Droughts, famines and displacement
COVID-19 in Somaliland, 2020 to 2022
Somaliland announced its first two COVID-19 cases on 31 March 2020. By 6 December 2021 its Ministry of Health Development had recorded 8,342 cases and 586 deaths, about 68% of the deaths in the last few months during the Delta wave. In January 2022 Taiwan donated 150,000 vaccine doses.
In short
Somaliland's health minister announced the first two confirmed cases on 31 March 2020 (MENAFN, 31 March 2020). The Ministry of Health Development (MoHD) kept its own counts, separate from the federal government's. The national picture is on COVID-19 in Somalia.
By 6 December 2021 the MoHD had recorded 8,342 cases and 586 deaths. Its medical coordinator, Dr Manal Ahmed Gas, wrote that "almost 68% of these deaths have occurred in the past few months due to the Delta variant", and that "due to limited testing capacity, the number of positive cases is likely to be higher" (King's College London, 15 December 2021).
Cases and deaths by date
| Date | Cases | Deaths | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2020 | 2 | 0 | MENAFN |
| 18 May 2020 | 121 | 9 | OCHA impact update 6 |
| late May 2020 | 225 | 16 | OCHA impact update 7 |
| mid-Sep 2020 | 934 | 31 | OCHA impact update 12 |
| 25 Oct 2020 | 1,077 | 36 | OCHA impact update 13 |
| 8 Feb 2021 | 1,430 | Anadolu Agency, 9 February 2021 | |
| 16 Aug 2021 | 4,703 | 319 | MoHD, with 68,206 tests (archived) |
| 6 Dec 2021 | 8,342 | 586 | MoHD, via King's College London |
Measures in 2020
- 19 March 2020. Before any case was confirmed, the government closed schools and office-based businesses, banned gatherings and ordered khat establishments closed for one month (MENAFN, 20 March 2020).
- Flights. Entry was banned for flights and travellers from China, Iran, Italy, France, Kenya, Somalia, South Korea and Spain. Flights to and from Ethiopia continued at Egal International Airport, Hargeisa (MENAFN, April 2020).
- 1 April 2020. A presidential decree released 574 prisoners (Anadolu Agency, 1 April 2020).
- Mosques. A decision to close mosques for four weeks was reversed after pressure from religious leaders (LSE Crisis Research Programme, 23 April 2020).
- Markets. In April 2020 Hargeisa municipality evicted 289 households from Gobanimo Market and 26 June District to enforce distancing (OCHA, 30 May 2020).
- Exams. On 20 May 2020 end-of-year exams for grades 1 to 11 were cancelled; the July secondary final exam went ahead with precautions (OCHA, 30 May 2020).
Hospitals and vaccines
- Hargeisa Group Hospital, the largest hospital, set up an infection-control programme with King's College London. Dr Manal Ahmed Gas wrote: "Prior to this project HGH didn't have any programmes regarding infection control" (King's College London, 15 December 2021).
- Taiwan donated 150,000 doses of the Medigen (MVC) vaccine, which arrived on 31 January 2022 (Focus Taiwan, 31 January 2022).
Sources
- MENAFN (2020). Somaliland confirms 2 Covid-19 cases, 31 March 2020; Somaliland goes on high Covid-19 alert, 20 March 2020.
- Anadolu Agency (2020, 2021). Somaliland releases 574 prisoners; Is Somalia ignoring coronavirus pandemic?
- OCHA Somalia. COVID-19 impact updates 6, 7, 12 and 13, and overview of COVID-19 directives, 30 May 2020.
- LSE Crisis Research Programme (2020). Somaliland and COVID-19: emerging issues and economic impact, 23 April 2020.
- Gas, M. A. (2021). Reducing COVID-19 transmission at hospitals in Somaliland. King's College London, 15 December 2021.
- Focus Taiwan (2022). Taiwan-donated vaccines arrive in Somaliland, 31 January 2022.
- Wikipedia. COVID-19 pandemic in Somaliland.
Sources
- MENAFN, 31 March 2020 · menafn.com
- King's College London, 15 December 2021 · kcl.ac.uk
- OCHA impact update 6 · reliefweb.int
- OCHA impact update 7 · reliefweb.int
- OCHA impact update 12 · reliefweb.int
- OCHA impact update 13 · reliefweb.int
- Anadolu Agency, 9 February 2021 · aa.com.tr
- archived · web.archive.org
- MENAFN, 20 March 2020 · menafn.com
- MENAFN, April 2020 · menafn.com
- Anadolu Agency, 1 April 2020 · aa.com.tr
- LSE Crisis Research Programme, 23 April 2020 · blogs.lse.ac.uk
- OCHA, 30 May 2020 · reliefweb.int
- Focus Taiwan, 31 January 2022 · focustaiwan.tw
- COVID-19 pandemic in Somaliland · en.wikipedia.org
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Where this matters
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- Burco (Burao) and TogdheerTogdheer is the northern region around Burco (Burao), with about 894,874 people including Buuhoodle.
- Laascaanood (Las Anod) and SoolSool is a region in the north with Las Anod (Laascaanood) as its capital and about 571,000 people.
- Ceerigaabo (Erigavo) and SanaagSanaag is a region on the northern coast with Erigavo (Ceerigaabo) as its capital and about 446,000 people.
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
- Disasters in Somalia: a list from 1974 to 2026A list of every recorded disaster in Somalia from the 1974 drought to the 2026 dengue outbreak, year by year, with deaths and people affected and a link to the full page or UN record.
- Famines and droughts in Somalia: a timeline and the Somali names for themA timeline of droughts and famines in Somalia from 1913 to 2023, with the Somali names given to each, deaths where estimated, and links to the full pages.
- Rain, drought and floods in Somalia: the Gu and Deyr seasons and the great droughtsSomalia's rainy seasons (Gu and Deyr), the great droughts from 1974 to today, the death tolls, the 2023 floods, and what changed after the 2011 famine.
- The Somalia famine of 2010 to 2012: what happened and how many diedThe 2010 to 2012 famine in southern Somalia: the drought, the famine declarations region by region, the blocked aid, the death toll by region, the refugees and how it ended.
- The Somalia famine of 1991 to 1993 (Caga Barar): causes, deaths and reliefThe 1991 to 1993 famine in southern Somalia: how war and drought caused it, Baidoa and the camps, the death toll, the Red Cross and UN response, and how it ended.
- The Somalia drought of 2016 to 2018: famine warned, famine avertedThe 2016 to 2018 drought in Somalia: the poor rains, the national disaster, cholera and displacement, the cash response, the death toll and why famine was not declared.