Hawd Plateau

The Hawd is the broad semi-arid plateau that stretches south and east from Baligubadle into Ethiopia's Somali Region. It is grazing country — flat, lightly wooded with acacia and thorn scrub, and dotted with the seasonal water holes that determine where herders move.

Drive any distance south of Baligubadle and you will share the road with camels, sheep, and goats being walked along the edges. After rain the land turns briefly green and the herders set up temporary camps; in the dry season the air is dust and the herds gather around the wells.

things to do sight
A story
The Hawd was the centre of the long argument over Somali grazing rights known as the 'Reserved Areas' dispute. Britain handed administration of the area to Ethiopia in 1954 to settle a colonial-era treaty — a decision that fed Somali nationalism for decades and still shapes attitudes in this corner of Somaliland.