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Baidoa (, Somali: f-Maxaa: Baydhabo, Maay: ''Baydhowy)'' is the largest city of the South West State of Somalia">Maay.html" ;"title="f-Maxaa: Baydhabo, Maay">f-Maxaa: Baydhabo, Maay: ''Baydhowy)'' is the largest city of the South West State of Somalia. Between 2002 and 2014, Baidoa was the capital of the South West State of Somalia">South West State The South-West State of Somalia ( so, Goboleedka Koonfur Galbeed ee Soomaaliya, Maay Maay: ''Koofur Orsi''), is a Federal Member State in southwestern Somalia. It was founded by Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, leader of the Somalia RRA on 1 Ap ...

. In 2014, the capital was changed to Barawa.

Overview

Baydhabo is the main hub of the Somali inter-riverine region and state capital of Bay, Somalia, Bay Region. It was traditionally known as ''Baydhabo Jinaay'' (the heavenly Baydhabo) or ''ll Baydhabo'' (the spring of Baydhabo). The city was founded at the edge of the main highlands known as ''magniafulka'' where the ll springs originate, a prime grazing area. Legend states that a bird pecked the ground with its beak and would signal people to come and discover the pristine land. The shrine of Obo Esherow the patron

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

mystic/saint of Baidoa has been honoured for over four centuries.

History

Antiquity

Baidoa and the broader Bay region is home to a number of important ancient sites. Archaeologists have found pre-historic rock art on the city's outskirts, in Buur Heybe.

Medieval

During the medieval period Baidoa was founded and settled by the Madanle clan and many traditions link the Ajuran with a people known to Somalis Madanle (Maaanthinle, Madinle, etc.) who were celebrated well-diggers in southern Somalia. Many traditions ascribe Madanle origins to Baidao and were attributed to stone-built rectangular enclosure in the deep interior so far adequately described. Baidoa is said to have solid stone and mortar walls ruins some four foot six inches high in places. This affirms the traditions that Baidoa during

Ajuran Ajuran may refer to: * Ajuran Sultanate, a medieval Somali empire * Ajuran (clan), a Somali clan * Ajuran currency Ajuran currency was an old coinage system minted in the Ajuran Sultanate. The polity was a Somali people, Somali Muslim kingdom that ...

was a large town and a trading hub center.Lee V. Cassanelli, ''The shaping of Somali society: reconstructing the history of a pastoral people, 1600-1900'', (University of Pennsylvania Press: 1982), p.102.

Early Modern

Baidoa was captured by Sultan Ibrahim Adeer who defeated the Madanle section of

and expelled them from the region. The city population was eventually replaced by Mirifle and the city reached its golden age under Geledi Sultanate rule. It was crossroads of caravan trade. Baidoa city was surrounded with large walls with one fortified gate. It attracted many merchants and farmers from the benadir coast to settle in what came to be known as (Buula Benadir) (the Benadir quarter). Menelik II of Ethiopia invaded Baidoa in the late 19th century, but was pushed back under Sultan

Osman Ahmed Osman Ahmed ( ar, عثمان أحمد) was a Somali ruler. He was the fifth and final Sultan of the Geledi Sultanate. Osman Ahmed is considered less illustrious than his predecessors and Gobroon power weakened considerably under his rule. He was ...

rule.

Colonial Period

The Italians occupied the city in July, 1913. During the British military occupation (1941-1950), the Bardaale Quarter, where Somali clients and employees of the British lived, was the stronghold of the

Somali Youth League The Somali Youth League (SYL) ( so, Ururka Dhalinyarada Soomaaliyeed رابطة الشباب الصومالي, it, Lega dei Giovani Somali or ''Lega Somala della Gioventù''), initially known as the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was the first politi ...

; the rest of the city was held by the members of the Hizbiya Digil-Mirifle.

Modern

With an agropastoral economy, common livestock include goats and camels, with the main agricultural produce being sorghum. Pre Civil war Bay state was home to the largest camel population in Somalia, with above 1.3 million camels. Post independence, Baidoa would attract many international projects such as the Bay Agricultural Development Project.

Civil War

Baidoa incurred significant damage in the early 1990s, following the start of the civil war. In September 1995, United Somali Congress militia attacked and occupied the town. The Australian contingent of

Unified Task Force The Unified Task Force (UNITAF) was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from 5 December 1992 until 4 May 1993. A United States initiative (code-named Operation Restore Hope), UNI ...

