MOGADISHU, Somalia – While many unemployed Somalis scrape by collecting discarded jerry cans and plastics to earn money, Ethiopian nationals—both refugees and non-refugees—have started digging up graves in central Somalia. This has sparked outrage, with many viewing it as a dangerous and disrespectful violation of burial sites.
Abudwak, a town in the Galgadud region of central Somalia near the Ethiopian border, is home to hundreds of Oromo and Amhara refugees fleeing conflict in their homeland. Many, especially their children, are seen begging on the streets, while men and women search for discarded scrap metal throughout the city.
Their search for scrap metal has led them to graves, where they remove metal symbols from burial sites, gather them, and load them onto trucks bound for companies in Ethiopia. Some also sell the metals to local businesspeople, who then export them to Ethiopia for resale.
Speaking to Mareeg Online, Abdimajid Mohamed Hussein, a local resident, said Ethiopians have long lived peacefully among the local community and that there are no issues with them residing in the city. However, he stressed that violating burial sites is prohibited in Islam.
Hussein added that the metal symbols removed from graves often bear the names of the deceased. When families visit for Qur’an recitation, they are unable to identify the graves of their loved ones because the identifying symbols—marks they recognize—have been taken for sale.
“I don’t know if the local authorities are aware of the violation of graves,” Hussein said. “But this is concerning to everyone in Somalia,” he added. “We don’t desecrate burial grounds. The authorities should protect those who are beneath us.”
In Somalia, scrap metal collection has created jobs for the poor, as thousands of impoverished people, including displaced families in the capital Mogadishu and other areas, have found work by collecting scrap metal. They sell the metal to individuals who own businesses that trade in scrap.
Ali Abdi Ismail, a displaced father of five, says the work helps him provide for his family. “At least it puts food on the table,” he added.
For each kilo of scrap metal he collects, Ismail earns 6,000 Somali shillings (about $0.25). He says the work has made life a little easier for his family, especially compared to begging on the streets of Mogadishu or waiting for food rations from aid groups. With the money he earns, they can buy food and cook at home.
“I rented a donkey for $8,” he said. “Two of us work together. We divide the earnings when we return. I earn more than $10. It’s the only way I can put food on my family’s table.”
The collection of scrap metal has been on the rise in Somalia since 2020, with much of it exported to India and Bangladesh.
“When asked if he had ever taken metal from graves, Ismail was clearly surprised. ‘I’ve never gone near a grave in my life,’ he said. ‘We know what graves mean to us. It’s where we’ll be buried when our time comes.’ He went on to explain that they mostly collect scrap from things like old bed frames and pipes.”
Despite growing outrage over grave violations in Abudwak, Ethiopian refugees—fleeing conflict and poverty in their homeland—have turned to digging up graves for scrap metal as a means of survival. With limited resources and no support, they collect metal symbols from burial sites to sell for small profits.
This has become a desperate way for them to support their families in the face of hardship. There’s an urgent need for awareness to help them understand that graves are sacred, and such violations are deeply disrespectful.
