Kismayo

Kismayo(Somali:Kismaayo,Arabic:كيسمايو,Kīsmāyū;Italian:Chisimaio) is aport cityin the southernLower Juba(Jubbada Hoose) province ofSomalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomousJubalandregion.
The city is situated 528 kilometres (328 miles) southwest of the capitalMogadishu, near the mouth of theJubba River, where it empties into theIndian Ocean. According to theUnited Nations Development Programme, the city of Kismayo had a population of around 89,333 in 2005.
During the Middle Ages, Kismayo and its surrounding area was part of theAjuran Empirethat governed much of southernSomaliaand easternEthiopia, with its domain extending fromHafunin the north, toQelafoin the west, to Kismayo in the south.
In theearly modern period, Kismayo was ruled by theGeledi Sultanateand by the later 1800s, the Boqow dynasty. The kingdom was eventually incorporated intoItalian Somalilandin 1925/6 after the death of the last sultan,Osman Ahmed.After independence in 1960, the city was made the center of the officialKismayo District.
Kismayo was the site of numerous battles during thecivil war, from the early 1990s.In late 2006,Islamistmilitants affiliated withAl-Shabaabgained control of most of the city. To reclaim possession of the territory, a new autonomous regional administration dubbedAzaniawas announced in 2010 and formalized in 2011. In September 2012, theSomali National ArmyandAMISOMtroops re-captured the city from theAl-Shabaabinsurgents.The Juba Interim Administration was established and recognized in 2013.
During antiquity, Kismayo was part of theSomali city-statesthat in engaged in a lucrative trade network connectingSomalimerchants withPhoenicia,Ptolemic Egypt,Greece,Parthian Persia,Saba,Nabataeaand theRoman Empire. Somali sailors used the ancient Somali maritime vessel known as thebedento transport their cargo.
The Kismayo area was originally a small fishing settlement.
During theMiddle Ages, the region came under the rule of the influentialAjuran Sultanate, which utilized the Jubba River for its plantations.
After the collapse of this polity, the House of Gobroon was established and theSultanate of the Gelediheld sway over the area. The dynasty reached its apex under the successive reigns ofSultanYusuf Mahamud Ibrahim, who successfully consolidated Gobroon power during the Bardera wars, and SultanAhmed Yusuf, who forced regional powers such as theOmani Empireto submittribute.
The Italians referred to the city asChisimaio. Kismayo and the northern half of the Jubaland region were incorporated into neighboringItalian Somalilandon 30 June 1926. The colony had a total area of 87,000 km(33,000 sq mi), with a population of 120,000 inhabitants. Britain retained control of the southern half of the partitioned Jubaland territory, which was later called theNorthern Frontier District(NFD).
Following the breakdown of central authority that accompanied thecivil warin 1991, various local militias fought for control of the city, including supporters ofMohammed Said Hersi("General Morgan"), and Col. Barre Adan Shire HiiraaleSomali National Front(SNF), later on known as the Juba Valley Alliance (JVA). As well of Col. Omar Jess'Somali Patriotic Movement(SPM). Aid workerSean Devereuxwas assassinated in the city in January 1993. In March 1993, aUnited States Marineamphibious group arrived in the city in an attempt to keep the peace as part of theUnited Nations intervention in Somalia. By December 1993, General Morgan's troops controlled Kismayo, despite the presence of peacekeepers. The last UN troops left the city in December 1994.
General Morgan briefly declared Jubaland independent on September 3, 1998.Political opponents of his subsequently united as theAllied Somali Forces(ASF), seizing control of Kismayo by June of the following year.Led by ColonelBarre Adan Shire Hiiraale, the ASF administration renamed itself theJuba Valley Alliancein 2001.On June 18 of that year, an 11-member interclan council decided to ally the JVA with the newly formingTransitional Federal Government.
On January 8, 2007, as theBattle of Ras Kamboniraged just south of Kismayo, the TFG relocated from its interim location inBaidoato the nation's capital,Mogadishu. This marked the first time since the fall of theSiad Barreregime in 1991 that the federal government controlled most of the country.
Following this defeat, the Islamic Courts Union splintered into several different factions. Some of the more radical elements, includingAl-Shabaab, regrouped to continue their 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. By January 2009, Al‑Shabaab and other militias had managed to force the Ethiopian troops to retreat, leaving behind an under-equippedAfrican Unionpeacekeeping force to assist the Transitional Federal Government's troops.
In September 2012,Somali Army, Ras Kamboni militiamen and Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF), all under command of the African Union Mission in SomaliaAMISOM, re-captured the city from the Al-Shabaab insurgents during theBattle of Kismayo (2012).This was a culmination to the KenyanOperation Linda Nchiattack into Somalia which had begun late the year before.
On 12 July 2019, a car bomb and a gun attack at theAsasey hotelkilled at least 26, including two prominent journalists and nine foreigners.Islamistgroupal-Shabaabclaimed responsibility.