UNISOM1, running the Baidoa Humanitarian Relief Sector from January 1993, found themselves dealing primarily with the 'Somali Liberation Army' Duduble sub-clan of Aideed's USC. "They were able to provide an ongoing flow of funds to Aideed in Mogadishu from the proceeds of their activities in the Bay region, while enriching themselves in the process." They remained in control of Baidoa until around January 1996, while the local

Rahanweyn Resistance Army The Rahaweyn Resistance Army (RRA), also known as the Reewin Resistance Army, is an autonomist militant group operating in the Southern Somalia, It was the first Reewin armed faction to emerge during the Somali civil war. The stated goal of the ...

militia continued to engage the USC in the town's environs. In 1999, the RRA seized control of the wider Lower Shabelle, Gedo, Bay and Bakool provinces. The town and larger region gradually rebounded to become among the more stable areas in the south. Battle-of-baidoa-12262006-0752

In 2002, the RRA's leader

Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud Colonel Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud ( so, Xasan Maxamed Nuur Shaatigaduud; ar, حسن محمد نور شاتيغادود) (1946–2013) was a Somali politician and faction leader. He served as the chairman of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA ...

founded the Southwestern State of Somalia regional administration, with its headquarters in Baidoa. The creation of the autonomous state was a move to show the RRA leadership's disaffection with the nascent Mogadishu-based Transitional National Government, which had been established two years earlier. In 2005, the Southwestern State was officially dissolved after its leader Shatigadud had joined the Transitional Federal Parliament in November 2004 and later became Minister of Finance in January 2005 in the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), the TNG's successor. In early 2005, the TFG sent official delegations to Baidoa and Jowhar to assess the suitability of each city as a temporary headquarters for the TFG before an eventual relocation of government offices to Mogadishu. In June–July 2005, the Transitional Federal Government established an interim seat in Jowhar due to ongoing insecurity in the capital. To strengthen its presence in the town, the central authorities built an improved airport and inaugurated the Duduble Canal. The TFG later moved its temporary headquarters to Baidoa. In December 2006,

Ethiopian troops The Ethiopian Ground Forces () is the land service branch of the Ethiopian National Defense Force. It is senior of the two uniformed military branches. It engages in land warfare and combined arms operations, including armored and mechanized o ...

entered Somalia to assist the TFG against the advancing Islamic Courts Union, initially winning the

Battle of Baidoa The Battle of Baidoa began on 20 December 2006 when the Somali transitional federal government forces (TFG) allied with Ethiopian forces stationed there attacked advancing Islamic Courts Union (ICU) forces along with 500 alleged Eritrean troops ...

. On 28 December 2006, the allied forces recaptured the capital from the ICU. The offensive helped the TFG solidify its rule. On 8 January 2007, for the first time since taking office, President

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed ( so, Cabdulaahi Yuusuf Axmed, ar, عبدالله يوسف أحمد‎; 15 December 1934 – 23 March 2012) was a Somali politician and former colonel in the Somali National Army. He was one of the founders of the Somali ...

entered Mogadishu from Baidoa to engage in consultations with local business, religious and civil society representatives as the TFG moved its base to the national capital. Following its defeat, the Islamic Courts Union splintered into several different factions. Some of the more radical elements, including al-Shabaab, regrouped to continue its insurgency against the TFG and oppose the Ethiopian military's presence in Somalia. Throughout 2007 and 2008, Al-Shabaab scored military victories, seizing control of key towns and ports in both central and southern Somalia. At the end of 2008, the group had captured Baidoa but not Mogadishu. In February 2012, Somali government forces and allied Ethiopian troops re-captured Baidoa from Al-Shabaab.

Southwestern State

In December 2013, a convention began in Baidoa between

Federal Government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

officials and local representatives with the aim of establishing an autonomous state in the area under the Provision Federal Constitution. Two simultaneous political processes for the establishment of a new Southwestern State of Somalia were underway: one led by former Parliament Speaker

Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan ( so, Shariif Xasan Sheekh Aadan, ar, شريف حسن الشيخ آدم; is a Somali politician. He is a former Minister of Finance of Somalia, and the last Speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP). Career ...

, which proposed a three region state consisting of the Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle provinces; another led by convention organizer Malaq Ali Shino, former MP Madobe Nunow Mohamed and erstwhile Bay region Governor Abdifatah Geesey, which proposed instead the re-establishment of a six region Southwestern Somalia state consisting of the Bay, Bakool, Lower Shabelle, Gedo, Middle Jubba and Lower Jubba provinces.

