Region
Middle Juba
Middle Juba is a farming region on the Juba river in the south, with about 447,000 people. Al-Shabaab controls all of it, and Jilib is its main base, so tens of thousands of families have left for Kismayo, Gedo and Mogadishu, where they need food, papers and a safe place to sleep.
Who lives there
About 447,217 people (IPC, January 2026) (EUAA 2026). The region has three districts: Bu'aale (the capital), Jilib and Saakow. Somali Bantu communities are the largest group, and several other communities live there too (EUAA 2025).
Who has left
- April 2023 to March 2025: 52,217 people were newly displaced, and 19,612 of them went to Gedo, Lower Juba and Banadir (EUAA 2025).
- April 2025 to February 2026: another 4,805 were displaced, and 4,704 of them went to Lower Juba, mainly from Bu'aale and Jilib (EUAA 2026).
Work and money
Families farm along the Juba river and keep animals. We have not found checked price or wage figures inside the region. People who reach Kismayo pay Jubaland market prices: rice, flour and sugar rose 1% to 6% in August 2025 (WFP and Logistics Cluster).
Who governs
Al-Shabaab controls the whole region, including Bu'aale, Jilib, Saakow and Salagle, as of 31 March 2026. UN access is under "very heavy restrictions" across the region (EUAA 2026).
Where people arrive, the Jubaland administration in Kismayo and its Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management are in charge (OCHA). The Danish Refugee Council works with displaced families around Kismayo (DRC, Aug 2024).
What people face now
- April 2025 to March 2026: 109 security incidents and 312 deaths, including 54 incidents of violence against civilians by al-Shabaab.
- January 2026: al-Shabaab publicly executed five men in Jilib, accused of spying.
- January 2026: 59% of people were short of food or worse, and 4% were in an emergency (EUAA 2026).
- October 2024: UN experts named Middle Juba as one of the regions where al-Shabaab most often takes children (EUAA 2025).
Top needs (for people who have left)
- Food and income on arrival in Kismayo and Gedo.
- A safe place to sleep, and knowing where services are.
- Children kept in school and away from recruitment.
- Papers and registration, so families can reach aid.
- Finding scattered family members.
What we don't know yet
Population by district, prices and wages, and how many people from Middle Juba now live in Mogadishu. If you know, use "Fix this page".
Sources
- EUAA 2026 · euaa.europa.eu
- EUAA 2025 · euaa.europa.eu
- WFP and Logistics Cluster · logcluster.org
- OCHA · reliefweb.int
- DRC, Aug 2024 · reliefweb.int
Gathered in our research record “Somalia regions”. Wikipedia is used only as a backup.
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