Official Name: | Haji Salah |
Settlement Type: | Town |
Pushpin Map: | Togdheer#Somaliland#Ethiopia |
Pushpin Relief: | y |
Coordinates: | 8.5908°N 45.2411°W |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Somaliland |
Subdivision Type1: | Region |
Subdivision Name1: | Togdheer |
Subdivision Type2: | District |
Subdivision Name2: | Oodweyne District |
Unit Pref: | Metric |
Timezone: | EAT |
Utc Offset: | +3 |
Haji Salah (Haji Saleh, Haji Salax, Xaaji Saalax) is a town in Togdheer, Somaliland, bordering Ethiopia. The town is classified as a Class D district by the Somaliland government.[1] Bilciljabe village (Bilililjabe, Bilcijabe) is located just northeast of the town.[2]
In 1948, Haji Salah was founded as a town based on around a well.[3]
Haji Salah became one of the bases when the Somali National Movement (later the Somaliland government) moved into now Somaliland. This led then Somalia President Siad Barre to burn Haji Saleh twice in 1983.[3]
In September 2000, about 30 Ethiopian soldiers attacked Haji Saleh and killed two people, for which the President of Somaliland demanded an explanation from the Ethiopian government. However, the Ethiopian government denied this.[4]
According to a 2002 report, Haji Saleh is listed as one of nine transit points used for trade with Ethiopia.[5]
In 2009, the President of Somaliland designated Haji Saleh as an official district of Somaliland.[3] According to the Somaliland Local Government Act, it is listed as Class D district.[6])
In February 2014, the police chief was murdered in Haji Saleh.[7] [8]
According to a 2017 survey, there was an IDP camp in Haji Saleh with 556 families.[9]
In September 2019, a 9-year-old boy was attacked and killed by an eagle in the Haji Saleh district.[10]
In January 2020, the Somaliland government granted a 12 x 12 meter plot of land in Kur-libah, 6 kilometers from Burao, to people who had moved to Burao as refugees from Haji Saleh and other places.[11]
In November 2021, the governor of Haji Saleh requested assistance from the Somaliland government for water shortages.[12]
In December 2022, officials from the Ministry of Environment of Somaliland visited the dam under construction in Haji Saleh.[13]
As of July 2019, there are a total of eight middle schools, elementary schools, and Islamic schools. It is affiliated with Amoud University in Awdal.[14]