Garowe in Puntland, Somalia

Garowe is the capital of the autonomous Puntland in northeast Somalia. Before autonomy, Puntland was part of Italian Somaliland (during colonial rule). Somaliland adjoins Puntland to the northwest of Somalia. Puntland became autonomous in 1998, after civil war commenced in 1991, breaking away from the rest of Somalia. After the collapse of Somalia on 18 May 1991, and years of civil war in the 80s and 90s, Somalia was split into the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, the self-declared autonomous zone of Puntland, and Somalia. Garowe, with a population of around 60,000, is situated in Nugaal region, within the arid inland in the centre of Puntland. Hot and dry, the average temperatures reach about 41C in summer.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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