Somalia: The Rubbish Tip

From: FF

20 years ago the Italian television reporter Ilaria Alpi and her cameraman were murdered in Somalia because they discovered a scandal about illegal hazardous waste transports to the country. 10 years ago a tsunami flooded the coasts and threw barrels of hazardous liquids all across the country confirming Alpis suspicion. We use these sad anniversaries as an opportunity to write an article about this scandal discovered by the reporter ages ago and under which the Somali people suffer until today.  

Somalia has been at a bloody civil war for over 20 years now – dog-eat-dog. Since the dictator Siad Barre had been overthrown in 1991, there has been no functioning government, no sense of unity and particularly no peace. In northern Somalia the regions Somaliland and Puntland fight for their independence and in the other areas the government tries to defend its power against the radical islamistic al Schabaab. Somalia is shattered; the violent struggles for power of different clans split the society.¹ 

The hopeless situation of the Somalis is exploited shamelessly. European und Asian companies dispose hazardous waste, even radioactive and heavy metals, at Somalia’s coasts. According to Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, UN-envoy on Somalia, “reliable information” confirming the suspicion exists.² The motivation is profit. A UN-speaker says there are great differences in expenses: For disposing its waste legally a company would have to pay 1000 US-$ per ton. 

When disposing illegally, it’s only about 2.50 US-$ per ton.³An employee of UNEP confirms: “Somalia has been used as a dumping ground for hazardous waste starting in the early 1990s, and continuing through the civil war there.”⁴ The consequences could be seen after the tsunami in 2004, when rusting tanks and barrels were smashed on to the beaches. According to the UN they contained toxic liquids, heavy metals and radioactive substances. More than 300 people died directly of the consequences. Since then many babies were born malformed, sometimes with less limbs.³ 

The cancer rate has grown conspicuously: A doctor reports, he treated more people with cancer in one year than he has done all the years before the tsunami in 2004.⁵ Moreover many people suffer from sudden rashes, loose their skin, bleed from their mouth or get strange blisters.⁶ The illegal transports of waste endanger the lives of Somali people and health but also destroy the coasts and the living space of human beings and animals. Some inhabitants at Mogadishu’s coasts tell there are hundreds of dead fish every day washed ashore.⁷ 

 Especially the fishermen are forced into alternative solutions, which is why many become pirates. They see themselves as the missing coastguard and acting alone to protect their livelihood. “What is ultimately needed is a functioning, effective government that will get its act together and take control of its affairs”, says Ould-Abdallah.² Due to the instable situation in Somalia, it is the perfect destination for illegal waste trade: no extensive investigations, no effective government. Illegal actions of the shipping companies have no legal consequences.⁸ 

There is no proof for the waste trade to Somalia because the containers and barrels are not labelled.⁹ Private enquiries can result in death, like in the case of Ilaria Alpi. The Italian journalist was one of the first who discovered the waste scandal. She suspected the toxic waste to be traded for weapons illegally from Italy to Somalia. She and her cameraman even got film recordings of men obviously transferring toxic waste. But before Alpi could publish this information she and her cameraman got murdered.¹⁰ This is probably one of the reasons why investigating NGOs refuse to name responsible parties. 

Ould-Abdallah is careful as well and doesn’t give away any name of investigating persons or companies involved.⁵ Nevertheless two journalists, Sandro Mattioli and Andrea Palladino, made enquiries and discovered a connection to the Italian Mafia,¹¹  who buys the radioactive and toxic waste, camouflages it and disposes the waste in southern Italia or in weak countries like Somalia. To do so, the Italian Mafia cooperates with warlords; they trade weapons for the approval of the waste disposal.¹² Moreover, Mattioli and Palladino stated that security services are involved. Swiss intermediaries are also interposed, so that there is no direct connection between the waste producer and the waste disposer.¹¹ 

A witness confirms the suspicion: Fonti was part of an Italian mafia-organisation before deciding to cooperate with the legal authorities and testifying. His confession could not be verified, but his testimony is an important source to disclose the structure of the transports. According to Fonti the trade with waste started in the early 80’s, when Italian politicians hired the mafia to dispose of hazardous waste. Security services ensured that transport and disposal took place without the arising of conflicts. Even the state Energy Authority ENEA hired the mafia to dispose of 600 tonnes of toxic waste from different countries including Germany and the United States.¹³ 

The responsible parties have never been punished. Another network organising illegal waste transports to Somalia was the Scalione Network, discovered during the investigation concerning the murder of Alpi and her cameraman. Parts of the network are corrupt politicians: the former honorary consul of Somalia and the former Somalia president Ali Mahdi.¹⁴ Although the waste transport is not directly transacted, some sources report there is evidence about connections to European hospitals and factories.⁵ Mattioli says there are lists accusing also German companies like BASF, Bayer AG, Hoechst or Dynamit Nobel AG having disposed waste there in the eighties.¹¹ 

The UN-envoy to Somalia Ould-Abdallah says: “I must stress however, that no government has endorsed this act, and that private companies and individuals acting alone are responsible.” To him it is obvious that the civil war is fueled by the comportment of the companies.² Nevertheless European governments do not react to the suspicion of illegal waste disposing. Meanwhile the Somali inhabitants suffer from the avarice for profit. Somalia is the rubbish tip of the western throwaway society.