Place:Gedo, Somalia

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Gedo (Maay: Gethy, , or Ghedu) is an administrative region (gobol) in Jubaland, southern Somalia. Its regional capital is Garbahaarreey. It was created in 1974^[1] and is bordered by 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) further down east. The southern parts of Gedo, west of the Jubba River, used to be part of the old British Trans-Juba region during half of the seventy years of colonial era in Africa from 1890 to 1960. The British and Italians fought twice over this area. The first democratically elected governor of the administrative region was Hussein Farey, who entered office in 2008.

The regional capital is Garbaharey. The Marehan (Darod) and The Gabaabweyn Geelidle (Rahanweyn) dominate economically, politically, and militarily, rules across all districts.

The Marehan in Gedo are split between the guri ('original inhabitants') and the galti ('new settlers'). Guri-Galti conflicts over power and resources are common, especially in Luuq, Belet Hawo, and Baardhere.

Garbaharrey was the last refuge of deposed President Mohammed Siad Barre in early 1991, before he left the country for Nairobi and exile. After 1991, the Somali National Front under Marehan Omar Haji Masale held large parts of the region for many years. The militant religious group al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI) also rose to power in the region later in the 1990s, taking Luuq as its headquarters.^[1] The Ethiopian National Defence Force then entered the area to attack AIAI's bases in 1996, and the Marehan clans split, either supporting or opposing the Ethiopian forces.^[2] A peace conference to resolve the intra-Marehan disagreements was convened in 2004.

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