Gedo
Encyclopedia
Gedo is an administrative region (gobolka), formerly part of the historic Upper Juba Region in southern Somalia
. Its regional capital is Garbahaarreey
. Gedo is a region created in 1980s and is bordered by the Ogaden
in Ethiopia
, the North Eastern Province
in Kenya
, and the Somali regions of Bakool
, Bay
, Jubbada Dhexe
(Middle Juba), and Jubbada Hoose
(Lower Juba) further down east. The southern parts of Gedo, west of the Jubba River
, used to be part of the old British Transjuba region during half of the seventy years of colonial era in Africa
from 1890 to 1960. The British
and Italian
s fought over twice in this area of Horn of Africa
. Gedo region's population exploded in the last twenty years reaching almost one million in the early 1990s after the civil war
erupted in Mogadishu
.
Most of the newcomers to the region, suddenly left and resettled different parts of world. This immigration made Buuloxaawo the second largest district in Gedo. Luuq
used to be the second largest city and district after Bardera
. At one time Buuloxaawo District was the largest city and district in the region.
Early 1990s came the rise of al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
(AIAI) led by Sheikh Mohamed Haji Yussuf a well known Gedo native. Soon after. Al Itihad group spread through the region Ethiopian Government
accused AIAI for supporting the Ogaden National Liberation Front
(ONLF) and other insurgents inside Ethiopia.
Al Itihad, an armed militia group, started acting as the government of three districts in Gedo: Luuq, Beled Hawo and Dolow. They took over government sevices such as district courts, schools, police posts and other administrative offices.
in 1996. New civil war erupted in the region. The intra-Marehan
clan fighting follewed starting in 1997 after the pro-Ethiopian and anti-Ethiopian clans were left fill the power vacuum left by the Al Itahad.
Today the Gedo region is one of the most peaceful places in Somalia and all its district representatives, mayors, and the region's governor are elected by the people.
Gedo region consists of six districts, though the Buurdhuubo District
is also sometimes included (see map):
The regional capital is Garbahaarreey. Major rivers in the Gedo region include the Dawa
and the Juba. The Dawa River runs on the border between Ethiopia and the Gedo region.
Doolow
town is located along the Dawa. The Juba River starts from Doolow, just north of the Luuq District, then flows to Buurdhuubo
, Bardera, then Bu'aale
and Jilib
of the Middle Juba region, until the river empties into the Indian Ocean
at Goobweyn. There is a clear and seemingly permanent separation between the two colours where the red river outflow
meets the blue ocean waters.
, the Gedo Region Capital, and the regions two ancient cities of Luuq
and Bardera
had education systems up to secondary level. There were some technical schools in Bardera and Garbaharreey, albeit without curriculum. All of Gedo region's high school graduates attended the Somali National University or affiliated institutions in Mogadishu
.
Since the civil war in Somalia, Gedo became one of half dozen regions which have re-started higher education institutions in the country. Bardera Polytechnic
, Gedo's first college and University of Gedo
, are both located in Bardera.
reports, the estimated population of Gedo was 590,000. According to the nomad
ic culture of the people and their movement these numbers can decrease or increase over time. Large cities such as Bardera, Beled Hawo, and Luuq have sizable populations; most of the urban dwellers live in these cities plus the capital region area in the town of Garbahaarreey.
and Beled Haawo (Balad Xaawo or Buulo Xaawo). Beled Haawo is Gedo's commercial gateway as well as that of neighboring regions, while Bardera is Gedo's breadbasket
. Agricultural products from Bardera's fertile lands, which include maize
, potato
es, sorghum
, tobacco
, onion
s, sesame
, fruits such as papaya
s, mango
es, watermelon
s and banana
s, are shipped to many different parts of the country.
Commerce in the Gedo region is mostly dependent on two sectors: agriculture and livestock. A growing third sector is the services sector, mainly financial and telecommunications industries. Those who live on the fringes of district seats or outside of large cities such as Garbahaarreey, Bardera, Luuq and Beled Haawo, generally keep either a farm on the river banks or herds of sheep, camel or cattle. There are significant farmers around towns and cities alongside the Jubba River and this has made close to half of the region's population, city dwellers since the breakout of the civil war in 1991.
