The East African coast, Somalia.
A militia of dark-skinned soldiers busied themselves with transporting various kinds of weapons and ammunition along the coastline. Tough and fierce-looking men lifted up crates filled with automatic rifles, ammunition and rockets into a convoy of rickety trucks. In contrast to the shoddy vehicles, however, the contents of the crates were state-of-the-art and highly valuable. After all, these had been given to the Somalis by the Jewish consortium of the United States of America.
“Hurry up! Move faster!”
“Pay attention and don’t drop it.”
“After you deliver the items to the northern barracks you can leave.”
“......”
The sudden influx of high-quality arms left many of the soldiers confused and curious as to their origins. A few had some suspicions, but most honestly, they couldn’t be too bothered about where they came from. Far more relevant was the income they’d earn for transporting them to their employers. Opportunities for a safe and good wage were hard to come by in these times.
Soon the last truck drove off, fully laden with the tools of conflict, and the bustling coastline quickly returned to being a scenic beach. Only two men remained standing and staring at the waves. The first was President Abdullahi, and the second was of military origins. His uniform sported numerous medals and a beret fit snugly onto his head. Turning to the president he saluted.
“Mr. President, all the goods have been received. As you requested, we prioritized loading and did not bother counting them.”
“Very good. Next, place our best troops at the border south of Kenya. I will be joining you at the command center soon, so until then, make sure there are no setbacks.”
“Yes sir!”
This buff Somali general saluted once more to no one.
……
In the presidential palace of Mogadishu, Somalia, Abdullahi placed down his communicator. His hands trembled as he picked up the cigar next to him, lit it up, and took a drag. Then he gently exhaled the smoke.
The trembling did not come from fear, but a kind of religious fervor. With the arrival of the weapons, Abdullahi felt more and more sure that this was a test from his deity. And it wasn’t just him alone. Many others under his employ felt this to be a moment of true reckoning......
The next day, Abdullahi directly took a plane from Mogadishu to the border. The situation would require his personal oversight in order to avoid any mistakes.