Gedo

Gedo is an administrative region, known as a gobol, located in Jubaland, southern Somalia. Established in nineteen seventy-four, its regional capital is Garbahaarreey. The region shares borders with the Ogaden in Ethiopia, the North Eastern Province in Kenya, and the Somali regions of Bakool, Bay, Jubbada Dhexe (Middle Juba), and Jubbada Hoose (Lower Juba) to the east. Historically, the southern parts of Gedo, situated west of the Jubba River, were part of the British Trans-Juba region during a significant portion of the colonial era in Africa, spanning from eighteen ninety to nineteen sixty.

The region has a tumultuous history, particularly during the collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic in the early nineteen nineties when President Siad Barre's forces retreated to Gedo. Following the fall of the government in nineteen ninety-one, the Somali National Front (SNF), led by Omar Haji Mohamed, controlled large areas of Gedo for many years. During this period, Gedo aligned with the rising trend of Islamic Courts, and local sharia courts contributed to making Luuq District one of the safest areas in Somalia throughout the nineteen nineties.

In the latter part of the decade, the militant group al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI) gained prominence in the region, establishing Luuq as its headquarters. This led to the intervention of the Ethiopian National Defence Force in nineteen ninety-six, which aimed to dismantle AIAI's bases. The political landscape of Gedo continued to evolve, and in two thousand eight, Hussein Farey became the first democratically elected governor of the administrative region, marking a significant milestone in its governance.