At least one person was killed on Monday as forces belonging to the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) fired shots to disperse rowdy anti-Islamist demonstrators in Kismayo, 500 km south of the Somali capital of Mogadishu, hours after the UIC took control of the key port city, writes IRINnews, Monday.
The demonstration was organised by ‘khat’ traders after the UIC announced a ban on flights carrying the popular leafy narcotic at Kismayo airport.
According to locals the traders were angry that the courts have banned a business they were making a living out of.
The UIC said the ban on the narcotic would be in effect over the month of Ramadan.
Earlier, thousands of Kismayo residents had poured on to the streets to welcome the UIC takeover of the city, which is located in the agriculturally rich and economically important region of Lower Juba. The move completes the UIC’s control of all ports in southern and central Somalia and extends the group’s control of south-central Somalia.
Kilde: www.irinnews.org
