Galmudug
Encyclopedia
Galmudug is an autonomous region in central Somalia
. It is bordered to its north by the Puntland
region, to the west by Ethiopia
, and to the south by other regions of Somalia.
Galmudug's name is derived from a conflation of the Galguduud
and Mudug
provinces. Unlike the secessionist Somaliland
region in northwestern Somalia, Galmudug, like all other territories in Somalia, is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation. It considers itself an autonomous state within the larger federal republic
of Somalia, such as defined by the 2004 Transitional Federal Charter (TFG).
, Hargeisa
, Bossaso and Harar
in Ethiopia
. It is bordered to the east by the Indian Ocean
, to the west by Ethiopia, to the north by the Mudug
region of Puntland
, and to the south by the Galgaduud region.
and conducted their business there. Financial development, security and infrastructure were all funnelled into Mogadishu by these warlords and the regions of Mudug and Galgadud in particular became seriously neglected. For the Mogadishu warlords, Mudug and Galgadud was a place to import soldiers and livestock, Mogadishu was where to invest and develop.
From March 2006 to June 2006 the Islamic Courts Union battled and defeated the Mogadishu warlords and shattered their power, allowing the ICU to conquer all of the capital as well as the Middle Shabelle region. As a side consequence of this however, the central regions became independent of the Mogadishu warlords for the first time in 17 years, and finally had a say in how the regions were administered. The Sacad clan diaspora and political leadership, taking note of the success Puntland and Somaliland have had with autonomy, began to work towards establishing a regional state.
Galmudug was established on August 14, 2006 and Mohamed Warsame Ali 'Kiimiko' was elected President.
The state was named Galmudug (Galgadud and Mudug) with the cities of South Galcayo, Galinsoor
and Bandiradley. Hobyo
were technically a part of Galmudug from the outset, but de-facto authority rested in the pirates who ruled the towns and preyed on shipping along the coast. This changed when the ICU flushed out the pirates from Hobyo and Harardhere on August 16, 2006, and later when the ICU conquered Harardhere and Hobyo in early November 2006, to be reconquered by Galmudug forces in early 2007 with the help of Ethiopia, Puntland and the Sacad warlord Abdi Qeybdiid.
However, control by a central government remains fleeting. Much of the area of Galmudug remains under control of coastal pirates and Islamic militants groups, such as Al-Shabaab
.
Galmudug State occupies the following Districts of Somalia
:
.
On January 1, 2007, Abdi Qeybdiid and the Puntland/Ethiopian force parted ways with the Galmudug military and continued on towards Mogadishu, briefly occupying Adado
and Dusamareb. To this day, the status of the majority of Galgadud (except Gelinsoor, administered by Galmudug) is unresolved.
Piracy has been rampant along the coast of Somalia, with at least 111 attacks against shipping and 42 vessels captured during 2008.
In December 2008, Hobyo pirates and Al-Shabaab militants fought over the control of Hobyo.
Galmudug State military is composed of remnants from the dreaded Ex USC/SNA Forces of General Mohamed Farrah Aidid
who have been acknowledged in the documentary Black Hawk Down to be the most efficient and battle-harded fighting forces throughout the ensuing civil war in Somalia. Western military analysts also believe that the Galmudug state forces do indeed hold in their possession a substantial amount of heavy armament that was looted from the former Somali national army which was never used in the civil war by the USC forces of the late Gen M. Aideed. But most of these would in due time be handed back to a genuine Somali government if ever formed.
Galmudug state has an ambitious plan to revitalise by way of priority the education system through the importation of highly qualified teachers from India, South Africa and ethnic Somali Teachers from North East province of Kenya. In order to keep costs to the education budget to a minimum in the long run, plans have been made to build teachers' quarters alongside every school that was built in order to provide free accommodation to the teachers. A trust fund has been set up to which UNICEF, the Indian Government, and a number of Dubai-based corporations has promised contributions. A team from Galmudud State Ministry of Education recently travelled to Cairo, London, Manchester, Columbus, Ohio
, South Carolina and Minneapolis in an encouraging college graduates from that region in the Diaspora to take up training in the teaching of sciences and mathematics. Scholarships have also been offered in the spirit of fulfillment of the aforementioned education goals by the University of Alexandria in Egypt.
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. It is bordered to its north by the Puntland
Puntland
Puntland , officially the Puntland State of Somalia , is a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998....
region, to the west by Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, and to the south by other regions of Somalia.
Galmudug's name is derived from a conflation of the Galguduud
Galguduud
Galguduud is an administrative region in central Somalia.-Overview:It is bordered by Ethiopia, the Somalian regions of Mudug, Hiiraan, Shabeellaha Dhexe , and the Indian Ocean....
and Mudug
Mudug
Mudug is an administrative region in north-central Somalia. Bordered by the Ogaden, the Somalian regions of Nugaal and Galguduud, and the Indian Ocean, its capital is the city of Galkacyo.-Districts:...
provinces. Unlike the secessionist Somaliland
Somaliland
Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
region in northwestern Somalia, Galmudug, like all other territories in Somalia, is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation. It considers itself an autonomous state within the larger federal republic
Federal republic
A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. A federation is the central government. The states in a federation also maintain the federation...
of Somalia, such as defined by the 2004 Transitional Federal Charter (TFG).
