The main market of Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland's autonomous region capital city caught ablaze on Saturday, causing injuries and destruction of property.
The Waheen market, known for being the very center of trade of Somaliland, was home to some 2,000 shops and accounted for 40-50% of the region's economy. According to Somaliland's President, Muse Bihi Abdi, 28 people were injured and hundreds lost their only source of income.
The President also noted that the complicated structure of the market hurdled firefighters' work. Market stalls put on top of each other made extinguishing the fire more challenging and time-consuming.
Prime Minister of UK, Boris Johnson, expressed solidarity with the fire victims. "We are in close contact with the Somaliland authorities, our international partners and aid agencies operating in the country, and are considering what assistance is needed," UK Minister for Africa, Vicky Ford, said on Twitter.
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