Region
Bakool
Bakool is a region in South West State, on the border with Ethiopia, with Xudur (Hudur) as its capital. About 392,000 to 543,000 people live there, and many families have been pushed off their farms and herds by two years of drought and by sieges of its towns.
Who lives there
Estimates for 2024 run from about 392,000 people (IOM) to 543,000 (IPC). The region has five districts: Xudur (the capital), Waajid, Ceel Barde, Tayeeglow and Rab Dhuure (EUAA 2025).
Conflict displaced 20,284 people between April 2023 and March 2025, and half of them left for other regions. In October 2025 more than 1,000 displaced families were registered in camps around Xudur. They came from Tayeeglow, El-garas, Biyoley and Mubarak (Radio Ergo, Oct 2025).
Work and money
Most families live by farming and herding together. Two years of drought killed livestock and ended farming for many. Well water costs 2,000 shillings a jerrycan, but some well owners let families with no cash take water free (Radio Ergo). We have not found wage figures for Bakool.
Who governs
The federal government and South West State hold the towns of Xudur, Waajid, Ceel Barde, Yeed and Ato, with Ethiopian troops in Xudur and Waajid. Al-Shabaab holds Rab Dhuure and Tayeeglow towns and much of the east and south-east. It keeps Xudur and Waajid under siege, taxes people heavily and takes children. In August 2024 goods reached Xudur only by air or by donkey cart (EUAA 2025).
What people face now
- October 2025: aid to the Xudur camps has "sharply declined". Families lack toilets, shelter and money for health care, and walk one to three hours for water (Radio Ergo).
- Sieges: supply roads to Xudur and Waajid were blocked in August 2024.
- Violence: 284 incidents and 583 deaths from April 2023 to March 2025 (EUAA 2025).
Who is helping
Host families in Xudur take in new arrivals and share what they have (Radio Ergo).
Top needs
- Water close to the Xudur camps.
- Food at fair prices under siege.
- Health care for sick children.
- Contact for families separated as they fled.
- Income after herds and farms were lost.
What we don't know yet
Whether the sieges continue in 2026, current prices and wages, and which local groups work in Xudur. If you know, use "Fix this page".
Sources
- EUAA 2025 · euaa.europa.eu
- Radio Ergo, Oct 2025 · radioergo.org
Gathered in our research record “Somalia regions”. Wikipedia is used only as a backup.
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