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Somalia alcohol: The dangerous life of a smuggler

BBC
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69% Informative

Guled Diriye is a 29-year-old smuggler who travels from the Ethiopian border to Mogadishu .

The use and distribution of alcohol is illegal in Somalia .

Somalia ’s laws must comply with Sharia ( Islamic law), which forbids alcohol.

But it has not stopped a growing demand, particularly among young people.

Smugglers drive on dirt tracks and roads that have not been renovated in decades .

Landmines and unexploded ordnances left behind from previous conflicts are also an issue.

They encounter various clan militias with different allegiances, either lingering in the distance or at roadblocks.

The guilt of leaving the body by the side of the road still haunts him.

It takes an average of seven to nine days to reach Mogadishu from the Ethiopian border.

The smugglers then make their way to a pre-arranged drop-off point.