Demographics

According to the UNDP in 2005 the population of Baidoa was 370,000. The city is situated at the center of one of the most densely populated areas in the nation. It is an ethnically and culturally diverse town, with many local residents originating from other parts of the country. Additionally, Baidoa is the heartland of Maay, an

Afro-Asiatic The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...

language principally spoken by the Digil and Mirifle ( Rahanweyn) clans in the southern regions of Somalia. Its speech area extends from the southwestern border with Ethiopia to a region close to the coastal strip between Mogadishu and Kismayo. Maay is not mutually comprehensible with Standard Somali, and it differs considerably in sentence structure and phonology. However, Maay speakers often use Standard Somali as a lingua franca, which is learned via mass communications, internal migration and urbanization.

Climate

Baidoa has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

( Köppen ''BSh''), as with much of southern Somalia. By contrast, towns in the northern part of the country generally have a

hot arid climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(Köppen ''BWh''). ''(direct
Final Revised Paper
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Education

Baidoa has a large secondary school, from which around 580 pupils graduated per year in 2008. As of 2012, several other high schools were in development. Tertiary education in the city is served by the

University of Southern Somalia The University of Southern Somalia is a higher education center based in Baidoa, Somalia. History After a considerable planning stage, the institution was established in 2007 by a group of Somali scholars and intellectuals. Inaugural classes beg ...

. After a considerable planning stage, the institution was established in 2007 by a group of Somali scholars and intellectuals. Inaugural classes began the following year, in August 2008. University representatives concurrently announced plans to develop four colleges: the College of Science, Agriculture, and Engineering, the College of Social Science, the College of Education, the College of Health and Environmental Sciences, and the College of Jurisprudence. Additionally, an Institute of Social Research is being developed. Plans are also in the works to construct a new campus in an area around 15 km north of Baidoa, as well as two new branches in two other principal cities in the Bay region. Schools: *Sahal moalin ise primary and secondary school *Baidoa Secondary and primary school *AlBasha'ir primary and secondary school *Alqalam primary and secondary school *Baidoa model primary and secondary school *Hanano Community Primary and Secondary school *Ma'ruf Primary and Secondary School *Alcayn primary and secondary school *Almacrifa primary and secondary school *Ma'mur primary and secondary school *AlHudda Primary and secondary school *Alabraar primary and secondary school *Baydhabo Janaay primary and secondary school *Salaam Institute of language and health Science *Alnajuum tertiary and primary school *Salaxudin primary and secondary school *City Model School

Transportation

Air transportation in Baidoa is served by the

Baidoa Airport Shatigadud International Airport Baidoa Somalia is an airport serving Baidoa, the capital city of the Bay region in Somalia. The airport was built in the 1960s, and at the time was 8,800 feet long and 150 feet wide, before being resurfaced wit ...

. Sitting at an elevation of , it has a 9843 × 131 ft (3000 × 40 m) asphalt runway. The airport has fuel services, a terminal building, storage container, on-site warehouse, and radio towers.

Subdivisions

Baidoa is administratively divided into four districts: *Isha *Horseed *Berdaale *Howlwadaag *Daru salaam *Salaamey *Towfiiq *Wadajir *Waaberi *Ideedi

Notable residents

– former Minister of Finance of Somalia and

leader * Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden – Somali politician *

Said Ali Hussein Said Ali Hussein is a Somali-Dutch footballer who plays as attacker (association football) left winger for Dutch club Emplina and the Somalia national team. Club career Ali Hussein was born in Baidoa, Somalia. At the age of ten, Hussein moved ...

– Somali footballer; emigrated to the Netherlands as a result of the Somali Civil War. *

Ibrahim Hussein abdirahaman Ibrahim ( ar, إبراهيم, links=no ') is the Arabic name for Abraham, a Biblical patriarch and prophet in Islam. For the Islamic view of Ibrahim, see Abraham in Islam. Ibrahim may also refer to: * Ibrahim (name), a name (and list of people w ...

known as Fuudjeelle, -the Somali Social Positivism Union and the Pressure Group founder; *

Ilhan Omar Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party. Before her election to Congress, Omar served in the Minnesota ...

– American politician; lived in Baidoa prior to the Somali Civil War

Notes

References

Iscia Baidoa: Somalia

External links

Administrative map of Baidoa District
{{Authority control Populated places in Bay, Somalia