The economy mostly depends on livestock and farming but the Gedo region has strong interregional and international cross-border trade with Kenya and some extent with Ethiopia. Trade between Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia allowed the Gedo region to be econonomically stable for the years before the UN intervention and afterwards. 1998 Nordic Fact Finding Mission prepared a report in Gedo region and found some encouraging economic figures. Davidson College
assistant professor, Keneth Menkhaus asserted that, "Traders in Gedo region made more profit than, for instance, those in Hargeisa, in north-western Somalia." Trade going through the border between the three countries were ongoing despite the raging civil war in Somalia for much of the 1990.
The town of Beled Hawo is the commercial gateway to Mogadishu and parts of Kenya. Large manufactured goods cross both sides of the border everyday going to and coming from the rest of Somalia. Buuloxaawo is part of Beled Hawo, Luuq, and Doolow Tri-District commerce activity region. Both Luuq and Doolow have sizable agriculture output.
The Gedo region is famous for its agricultural production in the south. The farming land is mostly concentrated in four towns and these are Doolow, Luuq, Buurdhuubo and Bardera. During the peace years, produce from Bardera farms used to reach as far north to Djibouti
on the Gulf of Aden
.
After long conflicts in the region, the regional elders started peace conference with initiatives from then governor, Aden Ibrahim Aw Hirsi
. This Gedo Region peace efforts ended in success. and were followed by the elections of the regional assembly. The process was financed by the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP).
The Gedo region has one of the most varied scenery in Somalia. Parts of the Gedo region, such as the Daawo region, have rocky mountains, while red sand is found in all areas and white sand dunes across the Jubba Valley
. There are flat lands in northwestern Bardera District at Gelgel Prairre. In the middle of the region, one finds ancient scarred land with gorges
in all directions and rocky mountains. These gorges are filled with southeasterly direction downstream rain waters. On the lower southern portion of the Gedo region is red sandy flat land, running from the Bardera District on the Juba Valley, all the way west to El Wak
town on the border with Kenya's North Eastern Province, a district mainly populated by Somalis through the ages.
There are plenty of the four most popular Somali livestock roaming the land. These are camel
s, cattle
, goat
s, and sheep
. In the Somali language, camel, cattle, goats, and sheep are called geel, lo, ari cad and iddo, respectively. A mixture of goats and sheep are normally herded together. This mixture of livestock is called ari in Somali and means a mixture of goats and sheep, which in most cases, is in the hundreds per family. Similarly, the Gedo region is famous for its horse breeding
. Large numbers of horse
s can be found on the Beled Haawo flat lands and Dirharra area near the town of Damase in the Elwak District.
About 40 km (24.9 mi) from the region's capital, Garbahaarreey, towards Beled Haawo, are the Humbaale Mountain which has the highest peak in all the mountains and hills in Gedo region. To have a feel of how high this mountain is, coming from Bardera and going to Garbahaareey, at the top of Waamo Yarey Hill, from here, you can see Humbaale Mountain peak. At this stage you will be around 140 km (87 mi) away from the mountain, and you will be around 100 km (62.1 mi) from Garbahaarreey. There is a distance of 130 km (80.8 mi) between Garbahaarreey and Baardheera. Humbaale Mountain is located 40 km (24.9 mi) northwest of Garbahaarreey and it will be 20 km (12.4 mi) off-road on the road to Beled Haawo.
The mountain areas of Gedo region have sizable safari animals from elephant
s to cheetah
s. It is not rare to hear lion
s roar during the night hours. Lions, ostrich
es, oryx
, giraffe
s, warthog
s and hyena
s are plenty around the grassy lands of the western part of the Bardera District, between the towns of Gerileey
and Fafahdun. This is in Gelgel Prairies (Banka Gelgel) in Somalia or simply Gelgel (Gelgesha).
The Jubba River from Doolow to Baardheere has large river animals such as crocodile
s and hippopotamus
, who bask in the sun on the sandy island spots during the drying up of the river.
and Beled Haawo cities are the two principal cities of the Gedo region. In the recent past, Luuq
or Lugh used to be the main political city of Gedo Region but the Somali Civil War made many of the city's residents to flee to other towns.
