Reconstruction and rehabilitation of veterinary services in Somalia

Most parts of Somalia have experienced a total collapse of all governmental services, and particularly that of the veterinary services, well before the physical destruction by the late military regime and the civil wars. For many years, the more affluent and independent livestock traders have been the target of a wide range of physical and economic destruction by the military regime. The most striking effect was the strangulation of livestock trade, which had been the backbone of the economy and the only source of income for many millions of Somalis. At present, and like other essential services, the veterinary services and the related infrastructure such as veterinary clinics, diagnostic laboratories, veterinary quarantine, etc., are virtually non-existent