In a drought-ravaged land where rebels are trying to topple a fragile government, gun battles break out almost daily and nearly 20, civilians have been killed since the start of , cheap mobile communications are one happy diversion. The entrepreneurial spirit of Somalis, born out of two decades of anarchy, as well as an absence of taxes, have helped domestic mobile companies thrive despite the chaos.
Many older residents say the prevalence of handsets and such cheap tariffs β among the lowest in the world β is making the lives of youngsters unrecognisable. The cheap calls and extended mobile network in the Horn of Africa nation make it easier for Somalis to get in touch with willing partners and arrange quick assignations. Traditional Somali marriages used to be long-planned, intricately arranged affairs normally determined by clan and sub-clan elders.
But some now prefer a less formal kind of marriage, which is essentially elopement, because they do not have the economic means to face a prospective father-in-law. Voluntary brides and cheap phone services β it is the only life we have. Unsurprisingly, such behaviour is frowned upon by hardline Islamist al Shabaab insurgents who rule over much of central and southern Somalia and want to impose their own austere version of Sharia law on the whole country.
They have banned elopement in the areas under their control. But for Halima Osman, a Mogadishu mother-of-three, the mobile phone helped her run away with the love of her life.
But you can just dial a number or pick up a ringing phone. You make an appointment then elope. Life is so easy if you are lucky. Aden, the shop owner, said he was shocked when his own daughter eloped and gave birth to a child with a young man he had never met.
