Location of Gedo in Somalia Gedo is an administrative region formerly part of the historic
Upper Juba Region,
Somalia. Gedo regional capital is
Garbahaarreey. The region is bordered by
Ethiopia,
Kenya, and the Somali regions of
Bakool,
Bay, Middle and Lower Jubas further down east. The Southern parts of Gedo, west of river Juba, used to be part of the old British Trans juba region during half of the seventy years of colonial area in Africa. The
British and
Italians fought over twice in this area of
East Africa. Gedo region's population exploded in the last twenty years reaching almost one million 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 new migration movement made Bulohawo the second largest district in Gedo. Lugh used to be the second largest city and district, Bardera being the first. At one time Bulohawo District became the largest city in the region.
During 200-2008 in Northern Gedo
The population in Bulohawo swelled 200 000. This was in early 1990s when the SNF military wing ruled Gedo region. The group ran into conflict with then well financed Al-Itahad Al-Islamia led by Dahir Aweys. The Islamic function's rule in Lugh District spilled over to Ethiopia and it soon began to threaten Ethiopia. By late 1998, the Ethiopian army rooted out Al-Itahad from Gedo region. SNF function led by Omar Haji, an army general and former minister, gave up control of Gedo region to no one, and hence a power vacuum developed. The Ethiopian army re-occupied northern Gedo districts of Lugh, Dolow and Beled Hawo.
Beled Hawo and Lugh Districts were dangerous zones in Gedo from 1994 onwards, until the region saw an all-out-war between previously friendly sub clans of Marehan. By mid-1996, Gedo region was made a virtual battle zone. Internal conflict which started between Marehan sub clans has left many people to move out of Gedo. SNF forces who were the remnants of what was left of the central government of Somalia, directed The Al-Itahad Al-Islamia forces to stop going into the Ethiopian-Somali border. The Al-Itahad groups setup pseudo governments in Lugh District.
The regional capital is Garbahaarreey. Major rivers in the Gedo region include the
Dawa and the
Juba. Dawa river runs on the border between Ethiopia and Gedo region.
Dolow town sits on Dawa's river banks. Juba river starts from Dolow, just north of Luuq District, then follows to Burdubo, Bardera then to Bu'aale and Jilib of Middle Juba region until the river empties to Indian Ocean at Goob weyn where one sees one of nature's splendors, red river waters merging into the vast blue ocean waters. There is a clear and as it seem a permanent separating line between the two colours of the water; blue ocean waters and red river waters.
Baardheere and Beledxawo
The most populous towns in Gedo are Baardheera and Balad Xaawo or(Buulo Xaawo) or Bulo Hawo in English. BuloHawo is the commercial gateway of the region and the neighboring regions, while Baardheera is the breadbasket of the region. Agricultural products from this fertile land, which include
maize,
potatoes,
sorghum, tobacco, onions,
sesame, fruits such as
papayas,
mangoes,
watermelons and
bananas are shipped to many different parts of the country.
According to a
1994 United Nations reports, the estimated population of Gedo was 690,000.According to the nomadic culture of the people and their movement these numbers can decrease or increase over time. Large cities such as Bardera, Beled Hawo, and Lugh have sizable populations; most of the urban dwellers live in these cities plus the capital region area in the town of Garbaharey.
Bardera (
Somali:Baardheere), the largest metropolitan, 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 city of the country, Mogadishu. Aside from the urban population in proper Bardere city, 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.
Commerce in Gedo
Economy in Gedo region is mostly dependent on two sectors: Agriculture and livestock. A growing third sector is services sector mainly financial and telecommunications industries. Those who live on the fringes of district seats or outside of large cities such as Garbahaarreey, Baardheere, Luuq and Buuloxaawo, 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 Juba 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 Gedo has strong interregional and international cross-border trade with Kenya and some extent with Ethiopia.
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 Buulxaawo, Luuq, and Doolow Tri-District commerce activity region. Both Lugh and Doolow have sizable agriculture output.
Gedo region is famous for its agricultural production in the south. The farming land is mostly concentrated in four towns and these are Dolow, Luq, Burdubo and Bardera. During the peace years, produce from Bardera farms used to reach as far north to DJibouti on the Gulf of Aden.
Gedo region has one of the most varied scenery in Somalia. The Gedo region in Somalia is a vast land with a varied landscape. Parts of Gedo region has rocky mountains in daawo region, red sand in all areas, white sandunes across the Jubba Valley, 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 south-easterly direction downstream rain waters. On the lower southern portion of Gedo region is red sandy flat land from Bardera district on the
Juba Valley all the way west to El Wak town on the border with Kenya's Northern Frontier District, a district mainly populated by Somalis through the ages.
Dhadhaable Water Hole- near Ceel Gaduud
There are plenty of the four most popular Somali livestock roaming the land. These are
camels,
cattle,
goats, 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, Gedo region is famous for its
horse breeding. Large number of horses can be found in Beled Hawa flat lands and Dirharra area near town of Damase, of Elwak District.
Faafaxdhuun Pond - Warta Faafaxdhuun 85KM west of Baardheera
About 40km from Gedo region's capital, Garbahaarreey, towards Beledhawo, you will encourter 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 140km away from the mountain, and you will be around 100km from Garbarreey. There is a distance of 130km between Garbahaarreey and Baardheera. Humbaale Mountain is located 40km northwest of Garbahaarreey and it will be 20km off-road on the road to
Beledhawo.
Jerdaani Gorge-Faraqa Jerdaani 26KM West of Bardera
The mountain areas of Gedo region have sizable safari animals from
elephants to
cheetahs. It is not rare to hear
lions roar during the night hours. Lions,
ostriches,
oryx,
giraffes,
warthogs and
hyenas are plenty around the grassy lands of western part of Bardera District between the towns of Gerileey and Faafahdhuun. 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
crocodiles and
hippopotamus. Crocs and hipos bask in the sun on the sandy island spots during the drying up of the river.
