| Beledweyne Beletweeyne بلد وين |
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|---|---|
| Satellite view of Beledweyne | |
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Beledweyne
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Somalia |
| Somalia | Hiraan |
| District | |
| Population | |
| • Total | Unknown |
| Time zone | East Africa Time (UTC+3) |
Beledweyne (Somali: Beledweyne, 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 Mogadishu, the nation's capital. The Shebelle river divides the town into east and west. By area, Beledweyne is the fourth largest city in Somalia, and the fourth largest in terms of population after Kismayo.[1]
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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. [2] Following the relocation of his capital to Taleex in 1909, Mohammed Abdullah Hassan and his Dervish forces constructed a fort in the Ogaden near Beledweyne to consolidate his control over the Ogaden region.[3]
After the death of Hasan Qalaad, Mr. Abdullahi Abdi Aaden (Koofi) was in charge of the city until the transitional Somali president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed nominated Yusuf Ahmed Hagar (also known as Yusuf Mohamud Hagar ("Dabageed")[4]) 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.[5][6] 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.[7]
Beledweyne consists of four main districts:
The city of Beledweyne is one of the cold areas in Somalia, with the climate changing throughout the year. Between March and April, the average daily maximum temperature in the city 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 |
| Average high °C (°F) | 20 (68) |
21 (70) |
21 (70) |
22 (72) |
22 (71) |
19 (67) |
17 (63) |
18 (64) |
19 (66) |
19 (67) |
19 (67) |
19 (67) |
20 (67.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 12 (53) |
12 (54) |
14 (57) |
14 (58) |
14 (58) |
13 (56) |
13 (55) |
12 (54) |
13 (55) |
12 (54) |
11 (52) |
11 (51) |
12.6 (54.8) |
| Source: Weather Underground[8] | |||||||||||||
Beledweyne is considered a strategically important town. In 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.
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 of 2008, the radical Islamist Al-Shabaab group 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 alleged to be backed by al-Qaida.[9]
On December 31, 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 attacked the city in the early morning, capturing it after hours of fighting. Around 20 people were killed in the battle, mainly consisting of Ethiopian soldiers and Al-Shabaab insurgents.[10]