Nairobi Reuter 09/09/1992 NZ Herald

one of Somalia’s warlords has signed a contract with a Swiss-based firm which would makes the anarchic country a damping ground for thousands of tones of Europe’s toxic waste, according to documents given to Reuters.

 The contract between a company called archer partners and the government of self-styled interim president Ali Mahdi Mohamed outlines plans to build an incinerator near Mogadishu to store and burn 50,000 tones of waste a year.

The contract, signed by acher partners and Mr. ali mahdi’s minister of health, Mr. nur elmy osman, details how the waste would then be dumbed in a landfill with a capacity of 10 million tones.

Coples were sent to Somali’s in Kenya by the former leader Mr. Mohamed Siyad Barre, who was driven out of the capital in January 1991 and is now exiled in Nigeria.

Ivona rummelbulska, Nairobi based United Nations environment progaramme Co-ordinator of the 1989 basel convention against the inter national transport of hazardous wastes, said several sources had confirmed the contract’s authenticity.

The contract is dated December 5,1991. it is not clear any work has yet begun but experts say it is unlikely given the high level of in security in the ruined capital.

Acher partners apparently doubles as a home and an office and ayoung women who answered the telephone said she did not know what business the company did.

it (acher partners) looks like a mailbox company and behind this could be a Swiss or Italian waste trade expert.

The expert said Somalia had been a prime target for dumping of hazardous wastes since the mid-1980s, when it first began its spiral into civil war and anarchy, and that international firms had been pumping wastes from ships off the coast this year.

In a letter accompanying the contract, Mr. bare defends his brutal 21-years rule which many believe caused the current civil war and famine and urges His supporters to stop “this unholy proposal to make Somalia the disposal ground of wastes”.

On Friday United Nations environmental programme executive director, Mr. Mustapha tolba, said he could not give details about waste-dumping in Somalia because “these people [international companies] are getting a lot of profit and can kill anybody who wants to spoil their businnes.

He said a company transporting waste to Somalia would make profits of $US2 million to $US3 million ($nz3.7million to $n25.55 million) ashipment.

Big waste-producing states in the west refused to ratify the basel convention and poor African nations had fallen victim to unscrupulous companies, united nations officials said.

The contract promises not to violate international laws on incinerating and disposing of wastes.

“it’s typical that these companies fake a huge project and promise proper infrastructure and treatment but start dumping before they build these facilities” the expert said.