After a massive fire burned the main market in the capital Hargeisa, destroying hundreds of businesses and hurting the local economy, the autonomous Somali province of Somaliland launched an international plea for $2 billion in help on Wednesday.
The fire started on Friday evening and quickly overtook the large Waheen market, hurting over two dozen people but leaving no one dead
Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi said, “We are launching for a combined $2 billion to quickly give humanitarian and livelihood support to an estimated 5,000 small, medium, and large family businesses.”
He said the fire in one of the largest markets in the Horn of Africa had caused losses estimated at $2 billion, or around 60 percent of Somaliland’s gross domestic product.
“This is an emergency of the highest magnitude and time is of the essence,” he said.
Several countries including Britain, which once ruled Somaliland as a protectorate, and neighboring Ethiopia and Djibouti have offered support and sympathy over the disaster.
In 1991, Somaliland declared independence from Somalia, but the act was not recognized by the international world, leaving the four-million-strong region impoverished and isolated.
According to official data, its GDP in 2020 was little over $2.9 billion, down 3.1 percent from the previous year, owing mostly to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
While Somalia has been ravaged by decades of political bloodshed and an Islamist insurgency, the breakaway region has remained relatively calm.