Shop owners in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu have literally been caught in the crossfire between the government and Islamist insurgents.
A government directive has ordered shopkeepers to install CCTV cameras outside their businesses to surveil the insurgents, who have a strong presence in the city, however, by doing so, they risk attacks from the al-Shabab extremists for doing so.
Speaking to the BBC, one man who decided to sell his business said: "The CCTV cameras are why you now see me at home.
"You're told not to remove the cameras by one side and then you're told to remove the cameras by the other side. Depending on the choice you make, you'll either have a bullet or prison cell waiting for you.”
The government put the directive in place last year, ordering all shopkeepers to install CCTV cameras, at their own cost, to deter attacks.
The BBC source added that once he installed the cameras, he began getting phone calls from unknown numbers.
After changing his number, a man then visited his shop. “He lifted his shirt. He had a pistol in his waist. He ordered me to turn on my SIM card."
After complying with the request, he then received a call from someone wanting to know whether “the government's demands are more important to you than ours".
According to leading violence monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (Acled) al-Shabab has killed four businessmen in 10 attacks, all relating
According to the BBC, the government’s aim was to disrupt al-Shabab’s sources of funding as it extorts money out of the shop owners, but the attacks “have forced many businesses in Mogadishu’s main markets to close their doors for days,” Acled adds in a report published on its website.
The government has since ordered Mogadishu locals to install CCTV cameras outside their houses, increasing fears that al-Shabab will bring the fighting into their homes.
Despite the attacks, and the concerns from residents, Mogadishu's Deputy Mayor Mohamed Ahmed Diriye tells the BBC Africa Daily podcast that the decision was the right one.
"There used to be four or five bombings per month in Mogadishu, but that's no longer the case," he says.
Diriye also adds that businesses are shutting down or that owners are being forced to install the cameras, says the BBC.
Another source tells the BBC that he was arrested for not installing a CCTV camera at his home, adding that 14 other neighbors were also arrested.
"As civilians, we're forced to buy the cameras, pay to install them in our homes, and risk violence from al-Shabaab. Is this how the government expects to win hearts and minds?"
In recent months, there have been other concerns about the detrimental effects of surveillance in other countries – from a huge increase in AI CCTV in Hong Kong to drones and trail cameras being used to spy on women in rural India.
If you're looking to install security cameras of your own free will, take a look at our guides to the best floodlight cameras, the best fake security cameras, and the best 360 cameras.
