Traders, brokers and market ‘crisis’ in southern Somalia

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Abstract
This article examines the behaviour of cattle traders in southern Somalia under conditions of market uncertainty, macroeconomic decline and political instability. It draws attention to the types of dyadic relationships and diversification strategies that allow livestock traders to endure prolonged periods of uncertainty. By distinguishing among four different markets and five types of market actors, the analysis attempts to unravel the complexities of the livestock trade in southern Somalia, and to differentiate the categories of traders that have benefited from those that have been hurt by recent changes. The analysis suggests that under the current crisis conditions in Somalia those traders who have become ‘agents’ of large, export-oriented merchants focused on a single market suffer most, while traders based in small villages and involved in both domestic and export markets have sometimes prospered. The so-called ‘unofficial’ trade in livestock to neighbouring countries, such as Kenya, permits certain groups of Somali traders to weather an environment of extreme economic and political volatility that is exceptional even in the African context. The article concludes with a general discussion of the importance of social relations in marketing and the responses of traders to changes in macroeconomic indicators.