Bardera, the largest city and the seat of the most populous district in Gedo, has become urbanized to the extent that its population multiplied 400% since the breakdown of law and order in the capital of the country, Mogadishu. Aside from the urban population in proper Bardera, the rest of the region's population are pastoralists
with the exception of people living in the cities where the region's seven district seats are located. The town is home to Bardera Polytechnic
as well as the University of Gedo
which also has a campus at Beled Haawo.
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. Its regional capital is Garbahaarreey
Garbahaarreey
Garbahaarey is the capital of Gedo, the second largest and sixth most populous region of Somalia. Maj. General Mohamed Siyad Barre, Somalia's longest-serving president, claimed Garbahaarrey as his birthplace in order to get a job in the Italian colonial police force...
. Gedo is a region created in 1980s and is bordered by the Ogaden
Ogaden
Ogaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim. The title "Somali Galbeed", which means "Western Somalia," is often preferred by Somali irredentists.The region, which is...
in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, the North Eastern Province
North Eastern Province (Kenya)
North Eastern Province is the third largest province in Kenya and has thirteen constituencies represented in the Kenya National Assembly.The region is home to a rare type of antelope called the Hirola, which is classified as an endangered species. The NFD's pastoralists also possess livestock in...
in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, and the Somali regions of Bakool
Bakool
-Overiew:It is bordered by the Ogaden and the Somalian regions of Hiiraan, Bay and Gedo.Bakool, like Gedo and Bay, as well as most parts of the Jubbada Dhexe region, used to be a part of the old Upper Region, which was subdivided in the mid 1980s...
, Bay
Bay, Somalia
Bay is an administrative region in southern Somalia.-Overview:It is bordered by the Somalian regions of Bakool, Lower Shabele, Middle Juba and Gedo....
, Jubbada Dhexe
Jubbada Dhexe
Middle Juba is an administrative region in southern Somalia. With its capital at Bu'aale, it is located in the Jubaland autonomous region.Middle Juba is bordered by Somali regions of Gedo, Bay, Lower Shabele and Jubbada Hoose and the Indian Ocean...
(Middle Juba), and Jubbada Hoose
Jubbada Hoose
Lower Juba is an administrative region in southern Somalia. With its capital at Kismayo, it lies in the Jubaland autonomous region.Lower Juba is bordered by Kenya, the Somalian regions of Gedo, Middle Juba, and the Indian Ocean...
(Lower Juba) further down east. The southern parts of Gedo, west of the Jubba River
Jubba River
The Jubba River is a river in southern Somalia. It begins at the border with Ethiopia, where the Dawa and Ganale Dorya rivers meet, and flows directly south to the Indian Ocean, where it empties at the Goobweyn juncture.-History:...
, used to be part of the old British Transjuba region during half of the seventy years of colonial era in Africa
Scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa, also known as the Race for Africa or Partition of Africa was a process of invasion, occupation, colonization and annexation of African territory by European powers during the New Imperialism period, between 1881 and World War I in 1914...
from 1890 to 1960. The British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
s fought over twice in this area of Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
. Gedo region's population exploded in the last twenty years reaching almost one million in the early 1990s after the civil war
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
erupted in Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
.
Most of the newcomers to the region, suddenly left and resettled different parts of world. This immigration made Buuloxaawo the second largest district in Gedo. Luuq
Luuq
Luuq or Lugh is a city in the southern Gedo province of Somalia. It is one of the oldest cities in the country, and is the seat of the Luuq District, one of the region's seven districts. The town is located in a bend of the Juba River, where the river flows down from north to south in a horseshoe...
used to be the second largest city and district after Bardera
Bardera
Bardera City is an important agricultural city in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is the second most populous town in the Juba Valley, with Kismayo being the largest and most densely populated city in the region, and Garbahaarreey serving as Gedo's capital...
. At one time Buuloxaawo District was the largest city and district in the region.
