Beledweyne
| Beledweyne Beledweyne | |
|---|---|
| City | |
|
Satellite view of Beledweyne | |
  Beledweyne Location in Somalia | |
| Coordinates: 04°44′09″N 045°12′13″E / 4.73583°N 45.20361°ECoordinates: 04°44′09″N 045°12′13″E / 4.73583°N 45.20361°E | |
| Country |
 Somalia |
| Region | Hiran |
| District | Beledweyne |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mohamed Hassan Nuriye |
| Population | |
| • Total | 672,000 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Beledweyne (Somali: Beletweeyne, Arabic: بلد وين) is a city in south-central Somalia. Located in the Beledweyne District, it is the capital of the Hiran province. The town is situated in the Shebelle Valley near the Ogaden, some 206 miles (1000 km) north of Mogadishu. Beledweyne is divided by the Shebelle River into eastern and western sections. By area, it is the fourth largest city in Somalia.
History
Beledweyne is an old settlement area. 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.[1]
In the 1970s, the town was a staging area for the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF), which sought to liberate the Ogaden and annex it to form a Greater Somalia.
During the 2006-2009 phase of the civil war, the internationally backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG), supported by Ethiopian troops, seized control of the town from the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in the Battle of Beledweyne in 2006. However, by the end of 2008, the radical Islamists had regrouped and Al-Shabaab, a splinter outfit of the ICU, had retaken all of the city in addition to much of southern Somalia.
In December 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 descended on the city, capturing it following several hours of fighting.[2] In October 2013, additional SNA and AMISOM troops were deployed to the town to firm up on security after Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack at a local cafeteria.[3]
Municipality
On May 7, 2012, Beledweyne held its first mayoral elections since the start of the civil war in the early 1990s. 200 delegates took part in the contest, which was overseen by the Hiran region's head of elections, Sadaq Omar Sabriye. Mohamed Hassan Nuriye emerged as the new city mayor, obtaining 135 votes versus 11 and 8 votes, respectively, for the two nearest competitors.[4]
In his first day in office, Mayor Nuriye officially banned firearms within the city limits. He also warned that people found contravening the edict would have their weapons impounded and could face imprisonment. In addition, Nuriye indicated that for security reasons, government soldiers who were not on patrol should remain within their bases. Soldiers would likewise only be permitted to carry weapons in the city while conducting security operations.[5]
To further tighten up on security, the Beledweyne Municipality over a three-day period started simultaneously registering all local residents.[5] Mayor Nuriye also unveiled plans for a city-wide beautification campaign.[5] In July 2012, his administration imposed a two-day night-time curfew in Beledweyne, while government soldiers demolished structures that had been illegally erected along the area's main road in one of the Municipality's first urban renewal initiatives.[6]
In March 2015, the Beledweyne municipality launched a civilian tax collection program in the city. The tax revenue is earmarked for essential public social services. Additionally, the city government is slated to register all local businesses, which will further facilitate tax gathering. The municipal authorities are also scheduled to set up a new citywide house numbering system.[7]
Demographics
Beledweyne has a population of around 67,200 inhabitants.[8] The broader Beledweyne District has a total population of 144,345 residents.[9]
Transportation
Beledweyne is served by the Beledweyne Airport. As of February 2015, the Djibouti Defense Forces have refurbished the airstrip.[10]
Districts
Beledweyne consists of four administrative districts:
- Buundoweyn
- Howlwadaag
- Kooshin
- Xaawotaako
Climate
Between March and April, the average daily maximum temperature in the city is 36.7 °C. In January and February, the average daily minimum temperature is 21.8 °C.
| Climate data for Beledweyne,Somalia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 34.7 (94.5) |
35.6 (96.1) |
36.7 (98.1) |
36.7 (98.1) |
34.8 (94.6) |
34.0 (93.2) |
33.1 (91.6) |
33.5 (92.3) |
35.2 (95.4) |
34.3 (93.7) |
34.7 (94.5) |
34.7 (94.5) |
34.83 (94.72) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 28.2 (82.8) |
28.7 (83.7) |
30.0 (86) |
30.1 (86.2) |
29.0 (84.2) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.8 (82) |
27.5 (81.5) |
28.9 (84) |
28.4 (83.1) |
28.3 (82.9) |
28.3 (82.9) |
28.63 (83.52) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 21.8 (71.2) |
21.8 (71.2) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.6 (72.7) |
22.5 (72.5) |
21.6 (70.9) |
22.6 (72.7) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.0 (71.6) |
21.9 (71.4) |
22.45 (72.41) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
8 (0.31) |
67 (2.64) |
67 (2.64) |
5 (0.2) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.04) |
9 (0.35) |
69 (2.72) |
37 (1.46) |
7 (0.28) |
270 (10.64) |
| Source: Climate Data[11] | |||||||||||||
Notable residents
- Aden Abdullah Osman Daar, first President of Somalia
- Mohamed Farah Aidid, Chairman of the United Somali Congress
Notes
- ↑ Said S. Samatar (1982). Oral Poetry and Somali Nationalism. Cambridge: University Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-521-23833-5.
- ↑ "Ethiopian troops capture Beledweyne from Somalia militants". BBC News. December 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- ↑ "SOMALIA: Curfew begins in Beledweyn town a day after deadly suicide explosion". Raxanreeb. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ↑ "Beledweyne finally gets elected mayor". Bar-Kulan. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
- 1 2 3 "Newly appointed Beledweyne mayor bans firearms in the city". Bar-Kulan. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
- ↑ "Nighttime curfew imposed on Beledweyne". Bar-kulan. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ↑ "Residents of Baladweyne Told To Pay Taxes". Goobjoog. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ↑ "Somalia - City & Town Population". Tageo. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ↑ "Regions, districts, and their populations: Somalia 2005 (draft)" (PDF). UNDP. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
- ↑ "Chief of the Djibouti Defence Forces Major General Zakaria Sheikh arrives Beledweyn, Hiran". Goobjoog. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ↑ "Climate Data : Somalia". Retrieved 8 May 2013.