Fundraiser as traders destitute
MEMBERS of one of Wales’ most prominent ethnic minority communities are raising funds to help thousands of people in their ancestral homeland whose livelihoods have been destroyed by a devastating fire.
Earlier this month fire swept through the Waaheen Market in Hargeisa, capital of the unrecognised breakaway state of Somaliland, which has around 8,000 citizens living in Wales.
The state was established more than 30 years ago following a civil war in which Somalia’s dictator, Siad Barre, was overthrown.
Unlike the country it broke away from, Somaliland has created democratic institutions that have thrived, together with a stable economy based on thousands of small traders and entrepreneurs.
But the fire, likely to have been caused by an electrical fault, has come as a huge setback.
Professor Eid Ali Ahmed, a Cardiffbased businessman who is an adviser to the Somaliland government and used to be deputy chief executive of the Welsh Refugee Council, said: “The impact of the fire is much worse than it might seem.
“The market was a trading hub for the whole of the Horn of Africa, and literally thousands of people’s livelihoods depend on it. Most of the stallholders are women, who act as breadwinners for their families.
“You could buy virtually everything in it, from food to clothing and shoes to household goods. It was comparable to the kind of market you find in Hong Kong in terms of the range of
goods it was offering. But there’s a very important difference to Hong Kong – everything was paid for in cash, which was kept in safes in the market. The traders don’t have bank accounts or insurance. The safes were destroyed in the fire and they have lost everything.”
Prof Ahmed said he was frustrated that the recommendations of a report produced by academics from Cardiff University with his assistance in 2017 had not been implemented.
The report said financial infrastructure should be created so that traders could access the banking system.
“It’s very unfortunate that action wasn’t taken,” he said. “If it had been, the traders would have been in a much better position.
“They are being helped by people from the diaspora, including the community in Wales, where collections are being organised by a group of women led by Samia Ege.
“They are making brilliant efforts but we need to widen our base of support,” said Prof Ahmed.
MPs who have been long-term supporters of Somaliland, like Stephen Doughty, who represents Cardiff South and Penarth, have met at Westminster and are asking the UK Government for emergency assistance.
A crowdfunder has been set up at gofundme.com.
Somaliland’s president, Muse Bihi Abdi, has issued an international appeal for help, stating: “This unprecedented fire disaster affected every family in Hargeisa, directly or indirectly, and thus the economic and psychological impacts of the affected populations is undoubtedly enormous.
“This is an emergency of a high-level magnitude and time is of the essence. We are appealing for all the international communities and friends of Somaliland to effect an immediate resource mobilisation supplemented by technical expertise as deemed essential.”
The president is seeking donations totalling $2bn with the aim of rebuilding the market in phased stages.
Prof Ahmed said: “I’m sure that the market will be rebuilt in due course. For the time being, though, the people of Somaliland will be very grateful for whatever help is forthcoming.”