Badhan, Sanaag
Encyclopedia
Badhan or Baran is a city
and district
in the Sanaag
region, a territory in north Eastern Somalia
. In July 2007, the district became the capital city of the autonomous Maakhir
(Maakhir has rejoined Puntland since January 2009) region of Somalia. Since the start of the Somali civil war
, the city has grown to include, among other things, a hospital
, three secondary schools, as well as a university
in the works since the Maakhir regional authorities was planning to open another University in Buraan
, another city towards the East of Sanaag
, however that has never happened. Badhan
consists of four main neighbourhoods - Qudloho, Upper Market, Lower Market and New Badhan.
Old Badhan is about 150 years old. The town used to be located in the settlement of Hubeera, which is now located in lowland. It was always in danger of flooding during the raining seasons. About 40 years ago, the town was re-located near a borewell called Badhan and it has assumed the name ever since. The area was first settled in the 14th century by Somali
herdsmen from the Warsangali
subclan of the Darod
clan, as there was water available for their flocks.
Badhan is also famous for being the stage of battles between the Dervishes of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
and the Sultanate of Warsangeli. Hassan, the leader of Dervishes, ordered the construction of a new grand fort in the city. Nowadays, the fort is in need of restoration, as time has worn it down.
district to elect this significant elected women council members. In 2006, the local clan elders have chosen Mr Ahmed Muse Suldan as the District Commissioner of Badhan but it has functioned with limited mandate as far as defining and enforcing city Ordinances and the legal responsibility of its members or sub-committee. This is bound to change, hopefully
The local Clan elders whom facilitated the current elected district members and district commissioner will served in partnership with Local Government and the community in all matters relating to disputes in trade, property, crime and land distribution.
Generally districts in Somalia, the DC positions used to be powerful in local affairs but this has declined since the civil war, therefore, the commissioner’s level of powers are limited in terms of the scope of his position given the current Somali political situation.
Since 1997, Badhan has experienced educational revolution, there are Three primary and Elementary schools in Badhan and Three high school and another one is to be opened soon probably by mid 2009 school year. There are also plans for building Technical College which will provide a much-needed training for both the local residents and high school graduates from other cities and towns of Sanaag
Region in order to enhance their employability or the skills to generate income for themselves. Maakhir
University is now officially open. Exclusively funded by the Minneapolis chapter of Maakhir
diaspora, the current University dean, Dr. Abdirahman Hersi, is convinced that the school will proceed with two undergraduate programs: Education and Computer of Information Science. It will then expand into other essential programs like Health, Business and Finance later on.
Horn Relief
has its main office in the city and it also runs, among other essential services, a Pastoralist Youth Leadership program for the local pastoralist community around the environs of Badhan City.
As of 2008, there are about 5 linguistic private schools which mostly teach Arabic and English. The most well-known language schools operating in Badhan are Lafoole English School and Tawakal English learning centre.
Local people in Badhan District use basic modes of transportation. Small percentage of the district residents own motor vehicles. Since Badhan lies in the centre of Sanaag
Region, there are roads from Bosaso to Erigavo that goes through the city, also another road comes from Laasqoray and passes through the city to Laas-Anod in Sool
Region, however, these roads are unpaved and travelers go through very harsh terrains.
The road that links Badhan to Laasqoray which locals called Geeldora
Road is 95 km away. Approximately 60 km of the road traverses the hilly terrains that form Calmadow Mountains. The existing road is an earth road which is in poor state and especially on the mountainous areas where traffic is ‘one way’. On the flat sections, the road crosses several dry river beds on the first few kilometers after Badhan and just before Laasqoray. The drainage structures / run-off water channels are either poorly formed or collapsed in most of the areas.
The road is on flat terrain for the first 10 km coming from Badhan though it meanders quite a bit probably brought about by traffic trying to run on the smoothest possible surface. There are no specific obstacles that could be said to cause the wavy traffic movement.
After the 50th kilometer,From Badhan, the terrain is mostly downhill. One noticeable feature is that there is an increasingly large number of turns that are much tighter when going downhill compared to the general uphill section from Km 19 to Km 50 when coming from Badhan. Again, cut slope angles need to be improved throughout the section.
