Country Somalia District Buuhoodle Local time Tuesday 10:08 PM | Region Ayn Time zone EAT (UTC+3) | |
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Weather 26°C, Wind E at 11 km/h, 21% Humidity | ||
Buhoodle (Somali: Buuhoodle, Arabic: بووهودل), also known as Bohotle, is the capital of the northern Ayn region in Somalia. It is a prominent border town for movements of goods to and from the East, Puntland and the Somali region of Ethiopia. The surrounding district is rich in both livestock and fledgeling agriculture. It has primary schools, secondary schools and universities. Buhoodle is a medium-sized city that has clinics, hospitals, electricity and all the amenities required of a city. It is notable for being the birthplace of the father of the Somali nation, Mohammed Abdullah Hassan.
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Map of Bohotle, Somalia
Overview
Buuhoodle is an historical city. It is where Mohammed Abdullah Hassan's Dervish nationalist and anti-colonial movement began.
Buuhodle is the capital city of the newly created region of Ayn. The region consists of the now former Buhoodle District, which was previously part of the Togdheer region. The Ayn region includes other districts such as Widhwidh, Ceegaag, Horufadhi, Sool Joogto, Megagle and Qoorlugud.
Buhoodle is located on the border between Somalia and Ethiopia. It serves as a commercial hub for the movement of goods to and from Bosaso, Garowe, Las Anod, Galkayo, Wardheer, Burao, the surrounding area, and the Ogaden. The city is rich in livestock as well as agriculture, and has grown considerably since 1993. Today, Buuhoodle has modern communication systems such as cell phones, land-line phones, and internet services. It also has modern hotels, as well as a new hospital constructed in 2008. Additionally, a water supply network was built in 2010 by young local residents.
Buhoodle and its environs are disputed by the Puntland and Somaliland autonomous macro-regions of Somalia. Buhodle is a part of both Puntland and Somaliland administrations. Somaliland troops entered the city in May 2010 but failed to gain support from the local civilians in the town. The local Buuhodle civilians expressed support for Puntland state due to close clan kinship. A brutal conflict left at least 100 dead on 190 wounded. Conflicts later flared up again the following year, but were eventually resolved in early 2012, with the official withdrawal of Somaliland troops to a 50 km radius of the city's perimeter.
In June 2014, the Puntland government launched a new tree-planting campaign in the state, with the regional Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism slated to plant 25,000 trees by the end of the year. Buuhoodle is among the 5 cities and towns earmarked for the reforestation initiative, which also include Garowe, Bosaso, Qardho, and Galkayo. The campaign is part of a broader partnership between the Puntland authorities and EU to set up various environmental protection measures in the region, with the aim of promoting reforestation and afforestation.
Demographics
The broader Buuhoodle District has a total population of 124,428 residents. Buuhoodle is primarily inhabited by people from the Somali ethnic group, with the Dhulbahante especially well-represented.
Education
Buuhoodle has a number of academic institutions. According to the Puntland Ministry of Education, there are 12 primary schools, 3 high schools and 2 universities in the Buuhoodle District. Among these are H/dh Abu-Bakar Sadiq, H/dh Al-Najax, H/dh Al-Furqan and so on Secondary schools in the area include Howd and Samatar Bahman. For Health Education, Buhodle College Of Health Science. For higher studies, Buuhoodle is served by the East Africa University (EAU). The institution opened a seventh branch in the town on 18 April 2012 to serve pupils from the Cayn region.
Transportation
For air transportation, Buuhoodle is served by the Ismail Mire International Airport. It began providing flights to and from the town in April 2014.