Somaliland Terminated The Temporary Khat Ban

Amid surge of coronavirus cases, Somaliland imposed a social distance and banned Khat, a stimulant leaves grown in Ethiopia and exported to Somaliland. The ban wasn’t effective as the Khat still seen in its familiar kiosks across the towns. Somaliland has an 800-kilometer-long border with Ethiopia and controlling that huge land mass became rather herculean task for border control units as well as customs authorities. The Khat is to Somaliland as what oil is to Gulf States, it generates the largest income tax for Somaliland.

Law enforcement agencies impounded a private cars smuggling Khats for the past weeks. After seizure, the government confiscated the cars caught transporting the Khat goods. The confiscated cars were painted with police color of blue nonetheless the car owners didn’t give up on getting them back, they said. They want to organize and go to the justice for appeal.

The ban didn’t slow down the spread of the coronavirus therefore the government lifted the ban. The ban caused the government lose 100,000 USD per day income tax minimum supposedly collected at the entry points.

On the other hand, Ethiopia suffered economically as Khat earns hard currency in millions of dollars ahead of coffee exports.

Coffee is exported to wealthy markets in Europe and North America and yet the Khat generates more money and grows more quickly than the coffee, according to Ethiopian government.  Coffee plantations were replaced with quick-get-rich Khat plants despite health hazards it poses to its consumers. Somaliland Khat consumption is the highest per capita followed by Djibouti, and Somalia.

Khat chewing requires social mass sit-ins next to each to chill out and the Khat ban lift didn’t specify if the use only has been allowed but the mass gathering violating the social distance may return.