Bosaso-(Puntland Mirror) Bosaso’s main commercial market remained closed for a second day on Sunday after traders protested new taxes imposed on imports through the port, raising concerns over potential increases in food prices.
Traders said they closed businesses after Puntland authorities introduced additional taxes on goods unloaded at Bosaso port, the region’s main maritime gateway.
Operations at the port have also been disrupted for more than a week because of the tax dispute, traders said.
The new taxes took effect this month, according to traders, who warned the measures could push up the prices of food and other essential goods.
Some businesses in Puntland’s capital, Garowe, also closed on Sunday in support of the protest against the additional taxes.
Puntland authorities have not publicly commented on the traders’ complaints or the market closures.
The protests come as Puntland grapples with economic pressures, including declining international aid, prolonged drought, and the cost of military operations against Islamic State militants in the Calmiskaad mountains.
President Said Abdullahi Deni, who is midway through his second term, has come under criticism from opposition figures and some analysts over his administration’s handling of governance, corruption, delays in paying civil servants’ salaries, unemployment and what they say is a decline in Puntland’s influence in Somalia.
