He recently returned from his journey carrying illegal goods from the border with Ethiopia.
In the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, formerly known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, the 29-year-old slouches in his chair inside a colonial-style villa that has been damaged by years of conflict.
A strong orange dust, left over from the desert, covers his sandals.
The dark eyes of Mr. Diriye sag. The suitcases beneath bear witness to the restless nights, the tense hours spent navigating the hazardous routes and navigating checkpoints with armed guards.
Additionally, there is the eerie memory of a fellow smuggler who was fatally shot.
“Everyone in this nation is having difficulties and trying to find a way out. And I navigated by making frequent visits by it.
He explains that smuggling was a method for him to provide for his family during a difficult economic period. “And I found my way by making regular trips by road from the Ethiopian border to Mogadishu,” he says.
It is against the law to use or distribute alcohol. Although Somalia’s laws must adhere to Sharia, or Islamic law, which prohibits alcohol, this hasn’t halted the country’s rising demand, especially among young people in many areas.
Abshir, Mr. Diriye’s neighbor, exposed him to the dangerous world of alcohol smuggling after noticing that he had fallen on hard times as a minibus-taxi driver.
Minibus drivers were forced out of business when rickshaws started to take over the city.
During the height of the crisis in 2009, the two boyhood friends had taken refuge in the same camp.
