the industrial road which all trucks, cars, buses were using where ever they were heading to either to Bakara market from the seaport, civilian-buses or other long journey transport to southern regions of Somalia.

On my way to Bakara market, I have seen very big pot-holes which was very difficult for transports to pass and I was told the two biggest pot-holes caused by land-mine explosions which the Islamists put for AMISOM already and exploded, but the rough pot-hole causes traffic jam and possible risks as happened today.

The two big pot-holes are close to African military base of Burundian and may suspect the crow of the traffic jam and could possibly fire or it would finally cut off and this would impose embargo on the market.

Bakara is said a Market where consumers and customers could get products cheaply and that is why people sometimes go to that market blindly being unstable and very dangerous one,but no one knows the future of Bakara market and how it will remain as warring groups are threatening to go ahead the battle since the market depends on how it gets peaceful eyes.

By: Nero - keydmedia.net