The downhill terrain continues until Km 72.5 from Badhan where the terrain is flat and with loose stones on approaching a dry river bed at Km 73, the upstream edge of the road at that section had some protective gabions which built by the former Somali government. When leaving the river bed, the approach going up was noted to be narrow. Between Km 77.2 and Km 77.3, again coming from Badhan, the road crosses 3 other river beds. From the last dry river bed crossing on that section, the road route runs almost parallel to the river all the way to Laasqoray. The terrain thereon to Laasqoray is flat.
Badhan has landing strip which used to serve as a major airport during 1980s for oil companies that were exploring oil deposits in the area, However, of the post-government collapse, regular and scheduled flights in or out of Badhan have diminished to a great extent. The nearest airport or landing strip is in Laasqoray. Erigavo airport is also used for Badhan destination. Just after the civil war started in Somalia
the UNDP chartered flights used to land the unpaved airstrip on the Southeast of the city which was carrying Warsangeli refugees from Southern Somalia
.
The airstrip is located within the centre of the city and runs on the South-eastern bound. It is 2 km long and 65m wide. The grade along the runway rises evenly at approximately 3% and slopes across the runway towards the right at approximately 1.5%. There is a storage / parking / re-fuelling area midway along the runway but no buildings / offices. The airstrip has no storm drain system and most of the edge marker stones are either covered with grass or missing.
The runway wearing course is made of in-situ gravel material. Most of the runway surface is covered in silt and overgrown with grass. The underlying rock layer has been exposed on approximately 20% of the entire runway surface. The landing strip was the hub for UN and operations during 1993-1996 but had fallen into despair since then, however local NGOs are planning to renovate and rebuild it.
Since the runway has not been used for nearly 13 years ago. Lack of use and maintenance has led to grass growing all over the runway and generally the airstrip location. The lack of a storm drainage system on either side of the runway has led surface water to form rills / gulleys on the edges of the runway. There are a few edge markers made of well placed stones but those have been covered by the grass overgrowth. The airstrip was constructed by stripping the ground of grass and overburden material and compacting the surface. There are also two access roads that cut across the airstrip leading to dwellings.
Within the airstrip locality, there are no borrow pits nearby only sites where the locals ‘harvest’ stones and sand for building purposes. Water is readily available,a grader and roller are the only machines that will be required to rehabilitate the airstrip.
With no borrow pits near-by, the best approach to rehabilitating the airstrip would be to strip the runway surface of grass and silt, scarify 100–150 mm, shape and compact the surface. A side drain should be excavated for on the LHS with scour checks provided at 50m intervals while mitre drains should be provided on the RHS at 100m intervals.
The water mains cutting across the runway should be protected; by providing a plastic (PVC) sleeve and haunching (surround) the sleeve with concrete. The PVC pipe size should be reasonable enough so as to act as a service duct for further use in future.
Edge markers should also be provided on both edges of the runway. Well arranged stones should be placed at 10 m intervals and painted red every 50 m. The access roads should also be diverted to a single service road on either side of the runway / airstrip area to avoid vehicular traffic going across the airstrip. At some point, an office building will be required at the very least to house communication equipment and maintain records.
, Somalis from various different clans who had been victimized in other unsafe parts in Somalia started migrating safe areas of the country including Sanaag
region
.
Badhan, being a save haven for many Somalis, subsequently ballooned in size from a city to a population of over 113,000 and counting.
Some small scale business
ventures started flourishing, mainly because the location of the city in the middle of Sanaag
region
and growing local inhabitant, business such as small market for fresh milk, meet and locally produced vegetables have become commonly available in the town.
New hotel with three floors opened its door in 2009,built by local businessman who is from Cardiff
, in Wales
, UK.
towards the city of Laasqoray, while the sea with white beaches, crystal clear water, and a kaleidoscopic reef, is situated just across the mountains of Laasqoray. In the city there are many activities one can do while on vacation like visit coffee shops where khat
is consumed, or drop in on an Internet café. There are also many hotels and guest houses.
