MOGADISHU (SOMALIA) – 22-year-old Sharif Ahmed from Mogadishu tried to attack his relatives and neighbours, which lead him to a psychiatric hospital in handcuffs.
The endless civil war is not making him restless, but not getting to have his hands on the narcotic leaf khat that he has been chewing on since he was 15 is prompting him to do that.
Somalia is a major hub for khat, grown in neighbouring Kenya’s fertile central highlands. Soon after harvesting at high speeds, it is taken to Nairobi airports for distribution to consumers abroad.
As a measure to curb the spread of the virus, Somalia shut down flights in late March, which was an indicator that khat could no longer be imported by air from Kenya.
Abdirashid Abdulahi, a doctor at Mogadishu’s Habeeb Psychiatric Emergency Hospital said that it affected users, and affected their sleep patterns as well. “The withdrawal symptoms have come out,” he said.
The price of khat rose to as much as $300 (236 pounds) per kg from $20 when the flights were stopped. That has put pressure on the facilities at the Habeeb hospital.
Abdulahi, referring to the 40 patients under his care, said, “Out of the total number of patients we have, half of them are addicted to the drug.”
The Nairobi-based Kenya Medical Research Institute said that more than 10 million use khat around the world.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.