Somali lauds Saudia’s lift of livestock export

MOGADISHU, Friday

The Somali government has welcomed the lifting of a decade-old ban on livestock import from the war-torn country to Saudi Arabia.

The ban was imposed by the Middle East Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the largest importer of Somali livestock and animal products, over the concerns of the Rift Valley Fever outbreak in the sub-region in late 1990s.

“We thank the Saudi government for lifting the ban and allowing our traders to resume exportation of the livestock of our country to Saudi Arabia,” Abdurrahman Adan Ibbi, deputy prime minister told reporters in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

Ibbi described the move by Saudi Arabia as a “great victory” for Somalia whose livestock export to the Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, represents the mainstay of the country’s ruined economy and the largest foreign hard currency earner.

Local media in Saudi Arabia on Thursday reported that the country’s Ministry of Agriculture said that it has issued permission for Saudi companies to import livestock from Somalia that meet “international veterinary health requirements”.

Somali animal traders have also welcomed the move, saying it will help many who depend on the livestock trade for their livelihood. Somalia has not had a functioning government for nearly two decades since the collapse of the former government of Mohamed Siyad Barre in 1991.