The government’s order for shop owners in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, to install CCTV cameras outside their establishments in order to increase monitoring of Islamist insurgents, who are heavily represented in the city, has left them in a difficult situation.
According to the businesspeople, if they install the cameras, they run the risk of being shot down by al-Shabab militants; if they don’t, the authorities may arrest them.
For their own protection, the homeowners and company owners have had their names changed.
Hamza Nuur, 48, a former shopkeeper, sits on a sofa with one of his kids and explains, “The CCTV cameras are why you now see me at home.”
