Region
Burao livestock market
Burao, in Togdheer, has one of the largest livestock markets in the Horn of Africa. Together with the nearby Yirowe market, it sells up to 10,000 sheep and goats a day, many of them trucked to Berbera and shipped to the Gulf. Animals come from across Somalia and from the Somali Region of Ethiopia. In 2016 a two-month closure during drought left about 1,500 people who depend on the market without income.
Size
Burao and Yirowe are described as among the largest livestock markets in the Horn of Africa, with as many as 10,000 sheep and goats sold a day, many of them shipped to the Gulf states through the port of Berbera (Wikipedia, Burao District). The Wikipedia article on Yirowe says that market handles up to 70 percent of the sheep and goats and 65 percent of the camels exported from Berbera (Wikipedia, Yirowe); that article cites a 2001 trade directory and a 1998 journal for these shares.
Where the animals come from
Animals reach Burao from all over the Horn of Africa (Wikipedia, Burao District). A presentation hosted by IGAD's livestock centre names the Somali Region of Ethiopia and parts of southern Somalia as important sources of Burao's export animals, and describes the market grounds as in poor condition (IGAD, Burao livestock market actors). Some animals are sold for meat at home (Radio Ergo, 31 May 2016).
Buyers, brokers and prices
Brokers (dilaal) match herders with buyers. In May 2016 a Saudi-owned export company, Al-Jabir, spent USD 2.5 million in three days buying 48,700 goats at Burao: 18,000 on the Saturday, 15,500 on the Sunday and 15,200 on the Monday. Export goats sold for USD 45 to 61 each. Only goats in excellent condition were bought for Saudi Arabia, a broker for the company said (Radio Ergo, 2016).
Three years earlier a good goat had sold for about USD 80. Traders linked the fall to the war in Yemen and economic trouble in some Arab countries (same source). Sales rise ahead of Ramadan, Eid and the Hajj.
The 2016 closure
The market closed for two months in early 2016 because of drought and the poor condition of the animals. About 1,500 people depend directly on it. One broker told Radio Ergo that on a good day he could earn up to USD 200, which paid school fees for ten of his children, and that he had borrowed money to get through the closure (Radio Ergo, 2016).
From Burao to the ship
Export animals go by truck to Berbera, where quarantine stations check, test and vaccinate them before shipment (Mtimet and others, 2021). See Berbera livestock quarantine companies, Livestock exports and Togdheer.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Burao District · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Yirowe · en.wikipedia.org
- IGAD, Burao livestock market actors · pt.slideshare.net
- Radio Ergo, 31 May 2016 · radioergo.org
- Mtimet and others, 2021 · pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
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- How many livestock does Somalia have?Somalia's livestock in numbers: herd size by species, what the animals produce, how many die each year, exports, and why sources disagree.
- Camels in Somalia: the world's largest herdCamels in Somalia in facts: herd size, share of the world's camels, camel milk, exports to the Gulf, the 2016 to 2018 export fall at Berbera, and the first camel milk yoghurt factory.
- Blackheaded Somali sheep: the breed behind the livestock tradeThe Blackheaded Somali sheep: what it looks like, where it is kept, why it suits dry land, its role in exports through Berbera and Bosaso, and the breeds descended from it.
- Cattle in Somalia: Boran and the Somali breedsCattle in Somalia: numbers, where they are kept, the Boran breed and the Somali Boran, the large red cattle traded to Kenya, cattle exports and milk.
- The Somali goat: breed, milk and tradeThe Somali goat in facts: what it looks like, where it is kept, milk yield in drought, meat exports with sheep, and what DAD-IS records about the breed.