Overview
The Galmudug State is the most centrally located area in Somalia. It is equidistant from Galkacyo (the southern part of which forms the state capital) by 750 km to MogadishuMogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, Hargeisa
Hargeisa
Hargeisa is a city in the northwestern Woqooyi Galbeed region of Somalia. With a population of approximately 2 million residents, it is the second largest city in the country. Hargeisa is the capital of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region...
, Bossaso and Harar
Harar
Harar is an eastern city in Ethiopia, and the capital of the modern Harari ethno-political division of Ethiopia...
in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. It is bordered to the east by the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, to the west by Ethiopia, to the north by the Mudug
Mudug
Mudug is an administrative region in north-central Somalia. Bordered by the Ogaden, the Somalian regions of Nugaal and Galguduud, and the Indian Ocean, its capital is the city of Galkacyo.-Districts:...
region of Puntland
Puntland
Puntland , officially the Puntland State of Somalia , is a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998....
, and to the south by the Galgaduud region.
Creation of Galmudug
Prior to June 6, 2006, the clans of central Somalia were part of the vast territories held by the "Mogadishu Warlords", the powerful businessmen-warlords who each ruled a district of MogadishuMogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
and conducted their business there. Financial development, security and infrastructure were all funnelled into Mogadishu by these warlords and the regions of Mudug and Galgadud in particular became seriously neglected. For the Mogadishu warlords, Mudug and Galgadud was a place to import soldiers and livestock, Mogadishu was where to invest and develop.
From March 2006 to June 2006 the Islamic Courts Union battled and defeated the Mogadishu warlords and shattered their power, allowing the ICU to conquer all of the capital as well as the Middle Shabelle region. As a side consequence of this however, the central regions became independent of the Mogadishu warlords for the first time in 17 years, and finally had a say in how the regions were administered. The Sacad clan diaspora and political leadership, taking note of the success Puntland and Somaliland have had with autonomy, began to work towards establishing a regional state.
Galmudug was established on August 14, 2006 and Mohamed Warsame Ali 'Kiimiko' was elected President.
The state was named Galmudug (Galgadud and Mudug) with the cities of South Galcayo, Galinsoor
Galinsoor
Galinsoor, also spelled Gelinsoor, is a town in the north-central Mudug region of Somalia.-Etymology:The town's name is derived from two Somali words: Gelin and Soor. Gelin means either "half of the day", "afternoon" or "before noon"; Soor means "hosting guests"...
and Bandiradley. Hobyo
Hobyo
Hobyo is an ancient harbor city in the Mudug region of Somalia. Hobyo literally means "here, water", and the plentiful fresh water to be had from the wells in and around the town has been the driving force behind Hobyo's ancient status as a favorite port-of-call for sailors.-Establishment:Hobyo's...
were technically a part of Galmudug from the outset, but de-facto authority rested in the pirates who ruled the towns and preyed on shipping along the coast. This changed when the ICU flushed out the pirates from Hobyo and Harardhere on August 16, 2006, and later when the ICU conquered Harardhere and Hobyo in early November 2006, to be reconquered by Galmudug forces in early 2007 with the help of Ethiopia, Puntland and the Sacad warlord Abdi Qeybdiid.
However, control by a central government remains fleeting. Much of the area of Galmudug remains under control of coastal pirates and Islamic militants groups, such as Al-Shabaab
Al-Shabaab (Somalia)
Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen , more commonly known as al-Shabaab , is a terrorist group of militants fighting to overthrow the government of Somalia. As of 2011, the group controls large swathes of the southern parts of Somalia, where it is said to have imposed its own strict form of Sharia law...
.
Relations with Puntland
Relations between Galmudug and the Puntland region to its immediate north have historically been tense. However, more recently, the two regions have made strides toward strengthening inter-regional relations. To this end, representatives of the two autonomous administrations signed an accord on February 2011 in Garowe, the capital of Puntland, wherein both governments officially agreed to cooperate on security, economic and social matters.Geography
Districts of Somalia
||Somalia is officially divided into eighteen administrative regions , which in turn are subdivided into districts....
:
- Mudug Region - Districts:
- BandiiradleyBandiiradleyBanderadley is a town in the Mudug region of Somalia. It lies 70 km southwest of the city of Gaalkacyo, along the main highway that crosses Somalia. The city has a population of approximately 50,000 and has its own airport....
- GalinsoorGalinsoorGalinsoor, also spelled Gelinsoor, is a town in the north-central Mudug region of Somalia.-Etymology:The town's name is derived from two Somali words: Gelin and Soor. Gelin means either "half of the day", "afternoon" or "before noon"; Soor means "hosting guests"...
- Algula
- BitaleBitale-References:*...