The best period to visit this city is during September–May during the rain season as the heat in the summer is unbearable for outsiders. On the outskirts of the city are rock mountains, grassland with wildlife
and unique trees—a panoramic view.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and district
Districts of Somalia
||Somalia is officially divided into eighteen administrative regions , which in turn are subdivided into districts....
in the Sanaag
Sanaag
Sanaag is an administrative region in northern Somalia. Its capital city is Erigavo.Sanaag has a long coastline facing the Gulf of Aden to the north, and is bordered by the Somali regions of Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sool and Bari....
region, a territory in north Eastern Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. In July 2007, the district became the capital city of the autonomous Maakhir
Maakhir
Maakhir , officially the Maakhir State of Somalia was an autonomous region in northern Somalia in an area disputed by the Somaliland and Puntland macro-regions. In January 2009, it was incorporated into Puntland.-Autonomy:...
(Maakhir has rejoined Puntland since January 2009) region of Somalia. Since the start of the Somali civil war
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
, the city has grown to include, among other things, a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, three secondary schools, as well as a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in the works since the Maakhir regional authorities was planning to open another University in Buraan
Buraan
Buraan, also known as Hiil Buran, is one of the largest towns in the northern Sanaag region of Somalia. Along with Las Khorey and Hadaftimo, it is considered to be one of the oldest settlements in the province.-References:*...
, another city towards the East of Sanaag
Sanaag
Sanaag is an administrative region in northern Somalia. Its capital city is Erigavo.Sanaag has a long coastline facing the Gulf of Aden to the north, and is bordered by the Somali regions of Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sool and Bari....
, however that has never happened. Badhan
Badhan
Badhan may refer to:* Badhan, Sanaag, Somalia* al-Badhan, a Palestinian village in the West Bank* Badhan , a group founded at the University of Dhaka to promote blood donation* Badhan , a clan of the Jat people....
consists of four main neighbourhoods - Qudloho, Upper Market, Lower Market and New Badhan.
History of Badhan
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
herdsmen from the Warsangali
Warsangali
The Warsangeli , is a Somali clan, part of the Harti confederation of Darod sub-clans...
subclan of the Darod
Darod
The Darod is a Somali clan. The father of this clan is named Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, but is more commonly known as Darod. In the Somali language, the word Daarood means "an enclosed compound," a conflation of the two words daar and ood .The Darod population in Somalia lives principally...
clan, as there was water available for their flocks.
Badhan is also famous for being the stage of battles between the Dervishes of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
Sayyīd Muhammad `Abd Allāh al-Hasan was a Somali religious and patriotic leader...
and the Sultanate of Warsangeli. Hassan, the leader of Dervishes, ordered the construction of a new grand fort in the city. Nowadays, the fort is in need of restoration, as time has worn it down.
Local government
On 20 March 2011, a new council District Members and District commissioner,Mr Abdirizak Ahmed Isse and new deputy commissioner, Ms Zainab Abdi Mohamed, was elected on the 20th of March 2011, the election was observed by the local elders and Puntland interior minister, Abdullahi Ahmed Jama ‘Ilkajir’, the members of the council districts includes 9 women and therefore the District of Badhan became the first SomaliSomali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
district to elect this significant elected women council members. In 2006, the local clan elders have chosen Mr Ahmed Muse Suldan as the District Commissioner of Badhan but it has functioned with limited mandate as far as defining and enforcing city Ordinances and the legal responsibility of its members or sub-committee. This is bound to change, hopefully
The local Clan elders whom facilitated the current elected district members and district commissioner will served in partnership with Local Government and the community in all matters relating to disputes in trade, property, crime and land distribution.
Generally districts in Somalia, the DC positions used to be powerful in local affairs but this has declined since the civil war, therefore, the commissioner’s level of powers are limited in terms of the scope of his position given the current Somali political situation.
District Council Seats
| The newly established council members are designated by lineage and clan, the district members consist of larger number of women, this is first of its kind in Somalia as whole. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men's Seats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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EWLINE
|
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| Women's Seats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
EWLINE
|
Education
Sanaag
Sanaag is an administrative region in northern Somalia. Its capital city is Erigavo.Sanaag has a long coastline facing the Gulf of Aden to the north, and is bordered by the Somali regions of Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sool and Bari....
