James Jeffrey

The tragic loss of Somaliland’s epic Waaheen market

Twenty per cent of the country’s GDP has been wiped out in the fire

Waaheen market, Somaliland (Photo: Getty)
  • Comments

On the eve of Ramadan at the start of this month, the epic Waaheen market at the centre of Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, caught fire. The flames engulfed the entire market and took 12 hours to put out. There were no fatalities—it was Friday, the holy day of prayer for Muslims, and the market was closed—but the market no longer exists.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Written by
James Jeffrey
James Jeffrey is a freelance journalist, writer and Camino guide who splits his time between the US, the UK, the Iberian Peninsula and further afield.

Topics in this article

Read next

Trending

Zak Asgard

The despair of Deliveroo

From Spectator Life
Self-pity and Deliveroo go hand in hand. You can’t have the latter without the former. It’s impossible to watch a rain-drenched driver fight with his moped’s side stand – while you sit torpidly in your pants by the window – without the heavy feeling of self-loathing. There’s something shameful about it, something pathetic. If Dante

Also in Society

Also by James Jeffrey

Latest

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in