Region
Lower Juba
Lower Juba is the far southern region on the border with Kenya, with the port city of Kismayo (Kismaayo) as its capital and about 1.2 million people. Jubaland holds Kismayo and the border towns, al-Shabaab holds Jamaame and much of the countryside, and over 34,000 people were newly displaced in 2025 and early 2026.
Who lives there
About 1,204,269 people (IPC, January 2026) (EUAA 2026). The districts are Kismayo (the capital), Jamaame, Badhaadhe and Afmadow. Many communities live there, including Somali Bantu farming families along the river and the Bajuni (EUAA 2025).
The Bajuni live in Kismayo and on the Bajuni Islands near Kenya. They speak Kibajuni, most are poor fishers, and they have no representative in the Jubaland government (Minority Rights Group).
Displaced: 34,081 people were newly displaced from April 2025 to February 2026, 25,629 of them from Jamaame. Another 5,042 arrived from other regions (EUAA 2026). In 2024 about 6,552 people from Bula Xaaji, Harbole and Miido settled in sites around Kismayo (DRC, Aug 2024).
Work and money
- Fishing: Bajuni fishers paid $3 for a block of ice in Kismayo. One night's trip brings in about 40 kg of fish (FAO).
- Herding: drought killed whole herds. One family near Buulo-Haaji lost 35 cattle and 25 goats (Radio Ergo via ReliefWeb).
- Prices: staple foods rose 1% to 6% in Jubaland in August 2025 (WFP).
Who governs
The Jubaland administration under Ahmed Madobe, based in Kismayo. Ties with the federal government began to ease after the President's visit in October 2025 (AllAfrica). Jubaland forces, with Kenyan and Ethiopian forces, hold Kismayo, Afmadow, Dhobley, Dif, Kolbiyow, Ras Kamboni, Koday, Bulo Xaji and Bar Sanguni. Al-Shabaab holds Jamaame, Hagar, Mido, Berhani and Badhaadhe towns and much of rural Afmadow, as of 31 March 2026 (EUAA 2026). Jubaland's fisheries ministry worked with FAO to bring ice machines to the Bajuni Islands.
What people face now
- 26 November 2025: at least 21 civilians were killed in an air strike or ground operation in Jamaame.
- 2025 to early 2026: 4,304 people were evicted, and aid access is heavily limited across most of Kismayo.
- January 2026: 50% of people were short of food or worse (EUAA 2026). Drought pushed herders towards Kulbiyow, where host families share one meal a day (ReliefWeb).
Top needs
- Food and income for displaced families around Kismayo and Kulbiyow.
- Clean water and shelter in displacement sites.
- Help after eviction: papers, new sites and services.
- A fresh start for herders who lost their animals, and for Bajuni fishers.
- Schools and health care for children and new mothers.
Sources
- EUAA 2026 · euaa.europa.eu
- EUAA 2025 · euaa.europa.eu
- Minority Rights Group · minorityrights.org
- DRC, Aug 2024 · reliefweb.int
- FAO · fao.org
- Radio Ergo via ReliefWeb · reliefweb.int
- WFP · logcluster.org
- AllAfrica · allafrica.com
Gathered in our research record “Somalia regions”. Wikipedia is used only as a backup.
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