Region in order to enhance their employability or the skills to generate income for themselves. Maakhir
Maakhir
Maakhir , officially the Maakhir State of Somalia was an autonomous region in northern Somalia in an area disputed by the Somaliland and Puntland macro-regions. In January 2009, it was incorporated into Puntland.-Autonomy:...
University is now officially open. Exclusively funded by the Minneapolis chapter of Maakhir
Maakhir
Maakhir , officially the Maakhir State of Somalia was an autonomous region in northern Somalia in an area disputed by the Somaliland and Puntland macro-regions. In January 2009, it was incorporated into Puntland.-Autonomy:...
diaspora, the current University dean, Dr. Abdirahman Hersi, is convinced that the school will proceed with two undergraduate programs: Education and Computer of Information Science. It will then expand into other essential programs like Health, Business and Finance later on.
Horn Relief
Horn Relief
Horn Relief is an international development and humanitarian organisation that was co-founded by Fatima Jibrell. The INGO has offices in Borama, Badhan, Sanaag, Bosaso, Laasqoray and had another office in Kismayo which has been closed since 2008 after the killing of one their Project Managers in...
has its main office in the city and it also runs, among other essential services, a Pastoralist Youth Leadership program for the local pastoralist community around the environs of Badhan City.
As of 2008, there are about 5 linguistic private schools which mostly teach Arabic and English. The most well-known language schools operating in Badhan are Lafoole English School and Tawakal English learning centre.
Primary to High School
- Alfurqan Primary and Elementary School
- Alnour Primary and Elementary School
- Sinai Primary and Elementary School
- Alfurqan High School
- Alnour High School
- Badhan High School
Post Secondary Institutions
- Lafole School of Languages
- Tawakal School of Languages
- Haji Ayan Community College
- Iqra Institute for Higher Education
- Maakhir University
Land
Sanaag
Sanaag is an administrative region in northern Somalia. Its capital city is Erigavo.Sanaag has a long coastline facing the Gulf of Aden to the north, and is bordered by the Somali regions of Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sool and Bari....
Region, there are roads from Bosaso to Erigavo that goes through the city, also another road comes from Laasqoray and passes through the city to Laas-Anod in Sool
Sool
Sool is an administrative region in northern Somalia.-Overview:With its capital at Las Anod, Sool is historically known for being the seat of the anti-colonial Dervish movement....
Region, however, these roads are unpaved and travelers go through very harsh terrains.
The road that links Badhan to Laasqoray which locals called Geeldora
Geeldora
Geeldora Road is the road that links between Badhan and the historical city of Laasqoray in Northern Somalia. The length of the road is 97 kilometers and Approximately 60 km of the road traverses the hilly terrains that form Calmadow Mountains with breath taking scenes.-Condition of the...
Road is 95 km away. Approximately 60 km of the road traverses the hilly terrains that form Calmadow Mountains. The existing road is an earth road which is in poor state and especially on the mountainous areas where traffic is ‘one way’. On the flat sections, the road crosses several dry river beds on the first few kilometers after Badhan and just before Laasqoray. The drainage structures / run-off water channels are either poorly formed or collapsed in most of the areas.
Condition of the Road
After the 50th kilometer,From Badhan, the terrain is mostly downhill. One noticeable feature is that there is an increasingly large number of turns that are much tighter when going downhill compared to the general uphill section from Km 19 to Km 50 when coming from Badhan. Again, cut slope angles need to be improved throughout the section.
The downhill terrain continues until Km 72.5 from Badhan where the terrain is flat and with loose stones on approaching a dry river bed at Km 73, the upstream edge of the road at that section had some protective gabions which built by the former Somali government. When leaving the river bed, the approach going up was noted to be narrow. Between Km 77.2 and Km 77.3, again coming from Badhan, the road crosses 3 other river beds. From the last dry river bed crossing on that section, the road route runs almost parallel to the river all the way to Laasqoray. The terrain thereon to Laasqoray is flat.
