# Burao-Erigavo Road Cornerstone Laid in 2013

> President Silanyo laid a cornerstone for the Burao-Erigavo road on 16 September 2013, Somaliland Sun reported. No evidence since.

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 1 October 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Infrastructure and Services
- Tags: roads, procurement, project-management
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/burao-erigavo-road-cornerstone-2013

## Key points

- On 16 September 2013, Somaliland Sun reported President Silanyo laid a cornerstone for the Burao-Erigavo road.
- The report gave conflicting lengths of 375 km and approximately 240 miles (about 386 km).
- No contractor, funder, cost, or current status has been reported since the cornerstone ceremony.

On 16 September 2013, Somaliland Sun reported that President Silanyo laid the cornerstone for construction of the road between Erigavo and Burao. The report does not establish that construction work began that day, only that the ceremony took place.

The publication described the road as 375 km long, starting from Ina Afmadoobe village east of Burao, and connecting the Lasaanod-Burao tarmac road built by the Chinese in the 1970s to Erigavo via the Saraar plateau. However, the same report also stated the distance between Erigavo and Burao as approximately 240 miles, a figure of about 386 km that conflicts with the 375 km claim.

According to Somaliland Sun, the existing route to Erigavo, the capital of Sanaag, was a rough road that zigzagged through the Adado Garadag mountains, El Afweye, and Yusfle. Overland access from Burao took at least 12 hours on the nearest tarmac road that connects Burao and Lasaanod to Mogadishu. The report said that once the road is finished, cash crops and other produce from Sanaag could reach Hargeisa in less than a day, increasing trade and reducing dependence on Ethiopian-imported crops.

No contractor, consultant, funder, contract value, project cost, start date, completion date, or current status of the road has been reported in the Somaliland Sun article or in any other source since 16 September 2013. The report provides no evidence of actual construction activity, and no subsequent information is available to confirm whether the road was built, is under construction, or was abandoned.

## Questions

### What is the scope and length of the Burao-Erigavo road?

Somaliland Sun reported the road as 375 km long in one part of its article, but also stated the distance between Erigavo and Burao as approximately 240 miles (about 386 km). The two figures conflict.

### Who is funding and constructing the road?

The Somaliland Sun report from 16 September 2013 does not name any contractor, consultant, or funder for the road project.

### What is the expected timeline and cost of the road?

No timeline or cost was provided in the Somaliland Sun report. Since the cornerstone ceremony, there has been no reported information on the project's status.

## Sources

- [Somaliland: President Silanyo Initiates Construction of Burao-Erigavo Road](https://somalilandsun.com/somaliland-president-silanyo-initiates-construction-of-burao-erigavo-road/) — Somaliland Sun, 2013-09-16