GALKAYO, Somalia - Beyond clan rivalry and Islamic fervor, an entirely different motive is helping fuel the chaos in Somalia: profit. The New York Times Profiteers in cities like Galkayo see the government as a threat. A whole class of opportunists - from squatter landlords to teenage gunmen for hire to vendors of out-of-date baby formula - have been feeding off the anarchy in Somalia for so long that they refuse to let go. They do not pay taxes, their businesses are totally unregulated, and they have skills that are not necessarily geared toward a peaceful society. In the past few weeks, some Western security officials say, these profiteers have been teaming up with clan fighters and radical Islamists to bring down Somalia's transitional government, which is the country's 14th attempt at organizing a central authority and ending the free-for-all of the past 16 years. |