Gedo (, , , or ''Ghedu'') is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in

Jubaland Jubaland (; ; ), or the Juba Valley (), is a States and regions of Somalia, Federal Member State in southern Somalia. Its eastern border lies no more than east of the Jubba River, stretching from Dolow to the Indian Ocean, while its western si ...

, southern

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 ...

. Its regional capital is Garbahaarreey. The region was formed during 1974 and is bordered by the Ogaden in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, the North Eastern Province in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, 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 Trans-Juba region during half of the seventy years of colonial era in Africa from 1890 to 1960. The

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and Italians fought twice over this area. The regional capital is Garbaharey. President

Siad Barre Mohammed Siad Barre (, Osmanya script: , ''Muhammad Ziād Barīy''; 6 October 1919 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali military officer, politician, and revolutionary who served as the third president of Somalia from 21 October 1969 to 26 Janu ...

's forces withdrew to Gedo following the collapse of the

Somali Democratic Republic The Somali Democratic Republic (; , ; ) was a socialist state in Somalia that existed from 1969 to 1991. Established in October 1969, the Somali Democratic Republic emerged following a 1969 Somali coup d'état, coup d'état led by Major General ...

in the early 1990s. After 1991, the Somali National Front Omar Haji Mohamed held large parts of the region for many years. In collaboration with the SNF, Gedo joined the growing trend of Islamic Courts at the start of 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 ...

and local sharia courts succeeded in making Luuq District one of Somalia's safest areas for much of the 1990s. The militant religious group al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI) also rose to power in the region later, taking over the city of

Luuq Luuq (, , ) is a city in the southwestern Gedo province of Somalia. It is one of the older settlements in the area. It is the seat of the Luuq District. The town is located in a bend of the Ganana River, where the watercourse flows down from n ...

as its headquarters. The Ethiopian National Defence Force then entered the area to attack AIAI's bases in 1996. The first democratically elected governor of the administrative region was Hussein Farey, who entered office in 2008.

Districts

Gedo Region consists of seven districts:Districts of Somalia
/ref> * El Wak District * Bardhere District * Balet Hawo District * Doolow District * Garbahaarreey District * Luuq District * Buurdhuubo District The Dawa and Jubba rivers are the two major rivers of the region.

History

Education

The city of Garbahaarreey and the region's two ancient cities of

and Bardera had education systems up to the secondary level. There were some technical schools in Bardera and Garbaharreey, albeit without a curriculum. They are connected through the Gedo Education Committee. All of Gedo region's high school graduates attended the Somali National University or affiliated institutions in

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 ...

. Since the civil war in Somalia, Gedo became one of half dozen regions which have restarted higher education institutions in the country. Bardera Polytechnic, Gedo's first college, and the University of Gedo, are both located in Bardera.

Demographics

According to a 1994 UNOSOM II estimate, the population of Gedo was about 590,000. The

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

estimated the total population in 2005 at 328,378;Conflict Dynamics International/CEWERU
"From the Bottom Up: Southern Regions: Perspectives through Conflict Analysis and Key Political Actors' Mapping"
, September 2013, p.16 and UN estimates from 2014 stand at some 508,000."Somalia Population Statistics," accessed via https://data.humdata.org/dataset/somalia-population-data, March 2020.

Economy

The economy mostly depends on livestock and farming, but the Gedo region has strong interregional and international cross-border trade with Kenya and to some extent with Ethiopia. Trade across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia allowed the Gedo region to be economically stable for the years before the UN intervention and afterward. The 1998 Nordic Fact Finding Mission prepared a report on the Gedo region and found some encouraging economic figures.

Davidson College Davidson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after American Revolutiona ...

assistant professor Ken Menkhaus said 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 was ongoing despite the raging civil war in Somalia for much of the 1990.

Government

Gedo region has a 32-member assembly body. The members are directly elected from the seven districts of the region with proportionality according to district population. The Gedo assembly or (Gollaha Gobalka Gedo) works with the federal government based in Mogadishu. Regional level posts include: * Governor * Vice Governor * Inter-Regional Affairs Director * Director of Security Services * Gedo Regional Police Commander * Director of Education Services * Director of Agricultural Agency * Director of Economic Affairs * Livestock and Forestry Dept. Director * Director of Justice and Religious Affairs After long conflicts in the region, the regional elders started a peace conference with initiatives from the then governor, Aden Ibrahim Aw Hirsi. This effort ended in success. and were followed by the elections of the regional assembly. The process was financed by UNDP. In addition to regional posts, the Federal Government of Somalia maintains military forces in the region. Brigade 9 of Division 60 (Somalia) was reported in the region as of 2016, originating from a U.S.-funded pilot programme that began in 2012.

Cities and towns

Bardera and Buulo Haawo cities are the two principal cities of the Gedo region. In the recent past,

or Lugh used to be the main political city of the 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 is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The anima ...

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 Buulo Haawo. * Adayle * Anoole * Daar * Mardhaa * Bardera * Barwaaqo * Buulo Haawo * Banaaney * Bilcisha * Boorame * Buraa * Boore * Buulo Mareer * Buurdhuubo * Buusaar * Caanoole * Cinjirta * Caracase * Ceel Cadde * Ceel Duur * Ceel Gaduud * Ceel Waaq * Dhamasa or Dhamaso * Dheenle * Dhuusaay * Doolow * Calijiciir * El Mergis * Fafahdun * Faan Weyn * Gantamaa * Garbahaarreey * Gedweyne * Gerileey * Gosoweyna * Hareeri * Kurmaan *

* Malmaleey * Mudulow * madhawey * Qooneey * Shaatooloow * Siidimo * Uunsi * Gus waran * Eeykiintuuri * Uar Esgudud * Xamara * Yurkud