Hargeisa is the capital city of the Republic of Somaliland, a de facto state in north-western Somalia.1022 The government in Hargeisa considers Somaliland as an independent country, albeit lacking international recognition.1023 Hargeisa is also an economic hub in Somaliland, located along the ‘East Africa City Corridor’ connecting the deep-sea port of Berbera (Somaliland) with Jigjiga (Ethiopia) and all the way to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.1024 The city has become a hub for both economic activity and humanitarian response, making it a magnet for job seekers and refugees (from the region) and IDPs alike.1025
Hargeisa is considered to be one of the fastest-growing cities in the Somali peninsula.1026 The city is located on the northern Somali plateau at 1 334 meters above sea level.1027 Hargeisa has a mayor, vice-mayor, city councils, and several municipal departments that make up the local municipality.1028 The current mayor is Abdikarim Ahmed Mooge. He came to office in June 2021.1029 Hargeisa comprises eight districts, each with its own set of sub-villages. These districts are Mohamoud Haybe, Mohamed Moge, Ibrahim Kodbur, 31 May, Ahmed Dhagah, 26 June, Ga’an Libah, and Mo’alim Harun.1030
The population number of Hargeisa is somewhat unclear. Some sources mention that ca. 1.2 million people reside there.1031 Others estimate the population at around 1.5 million.1032 Members of the Isaaq clan-family currently make up most of the city’s population.1033 Besides Isaaq, Somalis from other clans of the region including Gadabursi and Ise (or Issa) and, due to recent conflict in the east of Somaliland, only very few Dhulbahante and Warsangeli reside there.1034 Hargeisa also has an old population of various minority groups, especially Gabooye living there.1035 There are also immigrants and displaced individuals from Ethiopia, especially the Oromo region, and from Yemen.1036
While people belonging to different clans or ethnic origins can generally reside across the city, certain districts are dominated by certain groups. The Isaaq/Arab and Isaaq/Ayub clans populate Ahmed Dhagah, while the Isaaq/Garhajis (Eidagale and Habar Yonis) clans populate Mahamuud Haybe and parts of Gacan Libaah district, such as the New Hargeisa sub-district. The Isaaq/Habar Awal clans (Sa'ad Muse and Isse Muse) predominantly populate Ibraahim Koodbuur, as well as the 26th June district and parts of Gacan Libaah, such as the sub-district Sheikh Madar. Members of the Gabooye group are mainly found in the Daami sub-district of Gacan Libaah.1037
Poverty is widespread in Hargeisa. Many people live of meagre salaries that must suffice for larger families with often 7-9 persons living in a household.1038 The most vulnerable are IDPs. There are 16 IDP settlements in Hargeisa, comprising 11 549 households with a total population of 71 606 individuals. Among these, 46 544 (65%) are women, and 17 902 (24%) are children under the age of five.1039 Many of those living in IDP camps in Hargeisa struggle with meeting basic needs, especially regarding food access and access to healthcare services. Access to water and education was mostly not a problem.1040
- 1022
Somaliland, Ministry of Planning and National Development, Central Statistics and Research Department, Somaliland in Figures 2024, September 2024, url, p. 2
- 1023
Hoehne, M. V., Telephone interview, 9 March 2025
- 1024
Cities Alliance, East Africa City Corridor, 2024, url, p. 5
- 1025
Cities Alliance, East Africa City Corridor, 2024, url, p. 6
- 1026
Nasir, M. Ali, Ayan Yusuf Ali, Building water infrastructures for sustainable social development: An analysis from Somaliland, October 2023, p. 16
- 1027
Adam, S. M., et al., Household food insecurity and its association with academic performance among primary school adolescents in Hargeisa City, Somaliland, 2024, url, p. 3
- 1028
IOM, Areas with High Incidence of Return Migration in Somaliland: Community Profiling and Mapping of Support Providers, 2022, url, p. 1
- 1029
- 1030
Jama Mohamed, et al., Prevalence and factors associated with ever had road traffic accidents among drivers in Hargeisa city, Somaliland - 2022, 2023, url, p. 3.
- 1031
IOM, Areas with High Incidence of Return Migration in Somaliland: Community Profiling and Mapping of Support Providers, 2022, url, p. 1; Nasir, M. Ali, Ayan Yusuf Ali, Building water infrastructures for sustainable social development: An analysis from Somaliland, October 2023, p. 16
- 1034
Hoehne, M. V., Telephone interview, 9 March 2025.
- 1035
Vitturini, E., 2023: The Gaboye of Somaliland: The Historical Process of Emancipation and Marginalisation, Ledizioni
- 1037
Abdifatah Ismael Tahir, The production of clan segregation in urban Somalia: Historical Geographies of Hargeisa, 2021, url, p. 54
- 1038
Bootaan, Telephone interview, 7 April 2025. Bootaan works as an accountant in a company in Hargeysa, where he grew up and lives. He graduated from Hargeysa University in 2016
- 1039
Ahmed Ismail Mohamed, et al., Prevalence and associated factors of acute diarrhoea among under-five children living in Hargeisa Internally Displaced Persons, 2024, url, p. 3
- 1040
REACH, Durable Solutions Readiness Assessment (DSRA) Hargeisa - Somaliland, July 2024, url, pp. 1-3