This is a serious concern to farmers community in Lower Shabelle, including the fragile peace in Somalia because of inaccurate and highly misleading information contained in the report.

On page 28, your report asserts that "Armed militias belonging to clans from the central regions with little farming skills and experience continue to occupy prime farmland in the Lower Shabelle region.” This is not only inaccurate, but it also endangers the livelihoods of communities to suffer yet another communal unrest and displacements.

Last year, a similar misleading information resulted the death of 10 farmers, including two children by U.S. drone attack in Lower Shabelle region. And this highly biased and unsubstantiated report by respected institutions - like FAO and World Bank – won’t be without a consequence, at least in the context of Somalia: it could trigger social disharmony or hostility against certain clans in the region.

In addition, the report has raised a more preposterous allegation of enslavement practices in the region, having no discernible evidence to support it. With such brazen recklessness, we warn against the adverse impact this could have on peacebuilding and the fragile recovery by Lower Shabelle communities in Somalia.
Moreover, the farmers association we reached confirmed that no one contacted them for consultations with this report. Apparently, the report was poorly written and has failed to crosscheck the merits for its claims. Therefore, we strongly urge you, on behalf of the World Bank, to correct the disingenuous report on the farming sector in Somalia and issue an apology to the communities affected by its outlandish misrepresentations.
We look forward that you take corrective measures to address the serious issues contained in the report. Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,