Melbourne, 09/04/2025 (banooda)-In 2006, I wrote an article about the importation of fake medicine and unsafe food by local businesspeople into Somalia during the time the Courts (Mahaakiimta) were ruling the country. Unfortunately, the situation and conditions in the country have not changed much in the 19 years since then. Despite there being an elected government, the situation has not significantly improved. Somalia is a country that has been without a functional and powerful government for the last thirty-four years. Unfortunately, many regions of the country are controlled by the armed militia called Al-Shabaab, who are responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people directly and indirectly. Numerous people have been maimed, and even larger numbers have been forced to flee their homes to other cities and towns within the country, becoming internally displaced, and many have fled to other African countries and become refugees.
The ongoing civil strife has also resulted in other serious problems in Somalia, including the total collapse of social infrastructure (education, health, communication, energy, potable water supply systems, etc.), a lack of a judicial system and law and order, and serious environmental and social/economic problems that are severely affecting the well-being of the community and country in general.
As a matter of fact, the previous armed warlords and the current militia Al-Shabaab are major factors that have contributed to these problems and the suffering of many people in Somalia. There are also silent Somali warlords in Somalia who are responsible for the deaths and suffering of many people in Somalia. These silent warlords are so-called businessmen/women who import fake medicines and unsafe/unsuitable food from overseas (Asia, Africa, and Europe) and distribute and sell them openly in markets in Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, and other cities and towns in Somalia. These people are greedy, self-centred, cold-hearted criminals without consciences who are killing their own people with fake medicines and unsafe food.
Ninety percent of drugs in the country’s hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies are fake products. Lured by big profits, many businessmen/women have switched from other businesses to the illicit trade in fake medicine and expired/unsafe food just to become wealthy, embracing an ignorant perspective and greed. Fake medicines and unsafe food kill thousands of Somalis every year. According to UNODC, fake medicines kill almost five hundred thousand sub-Saharan Africans a year. The country is not taking any legal action to protect its innocent citizens. Thousands and thousands of Somalis have died because of fake medicines and food poisoning from unsafe/unsuitable food for human consumption.
The problem is at a critical point, with innocent citizens unaware that Somalia has become a dumping site for fake medicines and unsafe foods that are mostly manufactured in Asia, Europe, and Africa—countries that all too often do not respect human rights, equal life status, and dignity. We are all fully cooked human beings and need to treat each other with respect. The fake medicines do not even meet the international standard requirements for labelling, as they lack an expiration date, a manufacturer’s name and address, and ingredients, while other labels contain fictitious information. These omissions are quite deliberate and harm vulnerable populations, including the poor.
Often, the counterfeit medicines are very difficult to distinguish from the original medicines, as the packages look fine. It’s easy to produce fake medicines. In some instances, flour, chalk, or other powdered substances have been put into capsules and passed off as medicine, and some imported medicines are genuine but have an expiration date or use- by date with a forged label. In addition to this, many internationally banned medicines, such as Novalgin, Analgin, Femidol, Tendril, etc., and highly potential habit-forming drugs (ephedrine, diazepam, tramadol) are still flooding into Somalia and sold in the markets, pharmacies, kiosks, and groceries without medical prescriptions.
The fake medicine is the root cause of many people’s sufferings and, in some cases, death. “Many deaths could be avoided if the drugs being used were not substandard counterfeits,” according to Dr Dora Akunyili, director general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control of Nigeria. Deaths linked to phoney medicines and unsafe foods are on the increase in Somalia, and unfortunately, at this stage, there are no authorities or regulations to govern the hideous industry.
In Somalia, most of the social infrastructures are totally collapsed. There is no quality control system or laboratories for the analysis of food, medicine, and other products. The World Health Organisation authorities and other international organisations (governmental and non-governmental) and national institutions are aware of this serious issue, but they cannot do much in a country where there is no law enforcement.
It’s dismaying and outrageous that people are killing their people for their own personal interests; therefore, we should put our heads together and find a suitable solution to safeguard the lives of many innocent Somalis dying and suffering through the consumption of fake medicines and unsafe foodstuffs.
The issue of fake drugs has become a global problem, and many international governments are struggling and fighting to crack down. Implementing huge human and material resources and institutions is necessary to overcome this devastating problem, which Somalia currently lacks.
I believe that the formation of a national Somali agency charged with the responsibility of formulating regulations and compiling standard specifications for compliance by manufacturers, importers, and exporters of regulated products can play a vital role in the solution. It’s also important to obtain international collaboration, especially from countries where products are manufactured or imported; products should be analysed and certified before shipment to Somalia.
We urge members of the Somali community to be vigilant and thoroughly check drugs, foodstuffs, and other products before taking or consuming them. We would like to advise the Somali government (current/future government) not to focus only on the armed militia Al-Shabaab; they should also target and get rid of the silent Somali warlords and criminals.
Thank you so much,
Prepared by: Awes Amin
