Elasha Biyaha () is a suburb located in the

Lower Shabelle Lower Shabelle (, , , ) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southern Somalia. Geography Lower Shabelle is bordered by the regions of Banaadir, Middle Shabelle (Shabeellaha Dhexe), Hiran, Bay, Middle Jubba (Jubbada Dhexe) and by the ...

region of

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, approximately 16 kilometers northwest of

Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

Overview

Elasha Biyaha is situated on the northwestern outskirts of Mogadishu, nestled between

Afgooye Afgooye (, , ) is a town in the southeastern Somalia Lower Shebelle (Shabellaha Hoose) region of Somalia. It is the center of the Afgooye District. Afgooye is the third largest city of Southwest State. Afgooye is one of the oldest towns on the ...

and the capital city. The area is 10 km from Mogadishu, measuring from Ex-Control Afgooye. The name ''Ceelasha Biyaha'' literally means "The Water Wells" in Somali, which encapsulates the area's significance, intimately linked to a primary well that sustained the settlers with its water source. The area holds importance due to its proximity to major urban centers. The area was uninhabited before the

Somali Civil War The Somali Civil War (; ) is an List of ongoing armed conflicts, ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Barre during the 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, the Somali Armed ...

, only consisting of the Somali Water Agency, built by the German government in 1978. After the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in 2006 the area became heavily populated as waves of people fleeing urban fighting fled to Elasha Biyaha establishing a refugee camp there. Elasha Biyaha has two large markets; the "second" Bakara market and the Safa and Marwa market. The first was established in 2007 as people from Mogadishu fled the Ethiopian war, while the other was established after the area became a formal settlement. Approximately 90% of the vegetables and other fresh produce supplied to Mogadishu come from Afgooye and Lower Shabelle, passing through Elasha Biyaha. The suburb is home to two of the largest military bases in Somalia; Siinka-Dheer base, one of the main headquarters of the

Somali National Army The Somali National Army () are the ground forces component of the Somali Armed Forces. Since Somali independence in 1960, the Army fought to expand and increase Somalia's sphere of influence throughout the Horn of Africa counter to Ethiopia' ...

(SNA), responsible for securing Mogadishu.and Arbacow base, originally established by

ATMIS The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is a former African Union transition and drawdown mission from peacekeeping operations in Somalia. Formerly the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), which began in 2007 and operated ...

but later handed over to Somalia's Gorgor unit. On March 18, 2025, al-Shabaab captured the suburb during the Shabelle offensive.

Demographics

According to the UNHCR, in 2007 Elasha Biyaha had an estimated population of 24,500, comprising 20 percent men, 35 percent women, and 45 percent children.

References

{{reflist Populated places in Lower Shebelle Mogadishu Populated places in Somalia