Current cross-border livestock trade has some parallels with the pre-1991 situation. It is
an activity that was significant during the late 1980s, but grew considerably during the
1990s. In the 1980s the activity was theoretically illegal but was openly discussed by
traders and even some government officials. Many of the traders who engaged in the
trade in the pre-war period are still involved despite the political changes. During 1998-
2001, the legality of the cattle trade was challenged only once by the Kenyan
government, when it closed the border and blocked trade during part of 1999 and 2000.
Along the Somalia/Kenya border little official effort is made to halt livestock
movements, since the trade is so important for the country’s livestock sector and
economy generally.