1990s
The population in Beled Haawo swelled to 200,000. This was in the early 1990s, when a large number of Mogadishu's residents settled Beled Haawo town, because of its cosmopolitan and proximity to the Kenyan border.Early 1990s came the rise of al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya or AIAI is a defunct Islamist militant group in Somalia that was added to the U.S. list of terrorist organizations on September 24, 2001...
(AIAI) led by Sheikh Mohamed Haji Yussuf a well known Gedo native. Soon after. Al Itihad group spread through the region Ethiopian Government
Politics of Ethiopia
Politics of Ethiopia takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government.The prime minister is chosen by the parliament. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and...
accused AIAI for supporting the Ogaden National Liberation Front
Ogaden National Liberation Front
The Ogaden National Liberation Front , is a separatist rebel group fighting to make the region of Ogaden in eastern Ethiopia an independent state...
(ONLF) and other insurgents inside Ethiopia.
Al Itihad, an armed militia group, started acting as the government of three districts in Gedo: Luuq, Beled Hawo and Dolow. They took over government sevices such as district courts, schools, police posts and other administrative offices.
Ethiopian intervention
Al Itahad gaining power in Gedo and elsewhere in Somalia led to the Ethiopian invasion of GedoEthiopian-Somali conflict
The Ethiopian–Somali conflict and tension has a historical background in territorial and political disputes. Animosity between Ethiopians and Somalis dates back a millenia with wars and conflicts . In recent years, those tensions caused two wars.- Historical background :A broader perspective shows...
in 1996. New civil war erupted in the region. The intra-Marehan
Marehan
The Marehan are a Somali clan. They are one of the major Darod sub-clans, forming a part of the Sade confederation of clans. The majority of the Marehan live in the Jubbada Hoose, Gedo and Jubbada Dhexe regions in southwestern Somalia, as well as the Galguduud and Mudug regions in central...
clan fighting follewed starting in 1997 after the pro-Ethiopian and anti-Ethiopian clans were left fill the power vacuum left by the Al Itahad.
Present
After years of unrest in the region, in 2004, clan elders and intellectuals called for and convened peace conference in the region's capital Garbahaarreey. One of the agreements of the conference was to hold free and fair elections within three years.Today the Gedo region is one of the most peaceful places in Somalia and all its district representatives, mayors, and the region's governor are elected by the people.
Districts
Gedo region consists of six districts, though the Buurdhuubo District
Buurdhuubo District
Burdhubo District is a district in the southwestern Gedo region Somalia. Its capital lies at Burdhubo....
is also sometimes included (see map):
- Baardheere DistrictBaardheere DistrictBardera District is a district in the southwestern Gedo region of Somalia. It was first made a political district in 1941. A decade and a half later, during the 1956 general elections, a Somali parliament was voted to be put into place by 1960, once independence would be achieved. All elected Gedo...
- Balet Hawo DistrictBalet Hawo DistrictBeled Hawo District is a district in the southwestern Gedo region of Somalia. Its capital lies at Beled Hawo....
- Ceelwaaq DistrictCeelwaaq DistrictEl Wak District is a district in the southwestern Gedo region of Somalia. Its capital lies at El Wak....
- Doolow DistrictDoolow DistrictDolow District is a district in the southwestern Gedo region of Somalia. Its capital lies at Dolow....
- Garbahaarreey DistrictGarbahaarreey DistrictGarbaharey District is a district in the southwestern Gedo region of Somalia. Its capital lies at Garbahaareey....
- Luuq DistrictLuuq DistrictLuuq District is a district in the southwestern Gedo region of Somalia....
The regional capital is Garbahaarreey. Major rivers in the Gedo region include the Dawa
Dawa River
The Dawa River is a perennial river in southeastern Ethiopia. Rising in the mountains east of Aleta Wendo, the Dawa flows south and east to join with the Ganale Dorya at the border with Somalia to become the Jubba. The river forms part of the Ethiopia–Kenya border and part of the Ethiopia–Somalia...
and the Juba. The Dawa River runs on the border between Ethiopia and the Gedo region.
