Beledweyne

Beledweyne Beled weyne
City
Beledweyne Location in Somalia
Coordinates: 04°44′09″N 045°12′13″E / 4.73583°N 45.20361°E / 4.73583; 45.20361Coordinates: 04°44′09″N 045°12′13″E / 4.73583°N 45.20361°E / 4.73583; 45.20361
Country	Somalia
Region	Hiiraan
District	Beledweyne
Government
• Mayor	Abdinasir Farah Gubadley
Area
• Total	24 km2 (9 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,947,100[1]
Time zone	UTC+3 (EAT)

Beledweyne (Somali: Beletweeyne, Arabic: بلد وين‎, Italian: Belet Uen) is a city in central Somalia. Located in the Beledweyne District, it is the capital of the Hiiraan province. The town is situated in the Shebelle Valley near the Ethiopia border, some 206 miles (330 km) north of Mogadishu. Beledweyne is divided by the Shebelle River into eastern and western sections.

History

During the Middle Ages, Beledweyne and much of the surrounding area in southern Somalia was governed by the Ajuran Empire.^[2] (here, before Hiraab conquered the area was strongly ruled by dynastry of Mohamud Irib of Makanne Tribe, as italian bbooks cited and the book called 'Arlu Habasha, another book written in Somali Academy, Taariikhdii Daraawiishta also shows that in page 129) The town later came under the administration of the Hiraab Sultanate in the late 17th century after the collapse of the powerful Ajuran Empire. At the turn of the 20th century, Beledweyne was incorporated into Italian Somaliland protectorate. After independence in 1960, the city was made the center of the official Beledweyne District.

During the 2006-2009 phase of the civil war, the internationally backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG), supported by Ethiopian troops, seized control of the town from the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in the Battle of Beledweyne in 2006. However, by the end of 2008, the radical Islamists had regrouped and Al-Shabaab, a splinter outfit of the ICU, had retaken all of the city in addition to much of southern Somalia.

In December 2011, the Transitional Federal Government retook control of Beledweyne from the Al-Shabaab militants. Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers and around 3,000 allied Ethiopian army troops descended on the city, capturing it following several hours of fighting.^[3] In October 2013, additional SNA and AMISOM troops were deployed to the town to firm up on security after Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack at a local cafeteria.^[4]

Municipality

On May 7, 2012, Beledweyne held its first mayoral elections since the start of the civil war in the early 1990s. 200 delegates took part in the contest, which was overseen by the Hiran region's head of elections, Sadaq Omar Sabriye. Mohamed Hassan Nuriye emerged as the new city mayor, obtaining 135 votes versus 11 and 8 votes, respectively, for the two nearest competitors.^[5]

In his first day in office, Mayor Nuriye officially banned firearms within the city limits. He also warned that people found contravening the edict would have their weapons impounded and could face imprisonment. In addition, Nuriye indicated that for security reasons, government soldiers who were not on patrol should remain within their bases. Soldiers would likewise only be permitted to carry weapons in the city while conducting security operations.^[6]

Djiboutian Soldier patrol the base in Beledweyne, Somalia.

To further tighten up on security, the Beledweyne Municipality over a three-day period started simultaneously registering all local residents.^[6] Mayor Nuriye also unveiled plans for a citywide beautification campaign.^[6] In July 2012, his administration imposed a two-day night-time curfew in Beledweyne, while government soldiers demolished structures that had been illegally erected along the area's main road in one of the Municipality's first urban renewal initiatives.^[7]

In March 2015, the Beledweyne municipality launched a civilian tax collection program in the city. The tax revenue is earmarked for essential public social services. Additionally, the city government is slated to register all local businesses, which will further facilitate tax gathering. The municipal authorities are also scheduled to set up a new citywide house numbering system.^[8]

Demographics

Beledweyne has a population of around 167,200 inhabitants.^[1] The broader Beledweyne District has a total population of 244,345 residents. The city is predominantly inhabited by the Samaale sub-clans. This includes the Hawaadle, Gaalje’el, Gugundhabe, Ujeejeen, and Dir. The Other non Samaale clans that inhabit the city are the Reer Aw Hassan and Makane. ^[9]

Transportation

Beledweyne is served by the Beledweyne Airport. As of February 2015, the Djibouti Defense Forces have refurbished the airstrip.^[10]

Districts

Beledweyne consists of six administrative villages:

• Buudaweyn
• Xaawo Taako
• Kooshin
• Hilaac
• Heegan
• Holwadaag

Climate

Between March and April, the average daily maximum temperature in the city is 36.7 °C. In January and February, the average daily minimum temperature is 21.8 °C.

Notable residents

• Aden Abdullah Osman Daar, first President of Somalia

and Sheikh Hassan Barsane

and Midan Ahmed Samawade an active political activist Malayle

Notes

References

• Beledweyne, Somalia