Hundreds of businesses are destroyed in the main market of Hargeisa in an overnight blaze.
"The town has never witnessed such a massive calamity," the city's mayor Abdikarim Ahmed Moge told reporters.
"This place was the economic centre of Hargeisa and even though the firefighters did their best to contain the fire, the market is destroyed."UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted he was "saddened to see... such destruction in the open market that is the economic heart of the city". "Your city will rise again and the UK will do what we can to support Somaliland's rebuilding effort," he added.
Market trader Bashi Ali told AFP news agency he had possessed several businesses in the market and they had all been burnt to ash. "All we can learn from this disaster is to plan the market well," he said.
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