MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s largest market in the capital Mogadishu is closed for the second consecutive day as traders stage protests over newly-imposed tax on mobile money transactions.
Bakara Market, a crucial economic hub for the country, has remained shut down on Monday and videos circulated on social media showed hundreds of traders demonstrating across the main streets of the city, urging the government to scrap the newly-imposed tax.
Traders told local TV stations that they are grappling with taxes collected not only in the market but also at the seaport, checkpoints within and beyond Mogadishu, and other locations, lamenting that the addition of any further taxes would be an insurmountable strain on their already strained resources and financial stability.
In an address to the nation on Saturday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attempted to soothe anger in the capital, urging traders to pay the levies and that authorities will spare no effort to address their concerns.
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