Khat Dampens Euphoria About Peace

NAIROBI, Jul 7, 2004 (IPS) - After a marathon round of talks, peace may finally be in sight for Somalia, which has been without central government since 1991. But, some fear that a deeply-rooted practice - the chewing of khat - may undermine the gains of negotiations.
Khat, also referred to as qat or miraa, is a shrub - the leaves of which are chewed or used to make tea. The plant contains a substance that makes the person consuming it feel alert, energetic or euphoric. Too euphoric, say certain Somali women, who allege that men in their communities have become addicted to khat, and are neglecting their families.

"Our men have become lazy over the years because of the widespread trade that forces them to just sit and enjoy the product. Our children have nothing to eat, let alone go to school, because their fathers cannot work," Eng Rukia Osman Mahmoud, an anti-khat activist, told IPS during an interview in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

Mahmoud is also a delegate to the Somali peace talks being held in Mbagathi, on the outskirts of the city.

She claims that about 75 percent of the eight million people in Somalia chew khat, with men and boys accounting for the largest percentage of this group. The popularity of khat notwithstanding, she and other Somali women are lobbying for a ban on the trade in this narcotic.
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