In brief
- On 29 June 2015, Somaliland Sun reported that Somaliland's Presidency Minister Hirsi Haji Ali said 150 km of the 370 km Erigavo-Burao road had been completed.
- The article describes the project as a multi-million dollar, fully internally funded asphalt road, but gives no project value, contractor, or updated status.
- No source is provided for what has happened on the road corridor since that date.
On 29 June 2015, Somaliland Sun reported that 150 of the 370 km Erigavo–Burao road had been completed, according to a tweet by Presidency Minister Hirsi Haji Ali.
The article, headlined Somaliland: 150 of 370Kms Erigavo Burao Road Completed, Presidency Minister, characterised the road as "the most ambitious Somaliland government project to date", planned to open up the Sanaag region as the country's breadbasket through an asphalt road linking Erigavo to Burao.
Project scope and funding
Somaliland Sun described the project as a government-funded, multi-million dollar venture that was fully internally funded. The article reported that, to cut costs, the government purchased several earthmoving equipment units from China using contributions from the civil service, armed forces, and civilians in the country and the diaspora. That equipment is "largely credited with the on-going successes" of the project, according to the article.
The report said the project was initiated by President Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo on 16 September 2013.
What the report does not establish
The Somaliland Sun article provides no evidence of the road's status after 29 June 2015. It does not name a contractor, consultant, client ministry, or supervising engineer. It gives no project value, contract value, total cost, currency, or budget line. The only figure for completed kilometres is the minister's tweet, with no independent verification.
The article itself contains an inconsistency: the headline and lead refer to a 370 km road, while the body text describes a 375 km asphalt road. It does not reconcile the two figures.
Frequently asked questions
How many kilometers of the Erigavo-Burao road were completed as of 29 June 2015?
According to a tweet by Presidency Minister Hirsi Haji Ali reported by Somaliland Sun, 150 of the 370 km road had been completed.
What is the total length of the Erigavo-Burao road?
Somaliland Sun's article is inconsistent: the headline and lead state 370 km, while the body text describes a 375 km asphalt road.
Who provided the status update on the road?
Somaliland's Presidency Minister Hirsi Haji Ali provided the update via a tweet, as reported by Somaliland Sun.