Waheen Market fire

Somaliland, along with the whole of the Horn of Africa, had been suffering from one of the worst droughts in decades, with Somaliland recording its driest season in 40 years. This led to an already sensitive food situation in the nation, as well as a lack of other commodities. On top of the inflation that began following the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, this disaster was especially devastating to the communities that relied on the market. == Fire ==

The market fire began on the evening of 1 April at around 8:10 PM The fire started possibly due to an electrical fault in an old warehouse in the market according to eyewitnesses, where the fire was quickly picked up by winds helping it to spread across the market. The fire took around 20 hours to extinguish, but even after this, small plumes of smoke were still prevalent across the market. Due to this, the clean-up operation would begin early 5 April, after allowing time for the traders to try to retrieve any property that survived. While there were no deaths associated with the fire, 28 people were injured. The majority of those injured had gone into the fire attempting to salvage goods from their burning stalls. == Response ==

The site of the Waheen Market fire was visited most notably by Dahabshiil CEO Abdirashid Duale, The Somaliland government released $1 million shortly after the fire was extinguished to help with emergency response, "The town has never witnessed such a massive calamity," Mayor Mooge told reporters at the scene. == Impact ==

The fire destroyed an area of about 99,000 m² (about 24 acres), destroying an estimated 2,000 including many migrant workers from Somalia, Kenya, and other parts of East Africa. == International support ==

On 3 April, Somaliland officials launched an international appeal for USD $2 billion to urgently deliver humanitarian support to the families and businesses affected by the fire. In response to this call, multiple countries and cities from around the world showed their support by raising money President of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed also said he spoke on the phone with President Abdi to discuss the extent of the devastation caused by the fire. The Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and Somali opposition party leaders also offered their condolences to Somaliland. Canadian based relief organization Relieve Humanity International (RHI) also called on Canadians across the country to provide their support and raise awareness for those affected by the fire. China The Chinese government originally wished to send their diplomat to Somalia Fei Shengchao to Hargeisa to discuss how China could potentially help mitigate the disaster, but further plans potentially saw lawmakers, opposition leaders, and university students attending the envoy as well. The government of Somaliland ultimately called off the diplomatic visit as they suspected that the ultimate motivation was to sabotage the growing Somaliland–Taiwan relations. Taiwan Taiwan donated twice with aid and funding exceeding USD $1 million. Taiwan first donated on 27 April, when Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs donated USD $500,000 to help relieve victims of the fire. United Kingdom United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the fire and voiced his sympathy in a message on Twitter, saying also that the "UK will do what we can to support Somaliland's rebuilding effort". UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also offered her condolences on Twitter, also saying that the "UK is working with the authorities and international partners to seek to provide support". Another event in Sheffield raised money by holding a Iftar dinner with local councillors, MPs, and Somaliland community members on 3 May. Their GoFundMe raised just over £900. United States On the morning of 2 April, United States Ambassador to Somalia Larry Andre spoke with President Abdi on the phone, saying he was "relieved no one was seriously hurt". The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs also offered their condolences to Somaliland, wishing "those injured [a quick] recover[y]". Other nations Kenya, specifically Kenya's main opposition leader Raila Odinga with some Somalilander communities in Nairobi organizing a fundraiser towards reconstruction efforts. Former President of Kosovo Behgjet Pacolli said he was "saddened to see the destruction caused by the fire" and called on the international community to assist in the reconstruction efforts. == See also ==