In brief
- United Nations in Somalia reported on 9 April 2022 that, during a site visit, traders at Hargeisa's Waheen market were already selling again from makeshift stalls with limited goods.
- The UN deployed an inter-agency team of technical experts to work with the government and the response committee on a damage and needs assessment.
- The source does not establish the cause of the fire or who was responsible; loss totals were preliminary and the joint assessment report was still to be finalised.
Contents
United Nations in Somalia reported on 9 April 2022 that a week after fire destroyed the Waheen market in Hargeisa, members of an inter-agency team visited the site and saw traders reopening with makeshift stalls and limited goods to sell. The team had arrived earlier that week to work with the government and the response committee on a damage and needs assessment.
What the source records
According to United Nations in Somalia, the team visited the location with other international partners and met business owners, many of whom were trying to get back to business. The marketplace had held an estimated 5,000 businesses, spread over five square kilometres. Somaliland's response committee put preliminary estimates of total losses at between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture estimated the fire accounted for 40 to 50 per cent of the city's economy. The team included staff from nine UN agencies and met the Ministers of Interior and of Planning.
What it means on site
The immediate lesson for anyone rebuilding is that trading resumed on the site before any reconstruction began, so stall layout, stock storage and movement routes now overlap with whatever gets built. A contractor or client planning works there may need to know where temporary stalls sit and how access will be kept open during construction. The heat and lack of covered selling space that a trader described to the team point to shade and ventilation as practical early concerns. Confirm stall placement, access and any written scope with the response committee or the municipal engineer's office rather than assuming a cleared site.
What the source does not establish
The loss totals were preliminary estimates, not final accounts. The source does not establish the ignition cause, and it does not identify any contractor, owner or authority as responsible. It reports intentions, not completed work: the joint assessment report was to be finalised in the coming days and used at a donors' meeting in Nairobi the following week. The as-of date is 9 April 2022. Nothing here describes the present condition of the market or what has been built since.
What to do next
Ask the Hargeisa municipal engineer's office and the response committee for the finalised joint assessment report and any current site plan or scope for the marketplace. Request it in writing before pricing or programming any work near the market.
Frequently asked questions
Did traders return to Waheen market before reconstruction started?
Yes. United Nations in Somalia reported on 9 April 2022 that, during a site visit, team members met business owners who were already trying to get back to business with makeshift stalls and limited goods to sell, before any reconstruction had taken place.
Does the source say what caused the Waheen market fire?
No. The source records the response and assessment work and states preliminary loss estimates, but it does not establish the ignition cause or assign responsibility to any contractor or party.
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.