Doolow
Doolow
-Location:The city sits on the Jubba River near the Ogaden in Ethiopia, just north of Luuq.Balet Hawo District lies west of Dolow near the North Eastern Province.-District:Dolow town is the seat of one of the Gedo region's seven districts, Doolow District...
town is located along the Dawa. The Juba River starts from Doolow, just north of the Luuq District, then flows to Buurdhuubo
Buurdhuubo
-Location:Burdhubo sits on the Jubba River in the Jubba Valley, between the cities of Bardera and Luuq. Garbahaarreey, the Gedo region's capital, is situated just away from Burdhubo.-Economy:...
, Bardera, then Bu'aale
Bu'aale
Bu'ale is a town in the Jubbada Dhexe region of Somalia. It is the capital of the Bu'aale District, situated in the southern Jubba River valley.-References:*...
and Jilib
Jilib
Jilib is a town in Somalia, with an estimated population of approximately 45,000. It is located on the main road from Mogadishu south to Kismayo and is the most populous town in the Middle Juba Region.The Islamic Courts Union was defeated there in the Battle of Jilib December 2006 January 2007...
of the Middle Juba region, until the river empties into the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
at Goobweyn. There is a clear and seemingly permanent separation between the two colours where the red river outflow
Discharge (hydrology)
In hydrology, discharge is the volume rate of water flow, including any suspended solids , dissolved chemical species and/or biologic material , which is transported through a given cross-sectional area...
meets the blue ocean waters.
Education
The city of GarbahaarreeyGarbahaarreey
Garbahaarey is the capital of Gedo, the second largest and sixth most populous region of Somalia. Maj. General Mohamed Siyad Barre, Somalia's longest-serving president, claimed Garbahaarrey as his birthplace in order to get a job in the Italian colonial police force...
, the Gedo Region Capital, and the regions two ancient cities of Luuq
Luuq
Luuq or Lugh is a city in the southern Gedo province of Somalia. It is one of the oldest cities in the country, and is the seat of the Luuq District, one of the region's seven districts. The town is located in a bend of the Juba River, where the river flows down from north to south in a horseshoe...
and Bardera
Bardera
Bardera City is an important agricultural city in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is the second most populous town in the Juba Valley, with Kismayo being the largest and most densely populated city in the region, and Garbahaarreey serving as Gedo's capital...
had education systems up to secondary level. There were some technical schools in Bardera and Garbaharreey, albeit without curriculum. All of Gedo region's high school graduates attended the Somali National University or affiliated institutions in Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
.
Since the civil war in Somalia, Gedo became one of half dozen regions which have re-started higher education institutions in the country. Bardera Polytechnic
Bardera Polytechnic
Bardera Polytechnic is a non-profit tertiary polytechnic education centre located in Bardera, Somalia. The college's full name is Bardera Polytechnic College . Bardera Polytechnic is the first post-secondary institution in Bardera and the larger Gedo region.-Background: Bardera as a center of...
, Gedo's first college and University of Gedo
University of Gedo
University of Gedo is a public university in the city of Bardera situated in the Gedo region of Somalia.In the past, the higher education system in Somalia was mostly concentrated in the area near Mogadishu, the nation's capital...
, are both located in Bardera.
Demographics
According to a 1994 United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
reports, the estimated population of Gedo was 590,000. According to the nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic culture of the people and their movement these numbers can decrease or increase over time. Large cities such as Bardera, Beled Hawo, and Luuq have sizable populations; most of the urban dwellers live in these cities plus the capital region area in the town of Garbahaarreey.
Economy
The most populous towns in Gedo are BarderaBardera
Bardera City is an important agricultural city in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is the second most populous town in the Juba Valley, with Kismayo being the largest and most densely populated city in the region, and Garbahaarreey serving as Gedo's capital...
and Beled Haawo (Balad Xaawo or Buulo Xaawo). Beled Haawo is Gedo's commercial gateway as well as that of neighboring regions, while Bardera is Gedo's breadbasket
Breadbasket
The breadbasket or the granary of a country is a region which, because of richness of soil and/or advantageous climate, produces an agricultural surplus which is often considered vital for the country as a whole. Rice bowl is a similar term used in Southeast Asia...
. Agricultural products from Bardera's fertile lands, which include maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es, sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s, sesame
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
, fruits such as papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
s, mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
es, watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
s and banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s, are shipped to many different parts of the country.
