In the towns and cities, no official meeting is held without a women's committee. And in this city where food is power, women are also among the most renowned swindlers and looters in Mogadishu's feeding kitchens, relief officials and Somali women say. Like most of the more successful women, Miss Isse speaks English well. In fact, she says, her job has almost made her an outcast. An uncle initially ordered her at gunpoint to divert food from the Red Cross kitchens to her relatives, but she did not give in.
Women are now very much in the forefront in trade.
War made them responsible for the family economically. Outsiders, including Ian Macleod of Unicef, agrees. They've been crucial in our relief efforts. The person that runs the kitchen holds the power. Food creates power in their own extended family.