Hudur

Hudur (Somali: Xuddur) is a town in the south Western Bakool region of Somalia. It serves as the province's capital and is the center of the Hudur District.

Hudur
Town
Hudur
Location in Somalia.
Coordinates: 4°7′12″N 43°53′16″E
Country Somalia
State South West
RegionBakool
DistrictXuddur District
Government
 • MayorSharif Hassan
Population
 (2000)
 • Total85,500
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)

History

During the Middle Ages, Hudur and its surrounding area was part of the Ajuran Empire that governed much of southern Somalia and eastern Ethiopia, with its domain extending from Hobyo in the north, to Qelafo in the west, to Kismayo in the south.[1]

In the early modern period, Hudur was ruled by the Geledi Sultanate. The kingdom was eventually incorporated into Italian Somaliland protectorate in 1910 after the death of the last Sultan Osman Ahmed.[2] After independence in 1960, the city was made the center of the official Hudur District.

Fort of Huddur photographed in 1924

Overview

Hudur is located in southwestern Somalia. It sits at 4°7′12″N 43°53′16″E.

During the Islamist insurgency of the 2000s, the city was seized by Al-Shabaab. In March 2014, Ethiopian AMISOM and Somali troops re-captured the town from the militants.[3] The offensive was part of an intensified military operation by the allied forces against Al-Shabaab.[4]

According to Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, the government subsequently launched stabilization efforts in the newly liberated areas, which also included Wajid, Rabdhure and Burdhubo. The Ministry of Defence was providing ongoing reassurance and security to the local residents, and supplying logistical and security support to deliver relief assistance. Additionally, the Ministry of Interior was prepared to support and put into place programs to assist local administration and security. A Deputy Minister and several religious scholars were also dispatched to all four towns to coordinate and supervise the federal government's stabilization initiatives.[5]

Demographics

As of 2000, Hudur had a population of around 12,500 inhabitants.[6] The broader Hudur District has a total population of 93,049 residents.[7] Most local residents belong to the Hadame clan with minority being the Xawaadle clan, a group with strong religious ties. The main language spoken in the town is the Cushitic Maay language. [8]

Notes
  1. Lee V. Cassanelli, The shaping of Somali society: reconstructing the history of a pastoral people, 1600-1900, (University of Pennsylvania Press: 1982), p.102.
  2. Cassanelli, Lee Vincent (1973). The Benaadir Past: Essays in Southern Somali History. University Microfilms International. p. 149.
  3. "Somalia: Federal Govt, Ethiopian forces liberate strategic town of Hudur". Garowe Online. 7 March 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  4. "Somalia: Federal Govt, AMISOM troops clash with Al Shabaab". Garowe Online. 11 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  5. "SOMALIA: PM hosts meeting with International Community diplomats on stabilisation efforts". Raxanreeb. 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  6. "Somalia City & Town Population". Tageo. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  7. "Regions, districts, and their populations: Somalia 2005 (draft)" (PDF). UNDP. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  8. https://midnimo.com/2014/04/23/beesha-xawaadle-oo-ku-tilmaamtay-maamulka-juba-aan-loo-dhammeyn/

References
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