Jilib (other names: Gilib, Gelib, Jillib, Jilib Gosha; Arabic: جلب) is a city in the Middle Juba region of Somalia.[1] It has an estimated population of around 100,000 inhabitants and covers an area of about 10 square kilometres. It is 112 kilometres or 70 miles north of Kismaayo.
Jilib | |
|---|---|
City | |
  Jilib Location in Somalia | |
| Coordinates: 00°29′39″N 42°46′28″E / 0.49417°N 42.77444°E | |
| Country |  Somalia |
| State |  Jubaland |
| Region | Jubbada Dhexe |
| District | Jilib District |
| Government | |
| • Control |  Al-Shabaab |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 125,000 est. |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
History
editDuring the Middle Ages, Jilib and its surrounding area was part of the Ajuran Empire that governed much of southern Somalia and eastern Ethiopia, with its domain extending from Hobyo in the north, to Qelafo in the west, to Kismayo in the south.[2]
In the early modern period, Jilib was ruled by the Geledi Sultanate. The kingdom was eventually incorporated into Italian Somaliland protectorate in 1910 after the death of the last Sultan Osman Ahmed.[3] After independence in 1960, the city was made the center of the official Jilib District.
The Islamic Courts Union was defeated there in the Battle of Jilib December 2006 January 2007. The ICU recaptured the town on May 17, 2008.[4]
The city has a National Park called Jilib national park. It is the largest national park in the Middle Juba region of Somalia, at around 950km square kilometres in area.
Somali Civil War
editJilib is controlled by Al-Shabaab, a jihadist fundamentalist group based in East Africa with links to Al-Qaeda. The town functions as its de facto headquarters in Somalia.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Jilib". World Gazetteer. world-gazetteer.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2007.
- ^ Lee V. Cassanelli, The shaping of Somali society: reconstructing the history of a pastoral people, 1600-1900, (University of Pennsylvania Press: 1982), p.102.
- ^ Cassanelli, Lee Vincent (1973). The Benaadir Past: Essays in Southern Somali History. University Microfilms International. p. 149.
- ^ "Rights leader: Islamist fighters seize Somali town". The Seattle Times. 17 May 2008. Archived from the original on 10 June 2008.
- ^ "Kenyan troops seize al-Shabaab base in Somalia". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2021.