Galkacyo Gaalkacyo جالكعيو
Outside the Kamaal Hotel in Galkacyo.
Galkacyo Location in Somalia
Coordinates: 6.7684°0′N 47.4296°0′E / 6.7684°N 47.4296°E / 6.7684; 47.4296Coordinates: 6.7684°0′N 47.4296°0′E / 6.7684°N 47.4296°E / 6.7684; 47.4296
Country	Somalia
Region	Mudug
District	Galkacyo
Government
- Mayor	Abdirahman Mohamdu Haji
Time zone	East Africa Time (UTC+3)

Galkacyo (Somali: Gaalkacyo, Arabic: جالكعيو‎), also known as Galkayo or Galcaio, is the capital of the north-central Mudug region of Somalia. The city is divided into two zones, where the main northern portion forms part of Puntland state, while its southern tip is governed by the Galmudug administration.

Ruled in the early modern period by the Sultanate of Hobyo and later forming a part of Italian Somaliland, the city has grown considerably in recent times and serves as a commercial center. It has an estimated population of 545,000 inhabitants.

History

Sultanate of Hobyo

Sultan Yusuf Ali Kenadid, founder of the Sultanate of Hobyo, a polity of which Galkacyo formed a key part.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Galkacyo formed a key part of the Majeerteen Sultanate of Hobyo established by Sultan Yusuf Ali Kenadid.

Initially, Kenadid's goal was to seize control of the neighboring Majeerteen Sultanate, which was then ruled by his cousin Boqor Osman Mahamud. However, he was unsuccessful in this endeavor, and was eventually forced into exile in Yemen. A decade later, in the 1870s, Kenadid returned from the Arabian Peninsula with a band of Hadhrami musketeers and a group of devoted lieutenants. With their assistance, he managed to overpower the local Hawiye clans and establish the kingdom of Hobyo.

In late 1888, Sultan Kenadid entered into a treaty with the Italians, making his realm an Italian protectorate. His rival Boqor Osman would sign a similar agreement vis-a-vis his own Sultanate the following year. Both rulers had signed the protectorate treaties to advance their own expansionist objectives, with Kenadid looking to use Italy's support in his dispute with the Sultan of Zanzibar over an area bordering Warsheikh, in addition to his ongoing power struggle over the Majeerteen Sultanate with Boqor Osman. Both Sultan Kenadid and Boqor Osman also hoped to exploit the conflicting interests among the European imperial powers that were then looking to control the Somali peninsula, so as to avoid direct occupation of their territories by force.

The Italians subsequently referred to the city as Gallacaio, and later, as Rocca Littorio.

Overview

Administration

A residential area in Galkacyo.

Galkacyo is situated in the north-central part of Somalia, and is one of the most developed towns in the region. A divided city, it is sectioned along a north/south axis, with the main northern portion forming a part of the autonomous Puntland state, while the southern tip is governed by the Galmudug administration. Puntland administers most of Galkacyo, including key traffic checkpoints and the city's airport.

Although relatively stable compared to southern Somalia, sporadic targeted assassination attempts by Al-Shabaab militants against Puntland public officials led in 2010-2011 to a police crackdown and comprehensive administrative reform. The Puntland and Galmudug administrations subsequently signed an accord in Garowe in February 2011, officially agreeing to cooperate on security, economic and social matters so as to strengthen inter-regional relations. In April of that year, the Puntland government also replaced the Mudug region's Governor and his deputies and dissolved the local district council. A separate interim regional committee tasked with assuring security was also set up.

A grocery store in Galkacyo.

The municipal government is currently led by Abdirahman Mohamdu Haji, a local businessman who was appointed Mayor in a 2009 election overseen by the Puntland administration.

Services

A lively trading city, Galkacyo is a center for local business. Hotels, guest houses, restaurants, supermarkets and newly-erected office blocks earmarked for the government and NGOs line the streets, juxtaposed by the tall minarets of masjids. The city also offers numerous social services such as hospitals, petrol stops and police stations, with the former Somali Army barracks kept in good condition and renovated.

Moreover, Galkacyo is a hub of calligraphic art, serving as a training ground of sorts for local visual artists. Elaborate murals and phrases in Arabic and English adorn the walls of the city's many office and shop buildings.

Demographics

The city has an estimated population of 545,000 inhabitants. The main northern, Puntland-administered section of Galkacyo is primarily inhabited by Somalis from the Majeerteen, a Darod clan, while the southern, Galmudug-administered part of the city is mainly inhabited by the Sa'ad Habar Gidir, a Hawiye clan. Clan tensions in the area have historically been high.

Education

Galkacyo is home to several high schools, including Mudug High School (Dugsiga sare ee Mudug), Omar Samatar, and the newly-built Al Shacab. There are also many elementary and secondary schools, such as Cabdullahi Ciise. Additionally, Puntland State University has a branch in the city.

Transportation

The city is served by Galkacyo Airport, which offers flights to Bosaso, Mogadishu, Djibouti and Wajir, among other places. The airport has acted as a buffer zone between Galkacyo's two main divisions. Taxes collected by the airport authority are split equally between the Puntland and Galmudug administrations, facilitating relations between the two governments.

Galkacyo is also trans-versed by a 750km north-south highway, which connects major cities in the northern part of the country, such as Bosaso and Garowe, with townships in the south.

So as to improve public services, the city's road systems are being rehabilitated. To this end, the local stadium is also being reconstructed.

Media

Galkacyo counts several media organizations. These include Radio Gaalkacyo (formerly Radio Free Somalia), which is affiliated with the Puntland government and with the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).

Districts

Galkacyo consists of the following districts:

• Horumar
• Israac
• New Garsoor
• Siinaay
• Wadjir

Notable residents

• Abdirizak Haji Hussein, former Prime Minister of Somalia.
• Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, former President of Somalia, President of Puntland and leader in the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, and one of the founders of the Puntland State of Somalia, the Transitional Federal Government and the Somali Salvation Democratic Front.

See also

• Puntland
• Galmudug

Notes

• Kurian, George Thomas (1983). Geo-data: the world almanac gazetteer. Gale Research Co.. ISBN 0810316056. http://books.google.ca/books?id=-HGAAAAAMAAJ. 
• The Majeerteen Sultanates