Tuesday, May 29, 2012
AFGOYE, Somalia (AP) -- The farmers in Afgoye, a town on the outskirts of Mogadishu long controlled by militants, are rejoicing at the African Union's latest success: The capture of Afgoye — the biggest military success in Somalia since militants abandoned Mogadishu last August.
First on the list of reasons to rejoice is financial: The farmers will no longer have to pay up to 50 percent of their crops in "taxes" to al-Shabab fighters.
Since Afgoye's fall over the weekend, dozens of vehicles carrying fresh fruits and vegetables have traveled from Afgoye into the Somali capital. Some farmers hope they will be able to produce more crops now that the insurgents have been driven out.
Source: AP