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2. 1995-2006 : Emergence of New Somali Socio-Economic Modus Vivendi Model
However, the Somalis have been coping with these social and economic hardships they have been undergoing with extraordinary and unique stamina, resourcefulness, and resilience. Both in the more volatile south/central regions or in the more peaceful self-administering territories of Somaliland and Puntland there have been relatively thriving social and economic activity where all sorts of medium size, small traders, vendors, and brokers have been engaging and moving all kinds of trade activities throughout the country, import and export flowing, nomads and farmers making sustenance from their herds and farms, Somali shilling circulating and exchange rate with foreign currencies being fixed and regulated, tens of thousands of children going to basic schools in almost all towns and villages, secondary schools in most cities and even universities (in Amud, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Bossaso, ) and over a billion dollars remittance being sent by Somali emigrants to support their families and relatives or to invest and set up various private businesses (e.g. satellite telecom firms, small factories, import-export trade companies, etc.) and free mushrooming media (Somali newspapers, Radios and TVs, Internet websites, etc.). Millions of people (the majority of the population) who have been under the poverty line depended on the trickle-down of this self-propelling relatively vibrant economy in variety of ways – through labor, brokerage, selling goods for commission, loans, personal grants to empower small traders, vendors, peddlers, shari-shari (small errand trader), you name it, and benefited from generous Somali traditional social security system in either formal charitable provisions, personal alms, customary social hospitality and solidarity of give and take between extended families, relatives, friends sharing, lending, etc. etc.
Although it was a precarious one such unique survival socio-economic system worked fairly well without central government and central bank regulation, backing, guarantees and protection as acknowledged by the 2005 World Bank Report. This Somali socio-economic modus vivendi model envied and admired by many has not been supported by any international development aid either except non-developmental lifesaving and dependency creating humanitarian relief aid by UN agencies and Ingo’s for needy groups of people displaced by violence or affected by drought and alluvial floods or limited support for education, healthcare, and for water supply programmes in certain areas. This has been possible due to the Somali strong character, self-confidence, indigenous entrepreneurial spirit, resourcefulness, traditional generous hospitality and social solidarity, and survival strategies rooted in their historical tradition of self-sustenance for centuries in a tough environment. But these extraordinary qualities seem to have been drained and overwhelmed by the relentless turmoil, enormity and gravity of the problems.