Commerce in the Gedo region is mostly dependent on two sectors: agriculture and livestock. A growing third sector is the services sector, mainly financial and telecommunications industries. Those who live on the fringes of district seats or outside of large cities such as Garbahaarreey, Bardera, Luuq and Beled Haawo, generally keep either a farm on the river banks or herds of sheep, camel or cattle. There are significant farmers around towns and cities alongside the Jubba River and this has made close to half of the region's population, city dwellers since the breakout of the civil war in 1991.
The economy mostly depends on livestock and farming but the Gedo region has strong interregional and international cross-border trade with Kenya and some extent with Ethiopia. Trade between Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia allowed the Gedo region to be econonomically stable for the years before the UN intervention and afterwards. 1998 Nordic Fact Finding Mission prepared a report in Gedo region and found some encouraging economic figures. Davidson College
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. The college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine, although it has recently dropped to 11th in U.S. News...
assistant professor, Keneth Menkhaus asserted that, "Traders in Gedo region made more profit than, for instance, those in Hargeisa, in north-western Somalia." Trade going through the border between the three countries were ongoing despite the raging civil war in Somalia for much of the 1990.
The town of Beled Hawo is the commercial gateway to Mogadishu and parts of Kenya. Large manufactured goods cross both sides of the border everyday going to and coming from the rest of Somalia. Buuloxaawo is part of Beled Hawo, Luuq, and Doolow Tri-District commerce activity region. Both Luuq and Doolow have sizable agriculture output.
The Gedo region is famous for its agricultural production in the south. The farming land is mostly concentrated in four towns and these are Doolow, Luuq, Buurdhuubo and Bardera. During the peace years, produce from Bardera farms used to reach as far north to Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
on the Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
.
Government
Besides the governor, the Gedo region has a 32 member assembly body. The members are directly elected from the 7 districts of the region with proportionality according to district population. The Gedo assembly or (Gollaha Gobalka Gedo) works around recently crafted regional constitution. The governor appoints all regional level posts including:- First and second Assistant Governor
- Director of Security Services
- Director of Education Services
- Director of Agricultural Agency
- Gedo Regional Army Commander
- Gedo Regional Police Commander
- Director of Economic Affairs
- Livestock and Forestry Dept. Director
- Director of Justice and Religious Affairs
- Inter-Regional Affairs Director
After long conflicts in the region, the regional elders started peace conference with initiatives from then governor, Aden Ibrahim Aw Hirsi
Aden Ibrahim Aw Hirsi
Aden Aw Hirsi is a Somali politician and author who specializes in political science.-Biography:The great grandson of Sheikh Aw Hirsi, a well-known Qadiri sufi leader, Aden Ibrahim Aw Hirsi, nicknamed 'Irro was born in 1968 in the southern Gedo region of Somalia.-Education:He attended primary and...
. This Gedo Region peace efforts ended in success. and were followed by the elections of the regional assembly. The process was financed by the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
(UNDP).
Geography and habitat
Jubba Valley
The Juba Valley is a valley in Northeast Africa.It follows the line of the Juba River north from the Indian Ocean to the Somalia/Ethiopia border, and then splits, one branch following the Dawa River west along the Ethiopia/Kenya border then north into Ethiopia, and the other branch follows the...
. There are flat lands in northwestern Bardera District at Gelgel Prairre. In the middle of the region, one finds ancient scarred land with gorges
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
in all directions and rocky mountains. These gorges are filled with southeasterly direction downstream rain waters. On the lower southern portion of the Gedo region is red sandy flat land, running from the Bardera District on the Juba Valley, all the way west to El Wak
El Wak
El Wak is a small city on the Somalia-Kenya border. The Kenyan portion is located in Mandera District....
town on the border with Kenya's North Eastern Province, a district mainly populated by Somalis through the ages.
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
s, cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, and sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
. In the Somali language, camel, cattle, goats, and sheep are called geel, lo, ari cad and iddo, respectively. A mixture of goats and sheep are normally herded together. This mixture of livestock is called ari in Somali and means a mixture of goats and sheep, which in most cases, is in the hundreds per family. Similarly, the Gedo region is famous for its horse breeding
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
. Large numbers of horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s can be found on the Beled Haawo flat lands and Dirharra area near the town of Damase in the Elwak District.
