Tanzania, the poster child for Julius Nyere’s “African Socialism”, was similar. I was flying a helicopter mission for two UN ornithologists in Tanzania. The helicopter was based in Nairobi and they asked that when I flew down, please bring toilet paper & light bulbs.
Unavailable in the “African Socialism” paradise.
Some of our church’s missionaries were approached with offers of protection details by low-level officers in an African nation I can’t name in return for basic toiletries and nonperishable, portable foods like granola bars. The bigwig chimpanzees with a yard of ribbons and a pound of medals on their chests that they’d awarded themselves hogged all of it and there was basically nothing for the troops who were beginning to take bribes or hire themselves out due to YEARS of shortages.
They initially refused for ethical reasons but when a terrorist group started tearing through the countryside and the dictator’s troops started deserting the locals begged them to help. So after some debate the sponsors raised a HUGE shipment of simple foods and goods like toilet paper and razors...stuff that to them was on the level of luxury goods from a French import perfume store...with half of it very quietly earmarked for the local troops.
After a full day of grown tough men celebrating like a kid who got ten years of Christmas and birthday presents at the same time, about a company-sized unit spent another couple days cleaning and checking arms they’d barely practiced with (starving troops don’t train or maintain too well), formed up (sort of) and completely kicked the terrorist group’s ass in an engagement that ended with a full-out machete charge. Survivors were estimated in two digits. It was an amazing lesson in what people will do when lifted out of despair and hunger.