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Somali gunmen forcing farmers to grow pot
Armed Somali factions are taking over small-scale subsistence farms in southern Somalia and are forcing the farmers to grow marijuana, Somali human right groups say. Gunmen have "confiscated" some 150 farms in the Lower Shabelle region, most of which are now being used to grow the narcotic plant, 13 rights groups said in a joint statement Wednesday. "These drugs are sold inside the country and smuggled to foreign countries," said Maryan Owrea, chairwoman of the Ismaiil Jumaale Human Rights Center. Owrea said some of the farmers had been either killed or tortured. The rights groups complained that human rights abuses in Somalia are getting worse, 13 years after the Horn of Africa nation descended into chaos following the ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-02-13 |
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