The mountain areas of Gedo region have sizable safari animals from elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s to cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
s. It is not rare to hear lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s roar during the night hours. Lions, ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
es, oryx
Oryx
Oryx is one of four large antelope species of the genus Oryx. Three of the species are native to arid parts of Africa, with a fourth native to the Arabian Peninsula. Their pelage is pale with contrasing dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight...
, giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
s, warthog
Warthog
The Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P...
s and hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
s are plenty around the grassy lands of the western part of the Bardera District, between the towns of Gerileey
Gerileey
-Overview:The town originally acquired its name Geriley on account of the abundant local wildlife; in particular, giraffes .Geriley is situated near Somalia's border with the North Eastern Province, 8km north of Wajir....
and Fafahdun. This is in Gelgel Prairies (Banka Gelgel) in Somalia or simply Gelgel (Gelgesha).
The Jubba River from Doolow to Baardheere has large river animals such as crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
s and hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, who bask in the sun on the sandy island spots during the drying up of the river.
Cities and towns
BarderaBardera
Bardera City is an important agricultural city in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is the second most populous town in the Juba Valley, with Kismayo being the largest and most densely populated city in the region, and Garbahaarreey serving as Gedo's capital...
and Beled Haawo cities are the two principal cities of the Gedo region. In the recent past, Luuq
Luuq
Luuq or Lugh is a city in the southern Gedo province of Somalia. It is one of the oldest cities in the country, and is the seat of the Luuq District, one of the region's seven districts. The town is located in a bend of the Juba River, where the river flows down from north to south in a horseshoe...
or Lugh used to be the main political city of Gedo Region but the Somali Civil War made many of the city's residents to flee to other towns.
Bardera, the largest city and the seat of the most populous district in Gedo, has become urbanized to the extent that its population multiplied 400% since the breakdown of law and order in the capital of the country, Mogadishu. Aside from the urban population in proper Bardera, the rest of the region's population are pastoralists
Pastoralism
Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock. It is animal husbandry: the care, tending and use of animals such as camels, goats, cattle, yaks, llamas, and sheep. It may have a mobile aspect, moving the herds in search of fresh pasture and...
with the exception of people living in the cities where the region's seven district seats are located. The town is home to Bardera Polytechnic
Bardera Polytechnic
Bardera Polytechnic is a non-profit tertiary polytechnic education centre located in Bardera, Somalia. The college's full name is Bardera Polytechnic College . Bardera Polytechnic is the first post-secondary institution in Bardera and the larger Gedo region.-Background: Bardera as a center of...
as well as the University of Gedo
University of Gedo
University of Gedo is a public university in the city of Bardera situated in the Gedo region of Somalia.In the past, the higher education system in Somalia was mostly concentrated in the area near Mogadishu, the nation's capital...
which also has a campus at Beled Haawo.
- AdayleAdayle-References:*...
- AjaawAjaaw-References:...
- BaqtiileBaqtiile-References:*...
- BarderaBarderaBardera City is an important agricultural city in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is the second most populous town in the Juba Valley, with Kismayo being the largest and most densely populated city in the region, and Garbahaarreey serving as Gedo's capital...
- Barwaaqo
- Beled Haawo
- BanaaneyBanaaney-References:*...
- BilcishaBilcishaBilcisha is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country.-References:*...
- BoorameBoorameBoorame is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- BuraaBuraaBuraa is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- Boore
- Buulo GaduudBuulo GaduudBulo Gadud is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- Buulo MareerBuulo Mareer-References:*...
- Buulo WeynBuulo WeynBulo Weyn is a town in the Shabeellaha Dhexe region of Somalia. It is located in the southeastern part of the country.-References:*...
- BuurdhuuboBuurdhuubo-Location:Burdhubo sits on the Jubba River in the Jubba Valley, between the cities of Bardera and Luuq. Garbahaarreey, the Gedo region's capital, is situated just away from Burdhubo.-Economy:...
- BuusaarBuusaar-References:*...
