Interesting story in BBC, which was somewhat predictable, about how the Ethiopian-backed forces are affecting the economy and people in Somalia:

And businesses are doing a brisk trade despite the rocketing prices of most basic items as residents have begun to stockpile food in anticipation that prices will continue to rise.

[…]

Ahmed Sa’id Ali says he runs his shop alone and is taking the risk of remaining open.

“I put my gun into a box six months ago, but I picked it up today for my security, ” he says.

People are also frightened to answer their mobile phones in the streets because of security fears.

“I used to pick up my mobile everywhere for the last six months. I am scared now because I am not sure which place is safe for me to be on the phone,” a business woman Madiina Abuukar Heyle said.

The big question is thus whether the new Somali government can establish a stable enough base for the markets to function and people to return to a same or better standard of living than what they experienced in the past six months. I can’t help but think about how this parallels the complex issues raised by Britain’s return of Haile Selassie to his seat of power after chasing the Italians out of Ethiopia in 1941. I’ve noticed a couple books written about the subject in the past few years. Maybe it’s time to dust off my Master’s Thesis…