Air
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
the UNDP chartered flights used to land the unpaved airstrip on the Southeast of the city which was carrying Warsangeli refugees from Southern Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
.
The airstrip is located within the centre of the city and runs on the South-eastern bound. It is 2 km long and 65m wide. The grade along the runway rises evenly at approximately 3% and slopes across the runway towards the right at approximately 1.5%. There is a storage / parking / re-fuelling area midway along the runway but no buildings / offices. The airstrip has no storm drain system and most of the edge marker stones are either covered with grass or missing.
The runway wearing course is made of in-situ gravel material. Most of the runway surface is covered in silt and overgrown with grass. The underlying rock layer has been exposed on approximately 20% of the entire runway surface. The landing strip was the hub for UN and operations during 1993-1996 but had fallen into despair since then, however local NGOs are planning to renovate and rebuild it.
Conditions of the Airport
Repair
With no borrow pits near-by, the best approach to rehabilitating the airstrip would be to strip the runway surface of grass and silt, scarify 100–150 mm, shape and compact the surface. A side drain should be excavated for on the LHS with scour checks provided at 50m intervals while mitre drains should be provided on the RHS at 100m intervals.
The water mains cutting across the runway should be protected; by providing a plastic (PVC) sleeve and haunching (surround) the sleeve with concrete. The PVC pipe size should be reasonable enough so as to act as a service duct for further use in future.
Edge markers should also be provided on both edges of the runway. Well arranged stones should be placed at 10 m intervals and painted red every 50 m. The access roads should also be diverted to a single service road on either side of the runway / airstrip area to avoid vehicular traffic going across the airstrip. At some point, an office building will be required at the very least to house communication equipment and maintain records.
Public services
Badhan has the largest hospital in Sanaag region, built by the Diaspora of the Region, sadly the hospital is closed since February 2009 due lack of funding and now the local community is left to face the daunting task of taking their sick to Bosaso in Bari region. The hospital used to offer all the basic medical needs and it has a Maternity ward but that now is closed too. The local MCH is serving the locals and the city has also many pharmacies which offer first aid and other light medical attention.Business in Badhan
Badhan is a city that is experiencing a period of rapid growth. Similar to any other small town in Somalia, it used to count a population of less than 15,000 residents. However, in the wake of the Somali civil warSomali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
, Somalis from various different clans who had been victimized in other unsafe parts in Somalia started migrating safe areas of the country including Sanaag
Sanaag
Sanaag is an administrative region in northern Somalia. Its capital city is Erigavo.Sanaag has a long coastline facing the Gulf of Aden to the north, and is bordered by the Somali regions of Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sool and Bari....
region
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
.
Badhan, being a save haven for many Somalis, subsequently ballooned in size from a city to a population of over 113,000 and counting.
Some small scale business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
ventures started flourishing, mainly because the location of the city in the middle of Sanaag
Sanaag
Sanaag is an administrative region in northern Somalia. Its capital city is Erigavo.Sanaag has a long coastline facing the Gulf of Aden to the north, and is bordered by the Somali regions of Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sool and Bari....
region
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
and growing local inhabitant, business such as small market for fresh milk, meet and locally produced vegetables have become commonly available in the town.
New hotel with three floors opened its door in 2009,built by local businessman who is from Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, UK.
Entertainment in Badhan
Badhan has green mountains on the west side popularly known as the Cal MadowCal Madow
Cal Madow is a mountain range in northeastern Somalia, extending from several kilometers west of Bosaso to northwest of Erigavo. Its peak sits at almost 2500 m in Shimbiris, northwest of Erigavo...
towards the city of Laasqoray, while the sea with white beaches, crystal clear water, and a kaleidoscopic reef, is situated just across the mountains of Laasqoray. In the city there are many activities one can do while on vacation like visit coffee shops where khat
Khat
Khat, qat, gat or Waquish Spoken from true Yemeni, is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
is consumed, or drop in on an Internet café. There are also many hotels and guest houses.
The best period to visit this city is during September–May during the rain season as the heat in the summer is unbearable for outsiders. On the outskirts of the city are rock mountains, grassland with wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
and unique trees—a panoramic view.