- CaanooleCaanoole-References:*...
- CinjirtaCinjirtaCinjirta is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- CaracaseCaracase-References:*...
- Ceel CaddeCeel Cadde-Overview:El Adde is the latest district added to the Gedo region. It is one of the most populated city's in the province.-Education:In terms of education, El Adde offers scholastic instruction from primary through to high school...
- Ceel DuurCeel DuurEl Dur , also spelled El Duur, is a town in the central Galguduud region of Somalia.-References:*...
- Ceel GaduudCeel GaduudEl Gadud , or Lo Gadud, is a town in the southern Bay region of Somalia.-References:*...
- Ceel GarabjaalowCeel GarabjaalowCeel Garabjaalow is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwest of the country....
- Ceel MarjisCeel MarjisCeel Marjis is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- Ceel WaaqCeel WaaqEl Wak is a divided city on the Somalia-Kenya border. The Somalian portion is located in the southwestern Gedo region, where it is the seat of one of the region's seven districts.-Etymology:...
- CilaanCilaanCilaan is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country.-References:*...
- Daarul SalaamDaarul SalaamDaarul Salaam is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country.-References:*...
- DhamasaDhamasa-Overview:The settlement was founded in the early 1950s by Somali nomads from the larger region. Dhamasa is bordered by Beledhawo, Baardheere and Ceelwaaq.The town has an estimated population of 27,000 residents.-References:*...
or Dhamaso - DheenleDheenle-References:*...
- Dhuusaay
- DoolowDoolow-Location:The city sits on the Jubba River near the Ogaden in Ethiopia, just north of Luuq.Balet Hawo District lies west of Dolow near the North Eastern Province.-District:Dolow town is the seat of one of the Gedo region's seven districts, Doolow District...
- EeykiintuuriEeykiintuuriEeykiintuuri is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- Fafahdun
- Faan WeynFaan WeynFanweyn is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country.-Geography:Fanweyn is situated roughly half way between Bardera and Burdhubo, in the Baardheere District. The town is in the Jubba Valley and sits on a rocky area.-Springs:Salty springs from rain...
- GantamaaGantamaaGantama is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country.-References:...
- GarbahaarreeyGarbahaarreeyGarbahaarey is the capital of Gedo, the second largest and sixth most populous region of Somalia. Maj. General Mohamed Siyad Barre, Somalia's longest-serving president, claimed Garbahaarrey as his birthplace in order to get a job in the Italian colonial police force...
- GedweyneGedweyneGedweyne is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- GerileeyGerileey-Overview:The town originally acquired its name Geriley on account of the abundant local wildlife; in particular, giraffes .Geriley is situated near Somalia's border with the North Eastern Province, 8km north of Wajir....
- GeelaqaGeelaqaGeelaqa is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- GosoweynaGosoweynaGosoweyna is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- IriddaIridda-References:*...
- KurmaanKurmaanKurmaan is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. Located in the southwestern part of the country, the town starts just east of Bardera, with Kurman Creek serving as the dividing line between Bardera and Kurman.-Background:...
- LuugudeeyLuugudeeyLuugudeey is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- LuuqLuuqLuuq or Lugh is a city in the southern Gedo province of Somalia. It is one of the oldest cities in the country, and is the seat of the Luuq District, one of the region's seven districts. The town is located in a bend of the Juba River, where the river flows down from north to south in a horseshoe...
- Malmaleey
- MudulowMudulowMudulow , full name Bur Mudulow , is a town in the southwestern Gedo region of Somalia.-References:*...
- OboowOboowOboow is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- Qooneey
- Shaatooloow
- ShanqoloowShanqoloow-References:*...
- ShirkaloolShirkaloolShirkalool is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- SiidimoSiidimoSidimo , alternatively Siidamo, is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country.-References:*...
- UunsiUunsiUunsi is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- YurkudYurkudYurkud is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- XamaraXamaraHamara is a town in the Gedo region of Somalia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country....
- XarankaXaranka-Overview:The city is situated on the main road between Mogadishu and Kismayo, near Barawa and about 50 miles northeast of Jilib.-References:*School of Oriental and African Studies, ALC, Volumes 6-7,...