Beledweyne
Beledweyne | |
|---|---|
| Nickname: Beledhuen بلد وين | |
| Country |  Somalia |
| Somalia | Hiraan |
| Population | |
| • Total | 700,000 to 1.6 million |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (East Africa Time) |
Beledweyne ([Beledweyne] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help), Arabic: بلد وين) is a city in central Somalia. It is the capital of the Hiraan province, and is located in the central valley of the Shebelle River near the Ogaden, some 206 miles (332 km) north of the capital Mogadishu. Straddling a meander of the river, it consists of four main districts: Oktoobar (Buundoweyn), Howlwadaag, Kooshin and Xaawotaako. The Shabelle river divides the town into east and west. Beledweyne has a population of 1.5 million people including the ones in the outskirts. By area, Beledweyne is the third largest city in Somalia, and the second largest in terms of population after Mogadishu.
Beledweyne is one of the oldest cities in Somalia, and the city where the first generation of modern Somali politicians have their roots, from Aden Abdullah Osman Daar to Mohamed Farah Aidid. Following the relocation of his capital to Taleex in 1909, Mohammed Abdullah Hassan and the Darwiish Army constructed a fort here to consolidate his control over the Ogaden[1]. The Darwiish army sent to Beledweyne and the rest of Hiiraan was led by Maxamed Macalin Cagadhiig from the Dhulbahante Clan.
After the death of Hasan Qalaad, Mr. Abdullahi Abdi Aaden (Koofi) was in charge of the town until the transitional Somali president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed nominated Yusuf Ahmed Hagar (also known as Yusuf Mohamud Hagar ("Dabageed")[2]) as the new governor of the region. He had been forced to flee by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) whose forces, under the command of Yusuf Makaraan took the town in August 2006 and established a sharia court under Sheik Farah Moalim.[3][4] Though "Dabageed" returned to the town following the Battle of Beledweyne, on January 1, 2007, Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed declared Hussein Mohamud Moalim as new administrator for Hiiran region, replacing Dabageed, and Saleyman Ahmed Hilowle was nominated as assistant administrator.[5]
Climate
Beledweyne is situated 1.700 meters above sea level. It is one of the coldest areas in Somalia, with the climate changing throughout the year. Between March and April, the average daily maximum temperature of Beledweyne is 22°C. In December, the average daily maximum temperature is 11°C.
| Climate data for Beledweyne,Somalia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Source: Weather Underground[6] | |||||||||||||
BeledWeyne,World:Somalia:Buulo/burte Hiiraan Latitude 4.7500 Longitude 45.2000 Altitude (feet) 593 Lat (DMS) 4° 45' 0N Long (DMS) 45° 12' 0E Altitude (meters) 180
- Time zone (est) UTC+3
Approximate population for 7 km radius from this point: 1559 Google links for Beledweyne Google links for Beledweyne, Somalia
Clan strife
In June 2005, fighting between the Hawiye Gaaljecel and Jajeele sub-clans in the western portion of the town lasted for four days and resulted in 30 dead, 70 wounded and hundreds more displaced. This left the town on uneasy footing.[7]
There were also reprisal killings of suspected Islamists following the December 2006 Battle of Beledweyne.[8]
Military history
Beledweyne is considered a strategically important town. During the 1970s, it was a staging area for the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF), which sought to liberate the Ogaden region and annex it to form a Greater Somalia. When the Ethiopian army with the help of Soviet and Cuban troops drove the Somali army out of the Ogaden during the Ogaden War, Beledweyne became the center of a refugee crisis that brought tens of thousands of Ogadeni refugees from the Ogaden into Somalia. The Ogadenis, part of the Somali Darood clan, clashed with local Hawadle and set off the events that eventually led to Somalia's civil war.[citation needed]
During the War in Somalia (2006-2009), the internationally-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG), supported by Ethiopian troops, took the town from the Islamic Courts Union (ICU). However, by the end 2008, the radical Islamist Al-Shabaab movement had retaken all of the city in addition to much of southern Somalia.
Tensions resurfaced as a result of a suicide bombing in the city on June 18, 2009. The explosion was caused by a car bomb that detonated near the Medina Hotel and it killed 20 people, including National Security Minister Omar Hashi Aden. Authorities suspect the attack was implemented by Al-Shabab, which is backed by al-Qaida.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
References
- ^ Said S. Samatar, Oral Poetry and Somali Nationalism (Cambridge: University Press, 1982), pp. 133
- ^ "Anti ICU lost key towns in Somalia". SomaliNet. December 25, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
- ^ Somalia's Conflict Enters a Phase of Duress PINR
- ^ Islamic leader in key Somali town says 'the world better learn who we are' Associated Press
- ^ Somali president nominates a new administrator for Hiran region Shabelle Media Network
- ^ "Seasonal Weather Averages : Weather Underground". Weather Underground. 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- ^ SOMALIA: Death toll rises as fighting continues in Beletweyne IRIN
- ^ Yusuf, Aweys Osman (2006-12-31). "Somalis in Hiran urged not hunt down former Islamist fighters". shabelle.net. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
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