Pete Muller Photography

Somalia

Since 1991, Somalia has been without functional government. Throughout much of the country, rivaling militia battle for control, trapping thousands of civilians in the midst. Humanitarian efforts are impeded by militia groups that understand that food and assistance are power, and therefore work to control the flow of both. The absence of law makes Somalia a destination for international extremist and criminal elements, many of which operate in the country's south-central region.

In Somalia's northwest sits the fledgling and unrecognized republic of Somaliland. Self-declared in 1991, the arid and sparsely populated republic endured nearly a decade of war as Somalia's military leaders fought to retain control of the territory. Today, evidence of aerial bombing sorties remains visible across the countryside. Vegetation grows in former living rooms of modestly constructed homes. Residents are quick to share memories of a war that leveled much of the republic's infrastructure.

While Somaliland enjoys a significantly higher level of stability than other parts of the shattered state, the scope of government power is evidently limited. Vast expanses of desert road are unpatrolled, leaving them vulnerable to illegal and extremist activity, which experts believe is on the rise. In the port city of Berbera, Somaliland's largest seaport, a massive, visible shipwreck sits less than one hundred meters from the shoreline. Beautifully designed oceanfront facades lay abandoned and in deep decay. With little commerce, residents along the sweltering coast live in deep poverty.

Like the rest of Somalia, Somaliland has a strong and expansive tradition of gun ownership. The inability of state institutions to provide security prompt individual and clan-based efforts to protect scarce resources and defend kinsmen from threats. Approximately seventy-five percent of households possess firearms and the require ammunition. Suffering from ongoing drought and limited grazing land for livestock, resource-based conflicts within and between clans are common.

An armed Somali man in the arid, northern desert. Much of the country has been profoundly affected by drought.
  
A family stands in front of their home in a northern refugee camp. Homes constructed out of spare cloth are common in displaced persons camps.
  
A Somali woman collects charcoal in the State House IDP camp in Hargeisa. The camp is home to some 11,000 refugees and internally displaces persons.
     
  
Family portrait
  
In rural areas, women travel long distances to markets where basic goods are bought and sold. Given the severe drought and inhospitable conditions, food products in rural markets are commonly sparse.
  
A young man in front of his badly damaged home in northern Somalia. Despite extensive structural and exterior damage, he and eight family members continue living in the basement.
     
  
Somali women don knock-off, designer sunglasses along with traditional covering. With a large diaspora population, many Somalis have relatives outside the country. Traditional Islamic attire is commonly offset by unconventional items obtained from abroad.
  
A police officer checks in on a family in the State House refugee camp.
  
An Somali man and his AK-47 assault rifle. The possession of small arms and light weapons is prominent throughout the country, leading to alarming rates of violence.
     
  
Three boys in the village of Dubur.
  
Women attend a seminar on firearms safety education in the town of Sheikh.
  
A woman breaks during work hours in a grain storage unit.
     
  
A Somalil man displays a gun clamp on an AK-47 assault rifle. The device is part of a recent initiative to curtail gun related violence by encouraging safe storage practices. Thousands of firearms deaths occur each year due to the prevalance of weapons like this one.
  
Women perform traditional dances in the remote village of Guex-Guex. To reach the area, one must drive more than two hours across desert planes.