Tuesday April 29, 2025
Hargeisa (HOL) — Somaliland has suspended the export of construction sand from its Salal region to Djibouti, a move that disrupts a long-standing commercial arrangement and comes amid escalating diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours.
The suspension was formalized in a directive issued on April 28 by Shucayb Osman Mahmoud, the Director General of Somaliland’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals. The order halts the transport of ciidda niista—a fine construction-grade sand used in building materials—from Salal, a region in northwest Somaliland that borders Djibouti.
“I have decided that as of April 28, 2025, the transport of construction sand from the Salal region is to be suspended,” Mahmoud wrote, instructing regional officials and companies to enforce the order until further notice.
The directive cites Somaliland’s 2023 National Minerals Act, which prohibits prospecting, extraction, or management of natural resources without official licensing. The ministry stated the ban is intended to strengthen oversight and accelerate enforcement of mineral regulations.
The ministry did not explain why the ban was issued now, but the move effectively blocks Djibouti from accessing a key resource it has imported for years. Djibouti, a largely arid nation, depends on sand from Salal for infrastructure projects and on freshwater wells in the same region to supplement its limited water supply.
The announcement also comes against the backdrop of rapidly deteriorating relations between the two governments. Diplomatic ties soured in early 2024 after Djibouti opposed Somaliland’s maritime memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia, which included a port access deal viewed as a challenge to Djibouti’s regional trade dominance.
Tensions escalated further when Djibouti hosted members of the Awdal State Movement, a political group that rejects Hargeisa’s authority over the Awdal and Salal regions. Somaliland accused Djibouti of violating long-standing norms of non-interference and regional cooperation—allegations Djibouti denies.
The suspension is expected to impact Djibouti’s construction sector and could inflame further regional rivalries in the Horn of Africa.