Somalia has started importing Khat from Ethiopia for the first times the country suspended the importation of the leafy stimulants from both Kenya and Ethiopia.
According to witnesses and video posted on social media, Ethiopian plane, National Airways PLC has ferried bags of Khat from Ethiopia to Mogadishu on Saturday.
Airport official who confirmed the arrival of the plane carrying Khat said Somali government gave traders license to import Khat from Ethiopia.
“The consignment was not in violation of regulations as the traders were provided with license to import from Ethiopia. We hope number of bags of Khat imported from Ethiopia to increase in the forthcoming days,” said the official who declined to be named.
Somali government issued no official statement regarding the importation of the leafy stimulants.
Somali suspended Khat importation last March as the country struggling to stop spread novel coronavirus which was confirmed in Horn of Africa nation in mid-March.
Kenyan traders had severally urged Somali authorities to allow importation of Khat from Kenya.
The leaders from the khat-rich region, Meru have been pressurizing Kenya to heed Somalia’s demands.
According to sources, Somalia earlier demanded to export Kenya goods including fish, rice, sugar, honey, meat and milk in exchange of Khat from Kenya.
Somalia also asked treat Somalia as an equal, desist from interfering with Somalia’s internal affairs, apologise for violating Somalia airspace.
Kenya was also asked to stop forcing flights from Somalia to make a detour to Wajir for inspection.