- Cel Dhanaane
- Bandiiradley
- Hobyo Region - Districts:
- HobyoHobyoHobyo is an ancient harbor city in the Mudug region of Somalia. Hobyo literally means "here, water", and the plentiful fresh water to be had from the wells in and around the town has been the driving force behind Hobyo's ancient status as a favorite port-of-call for sailors.-Establishment:Hobyo's...
- Afbarwaaqo
- WisilWisilWisil is a town in the north-central Mudug region of Somalia. It lies west of the city of Hobyo, on the road towards Galkacyo. The town is administered by the autonomous Galmudug state government.-References:*...
- Bacaadweyne
- Qaydaro
- Ceeldibir
- Xingod
- dabaro
- Hobyo
War with the Islamic Courts Union
Galmudug and the ICU clashed increasingly in October and November 2006, leading to an ICU invasion of Galinsoor, Hobyo, Harardere, Bandiradley and Abdi Qeybdiid's base in the Marehan town of Abudwaq in November and December. A joint Ethiopia-Puntland force intervened to prevent the ICU from capturing Galcayo (the most important city in the region), the northern half of which is administered by Puntland. The Ethiopia-Puntland-Galmudug-Abdi Qeybdiid coalition emerged victorious and recaptured Bandiradley and GalinsoorGalinsoor
Galinsoor, also spelled Gelinsoor, is a town in the north-central Mudug region of Somalia.-Etymology:The town's name is derived from two Somali words: Gelin and Soor. Gelin means either "half of the day", "afternoon" or "before noon"; Soor means "hosting guests"...
.
On January 1, 2007, Abdi Qeybdiid and the Puntland/Ethiopian force parted ways with the Galmudug military and continued on towards Mogadishu, briefly occupying Adado
Adado
Adado is a town in the central Galguduud region of Somalia. It is situated in the Adado District....
and Dusamareb. To this day, the status of the majority of Galgadud (except Gelinsoor, administered by Galmudug) is unresolved.
Al-Shabaab and Pirates
While the Transitional Federal Government made an agreement to admit members of the former Islamic Courts Union into the government in a bid to unify the country, violence continues to plague the central Somali coast. It takes two primary forms: piracy by various tribal groups, and Islamic extremist movements, such as Al-Shabaab.Piracy has been rampant along the coast of Somalia, with at least 111 attacks against shipping and 42 vessels captured during 2008.
In December 2008, Hobyo pirates and Al-Shabaab militants fought over the control of Hobyo.
Reconstruction
Galmudug state has, in spite of limited resources, managed to open eight new schools. Medicine San-franse had promised to fund the schools but that did not materialise after several of their staff were kidnapped in lieu for the withdrawal of the funds to Galmududg state educational programmes. The state also embarked an audacious plan to solicit funds to build a modern port in Hobyo that could be used businesses in central Somali and even by landlocked Ethiopia. A 172 Miles tarmac dual carriage road that would go through Hobyo- Galkacio- and further a field into Ogadenia has been planned in order to boost commercial and transport links in that part of Ethiopia which is inhabited mainly by poor ethnic Somalis who continue to live under occupation of hostile Ethiopian regimes.Galmudug State military is composed of remnants from the dreaded Ex USC/SNA Forces of General Mohamed Farrah Aidid
Mohamed Farrah Aidid
General Mohamed Ali Farrah Aidid was a controversial Somali military leader, often described as a warlord. A former general and diplomat, he was the chairman of the United Somali Congress and later led the Somali National Alliance...
who have been acknowledged in the documentary Black Hawk Down to be the most efficient and battle-harded fighting forces throughout the ensuing civil war in Somalia. Western military analysts also believe that the Galmudug state forces do indeed hold in their possession a substantial amount of heavy armament that was looted from the former Somali national army which was never used in the civil war by the USC forces of the late Gen M. Aideed. But most of these would in due time be handed back to a genuine Somali government if ever formed.
Galmudug state has an ambitious plan to revitalise by way of priority the education system through the importation of highly qualified teachers from India, South Africa and ethnic Somali Teachers from North East province of Kenya. In order to keep costs to the education budget to a minimum in the long run, plans have been made to build teachers' quarters alongside every school that was built in order to provide free accommodation to the teachers. A trust fund has been set up to which UNICEF, the Indian Government, and a number of Dubai-based corporations has promised contributions. A team from Galmudud State Ministry of Education recently travelled to Cairo, London, Manchester, Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, South Carolina and Minneapolis in an encouraging college graduates from that region in the Diaspora to take up training in the teaching of sciences and mathematics. Scholarships have also been offered in the spirit of fulfillment of the aforementioned education goals by the University of Alexandria in Egypt.
Further reading
- A. Jimale (ed), The Invention of Somalia. Lawrenceville, NJ, 1995.
- Cassanelli, Lee V., The Shaping of The Somali Society- Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Univ. Press, 1982.
- Middleton, John. The World of the Swahili- An African mercantile civilisation. Yale University 1992.