But the business people argue that their success has irreversibly altered the way government is viewed in Somalia. The unavoidable reality is that business will shape whatever government is formed, most likely by making it far smaller than its predecessor. Business has been one of the few sources of stability in Somalia since the military dictator Muhammad Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991 and no one rose to replace him. In anarchy deepened by local warlords, private interests swooped in to provide essentials like water, telephones and electricity, though not in the most efficient ways. The three telephone companies, for instance, operate entirely independently of one another.
Drinkable water is delivered mostly by donkey.
Smuggling thrives, in everything from guns to cigarettes to electronics. One of the major exports is charcoal, to the Persian Gulf states. The trade has caused an environmental disaster as well as battles between tree cutters and herdsmen whose camels eat from the trees. The main market downtown is jammed with goods. And after Mr. Sabria's factory opened last summer, a price war sharply cut the cost of pasta, one of the staples in this former Italian colony.