El Dahir () formerly known as El Dofar (), is a town in

Bari, Somalia Bari (, ) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in northeastern Somalia that consists of six districts: Qandala, Iskushuban, Aluula, Bosaso, Bandarbeyla, and Qardho. The port city of Bosaso is the capital of the region and the largest ...

region of

Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...

state of

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

. It often floods during the rainy season because it is the confluence of the

wadi Wadi ( ; ) is a river valley or a wet (ephemerality, ephemeral) Stream bed, riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. Wadis are located on gently sloping, nearly flat parts of deserts; commonly they begin on the distal portion ...

from Buraan and from Durdur.

History

A book about

British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate (), was a protectorate of the United Kingdom in modern Somaliland. It was bordered by Italian Somalia, French Somali Coast and Ethiopian Empire, Abyssinia (Italian Ethiopia from 1936 ...

published in England in 1951 mentions it under the name "El Dofar". In April 2020, a stimulant plant

Khat Khat (''Catha edulis''), also known as Bushman's tea, especially in South Africa, is a flowering plant native to eastern and southeastern Africa. It has a history of cultivation originating in the Harar area (present day eastern Ethiopia) and ...

was seized in El Dahir and incinerated in the public square. Soldiers who participated in the trafficking were brought to trial, but civilians were only seized and not arrested. In August 2021, the Puntland government announced the construction of a 3,600 cubic meter dam located 2 km northeast from El Dahir.

El Dahir - Erigavo road

The city is currently developing in all sides, the largest project in

is under going throughout the city an asphalt road that connects the city to the Sanag regional Capital city Ergavo is now under process and soon it will be opened. This road is 368 km long, it is very important road to puntland and the region it will boost commercial activity and it also connects

main regions

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

and

Sanaag Sanag (, ) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north eastern Somaliland.Regions of Somalia
Sa ...

. However, Erigavo is a town that has been under stable and effective control by Somaliland since the beginning of Somaliland's independence, and the Puntland government's control extends only to the vicinity of

Hadaftimo Hadaftimo () is a historic town in the eastern Sanaag region of Somalia. It is home to several archaeological sites and ancient buildings. There is a Puntland military base. History Hadaftimo is an old town. During the British Somaliland, four ...

. Puntland's main media outlet

Garowe Online Garowe Online is an independent bilingual news website founded in 2004 and is owned by Garowe News Group, which also owns Radio Garowe. The organisation is based in Garowe, the capital of Puntland State of Somalia. In 2011, ''Garowe Online'' was ...

reports that the "El Dahir - Badhan road."

Construction History

This project began on January 10, 2016. In August 2017, the El Dahir-Erigavo Road Commission completed 45 kilometers of work. The chairman of the committee at this time is Sheikh Cali Maxamuud Xasan. Estimated cost so far is $16 million. On January 11, 2018, President Farmajo of the Federal Republic of Somalia visited El Dahir and laid the

cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

of the road. However, Puntland's President

Gaas Gallium arsenide (GaAs) is a III-V direct band gap semiconductor with a zinc blende crystal structure. Gallium arsenide is used in the manufacture of devices such as microwave frequency integrated circuits, monolithic microwave integrated circui ...

criticized this, claiming that the Somali Federal Government did not play its role about the loss by force of

Tukaraq Tukaraq is a small town in the eastern Sool region of Somalia. The town is located on the road between Las Anod and Garowe in Las Anod District. Khatumo State has had effective control there since 2023, but Puntland also has a territorial claim. ...

. In July 2018, the El Dahir-Eligavo Road Commission reported to President Gaas of Puntland that the first phase of the 90-kilometer road had been completed and that a second phase of paving with sand and

mortar Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a village i ...

was planned. The 90 kilometers from El Dahir is equivalent to the distance to Badhan. In November 2018, the Federal Government of Somalia announced that it will provide $1.5 million for the construction of the El Dahir-Erigavo road. In October 2019, the news website Somaliland Standard reported that "the 90-kilometer road between El Dahir and Badhan is in very good condition. In August 2020, construction began on the second phase of the road connecting El Dahir and

Erigavo Erigavo (, ), also spelled as Erigabo, is the capital and largest city of the Sanaag region of Somaliland. Etymology The name ''Ceerigaabo'' is made up of two parts: ''Ceeri'' which describes a place water collects, and ''gaabo'' (''gaaban'') ...

. In October, the Puntland council provided 200 barrels of tar. The project was suspended and resumed in December. In January 2021, a ceremony was held at the Puntland Presidential Palace to celebrate the

tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...

donation campaign for the second phase of the project.

References

El Dahir

Notes

{{reflist Populated places in Bari, Somalia Archaeological sites in Somalia Somalia–Somaliland border crossings