University of Burao Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Burao is the second largest city in Somaliland. It has an estimated population of between 500,000 to 550,000 people. It is a very important commercial center in the region, containing the largest livestock market that brings together traders from as far as Bossaso in the Northeast of Somalia, Luq bordering Kenya in the South, Ethiopia and Djibouti in the West.

Rebuilding from the Ruins

Like many other cities in the country, Burao suffered from destruction and the people from internal displacement due to a prolonged civil war in the 1980s. In 1988, almost all its residents were either killed or forced to flee to refugee camps in Ethiopia. When those lucky ones who survived came back to Burao in 1991, they returned to a ghost town striped of almost everything of value that could be moved or removed. Almost all the dwellings in the city were either roofless or without windows, or both. Also, many of them were left in ruins, and the streets were overcome by natural vegetation in the absence of a human population for nearly three years. Public resources or facilities, including schools, were not spared destruction. Before the civil war, the town boasted one of the top technical schools in East Africa, and a vocational school for range management. Both were national institutions. It also had two main secondary schools (Sheikh Bashir, and Sheikh Osman Nur). All of these institutions were looted and damaged extensively. Reconstruction started in earnest as soon as people returned to the city. Restoration of schools also began though slowly. Primary and pre-primary schools were first repaired. Unfortunately, the process of rehabilitation was twice interrupted by local conflicts, first in 1992, and then in 1994. The situation was exasperated by the ban on livestock exports to the Middle East in 2000. As the principal livestock market in the country, this had a disproportionate effect on the economy of Burao and caused its recovery to lag behind that of other main cities in Somaliland.

Burao Today

Today, if you visit Burao, you will find a remarkable city bustling with activity. Burao has now enjoyed many years of uninterrupted peace. There is a strong sense of community and a determination to rebuild what has been destroyed. This has created an environment conducive to investment and regeneration. As a result, the city is now going through a fervent period of development and is enjoying an unprecedented expansion. The majority of Burro’s primary and secondary schools have already been rebuilt, renovated or restored, with new private institutions being formed regularly in response to the demand for quality education. The first class graduated from Burao secondary schools in 2003 and many more students have in the years since then. In 2004 in response to the question of what to do with these young secondary school leavers UB was established. Since then we’ve made it our mission to bring quality higher education to the people of Burao, Togdheer, and surrounding regions.

Our Campus

The main campus is in the north-western suburb (Sha’ab Area) of Burao, about two kilometers from the center of the city. The site has a fenced area of about 3.75 hectares. UB also has satellite campuses in the center of Burao City, making it a convenient location for professionals taking part-time courses. Furthermore, UB has acquired a 25-hectare site located about 5 kilometers from the city center with plans to develop it into a major campus.