Kismayo is located in the fertileJuba Valleyin southeastern Somalia, on the Somali Sea coast. Nearby settlements include to the northeast Xamareyso (5.0 nm), to the northDalxiiska(1.3 nm), to the northwest Qeyla Dheere (6.4 nm), to the west Saamogia (0.9 nm), to the southwest Iach Bulle (10.0 nm), and to the south Qandal (6.5 nm).The largest cities in the country most proximate to Kismayo areJamaame(52 km),Jilib(97 km), andMerca(337 km).
Kismayo has atropical semi-arid climate(Köppen climate classificationBWh) Weather is hot year-round, with seasonalmonsoonwinds and irregular rainfall with recurring droughts. Thegurains, also known as the Southwest Monsoons, begin in April and last until July producing significant fresh water and allowing lush vegetation to grow. Theguseason is followed by thexagaa(hagaa) dry season.
A new municipal district administration was established on 6 September 2008. Its members reportedly represented the ICU and Al‑Shabaab (three members each) in addition to a local clan (one member) which had played a part in the military assault.Representatives of the Islamic Courts Union questioned the legitimacy of the authority.On 1 October 2009, Al Shabaab took full control of the city, afterSheikh Ahmed Madobe, a senior commander ofRas Kamboni Brigade(then a part ofHizbul Islam), challenged Al‑Shabaab's control.
With the subsequent ouster of the Al-Shabaab rebels in September 2012, the Somali government began preparing mediations between the city's various stakeholders in order to establish an inclusive local administration.On 28 August 2013, the autonomous Jubaland administration signed a national reconciliation agreement inAddis Ababawith the federal government. Endorsed by the federal State Minister for the Presidency Farah Abdulkadir on behalf of PresidentHassan Sheikh Mohamud, the pact was brokered by the Foreign Ministry ofEthiopiaand came after protracted bilateral talks.
Under the terms of the agreement, Jubaland is administered for a two-year period by a Juba Interim Administration and led by the region's incumbent president, Ahmed Mohamed Islam. The regional president serves as the chairperson of a new Executive Council, to which he appoints three deputies. Additionally, the agreement includes the integration of Jubaland's military forces under the central command of the Somali National Army (SNA), and stipulates that the Juba Interim Administration will command the regional police.
Kismayo is divided into 4 districts, ordegmo(seemap):
Institutions of higher learning in the city includeKismayo University(KU). Established in August 2005, it is situated about 1 km north, along the Kismayo–Mogadishu main road.
In 2022Adar Ismail Juratiled a consultative meeting with government officials and people who performfemale gential mutilation(FGM) with a view to stopping the practice in the area.
In October 2008, the daily labor rate was estimated at 157,500Somali shillings(approximately $4.50), up from 52,000 shillings (approximately $2.21) in January 2008, while a kilogram of red rice rose from 14,170 (approximately $0.61) to 46,000 (approximately $1.31).A liter of diesel cost 43,000 shillings (approximately $1.23) and a camel costs over 15 million shillings (approximately $435). Total cereal production as of 2008 was estimated to be 780MT.
Kismayo's air transportation needs are served byKismayo Airport, which is situated about 10 km from the city. It was formerly aSomali Air Forcetraining base. Following the outbreak of the civil war, the airport was closed down for a period of time and its infrastructure was significantly damaged. However, the facility was reopened in October 2008 by the Islamic Courts Union after undergoing some renovations.That same year, the airport was also renamed after ImamAhmed Gurey, a 16th‑century Somali military leader.
The Kismayo Airport was officially brought under the Juba Interim Administration in August 2013. Per agreement, management of the facility was scheduled to be transferred to theFederal Governmentafter a period of six months. Revenues and resources generated from the airport will also be earmarked for Jubaland's service delivery and security sectors as well as local institutional development.
Three main thoroughfares connect Kismayo to other major areas in the country. The 600 km Highway 3 runs the length of theJuba Valley. Starting inBeled Hawo, it goes throughGarbaharey,BarderaandBualebefore finally reaching Kismayo.
A paved 528 km freeway links the capitalMogadishuwith Kismayo, passing throughJilibbefore turning towards the capital. A third highway extends northwest from Kismayo toAfmadow, then turns towardDhobleyin the eastern part of the Gedo region.
In January 2015, the Interim Juba Administration launched a transport beautification and cleaning campaign in Kismayo. Part of a broader urbanization drive, the initiative includes the clearing of clogged streets and lanes, razing of illegal buildings therein, and further development of the municipal road network.
Kismayo's large docks are situated on apeninsulaon the Somali Sea coast. Formerly one of theBajuni Islands, the peninsula was connected by a narrowcausewaywhen the modernPort of Kismayowas built in 1964 with U.S. assistance. The port served as a base for theSomali Navyas well as theSoviet Navyafter the1969 military coup.In 1984, Somalia and the United States jointly refurbished the port after significant wear to the 2,070-foot-long (630 m) four-berth, marginal wharf made major renovations necessary.
The Port of Kismayo was officially brought under theJuba Interim Administrationin August 2013. According to the agreement, management of the facility was scheduled to be transferred to the Somali Federal Government after a period of six months. Like Kismayo Airport, revenues and resources generated by the seaport are to be earmarked for Jubaland's service delivery and security sectors as well as local institutional development.