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In brief
- United Nations in Somalia reported on 18 April 2022 that it offered technical assistance to design and rebuild a safer Waheen marketplace.
- The fire-resistant, accessible design was described as a medium-term proposal for a market that was not yet rebuilt at the source date.
- A design recommendation is not evidence that any replacement market was built to meet it.
Contents
United Nations in Somalia reported on 18 April 2022 that a senior UN official, visiting Hargeisa after the Waheen market fire, pledged support for the rebuilding effort and offered UN technical help to design a safer marketplace. The resident coordinator, Adam Abdelmoula, spoke at the ruined market and met Somaliland's planning minister and a deputy mayor.
What the source records
During a visit after a week-long assessment by UN technical experts, the resident coordinator said the UN would contribute technical input for the designing of a fire-resistant, modern market compliant with best safety standards, United Nations in Somalia records. He said the planned market would also be designed to be environmentally friendly, accessible to people with disabilities, and include facilities especially for women while blending with local culture. The same account records the deputy mayor putting the total loss around 1.5 to 2 billion dollars, with less than 20 million dollars received so far, and a finalized list of around 5,000 people who lost property.
What it means on site
Fire resistance in a market building is a design decision before it is a construction one: how stalls are separated, what the structure is made of, where people can exit and how emergency vehicles reach the lanes. A builder or trader joining the reconstruction discussion can ask to see the drawing set and specification that carry those choices, and ask who signs off changes on site. The source describes an offer of technical input, so any fire-resistance detail still needs to be confirmed against the project's own drawings and the engineer's specification rather than assumed from the announcement.
What the source does not establish
A recommendation and an offer of assistance are not evidence that the market was rebuilt to those requirements, or that any replacement market now meets them. The source is dated 18 April 2022 and does not state design capacities, material schedules, approval dates or completion. It also does not say who was responsible for the fire or its spread, and nothing here should be read as assigning fault. What would confirm the present state is the built drawings, permits and inspection records held for the market reconstruction.
What to do next
Ask the Hargeisa municipality, or whichever office holds the reconstruction file, for the approved drawing set and specification for the new market, and check whether the fire-resistance, exit and accessibility clauses described in April 2022 appear in the signed documents.
Frequently asked questions
Did the UN design the new Waheen market?
No. United Nations in Somalia reported on 18 April 2022 that the resident coordinator offered UN technical input for the designing of a fire-resistant market. That is an offer of assistance, not a completed design or a completed rebuild.
What fire-resistance details were given?
The source records a call for a fire-resistant, modern market compliant with best safety standards, plus environmental, disability-access and women's facilities. It gives no material, compartment or exit specifications, so those must come from the project's drawings and engineer.
Sources
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.