Bakara market reopens

Mogadishu's main Bakara market reopened for business on Thursday, three days after part of its structure was gutted by fire.

Local businessman Salad Ali told IRIN the market was more crowded than usual as "many people came to assess the damage to their businesses, while others came out of curiosity".

The fire, which broke out in the household goods section on Monday night, quickly spread to other areas of the market, causing serious damage. The cause of the fire has not yet been established, Mogadishu police chief Abdi Qeybdid told IRIN on Thursday.

The conflagration killed 11 people, injured another 40, and completely destroyed the clothing and electronics sections, Qeybdid added.

A committee comprising business people and officials from the trade ministry of the Transitional National Government (TNG) has been set up to establish the extent of the losses incurred, Trade Minister Abdirahman Nur Dinari told IRIN. "There has been a lot of speculation as to how much was lost in the fire," he said. "We still do not have an accurate figure."

The chairman of the Mogadishu business community, Mahamud Abdikarim Gabayre, told IRIN the business community believed the losses amounted to between US $16 million and $18 million. But Dinari cautioned against speculation. "There is no question that the damage is great, but it is premature to come up with a figure," he said. "We should all wait for the committee's report."

Gabayre said his group was setting up a fund to help those who lost their livelihoods in the fire. "We appeal to Somalis, wherever they may be to contribute to this fund," he stressed.

He said the Bakara market business community had started acquiring firefighting equipment. "We are starting with two old fire engines, which we are repairing. We intend to acquire up to 10 of them," he said. Eight firefighting engines will be ordered from abroad, he added.

Lack of firefighting equipment was cited as one of the reasons it took so long to contain the fire.