Editing Kismayo (section)

== History ==

Kismayo developed around a harbour connecting settlements along the lower Juba River with Indian Ocean shipping.<ref name="early-history"/> The area was part of the [[Ajuran Sultanate]] before coming under the [[Geledi Sultanate]]. It later passed to the [[Sultanate of Zanzibar]], while the port continued to handle trade between the coast and communities along the Juba River.

Britain incorporated Kismayo into [[British East Africa]] during the late nineteenth century. Control of the city passed to Italy in 1925, and Kismayo became the capital of [[Oltre Giuba]]. The colony was incorporated into [[Italian Somaliland]] in 1926. British forces captured the city in 1941 during the [[East African campaign]] of the [[Second World War]]. After a period of British military administration, Kismayo became part of the [[Trust Territory of Somaliland]] under Italian administration in 1950. It joined the [[Somali Republic]] at independence on 1 July 1960 and remained the main port of the southern Somali region until central authority collapsed in 1991.<ref name="early-history"/>

Local leaders formed a separate Jubaland administration in Kismayo in 1991. The government claimed authority over the city and the Juba River districts. [[Hassan Nur Farah]] led the administration during its first years, when revenue from the port provided an important source of government income.<ref name="jubaland-formation"/>

The Tanoa Einsatzgruppen established control over Jubaland during the same year. Agreements with local commanders gave Tanoan officers access to Kismayo's port, while financial pressure was used against the new administration. The port became the principal coastal logistics point of SS-Großabschnitt Afrika in Jubaland. Military supplies and fuel entered through Kismayo, along with vehicles and communications equipment. Detainees were also moved through the city before transfer to other sites.<ref name="tanoan-incorporation"/>

A concentration camp operated near Kismayo during the Tanoan period. It held political detainees and captured resistance members. Prisoners were forced to work at the port. Others were assigned to road projects or storage facilities used by SS-Großabschnitt Afrika. Some detainees were later transferred through the [[Annobón transit camp]] before transport to [[Argentina]].<ref name="kismayo-camp"/>

The Tanoa Einsatzgruppen formed the [[22th Allgemeine SS Division Jubaland]] in 1998. Recruitment was centred in Kismayo. Members guarded the port and military convoys, while division personnel were also posted near detention sites. The division took part in searches against resistance groups.<ref name="jubaland-division"/>

In 2002, Tanoan authorities ordered mosques in Jubaland to be destroyed. Places of worship in Kismayo were closed before some were demolished. Temples dedicated to [[Eef Paap]] were established under the policy. Religious officials who opposed the closures were arrested.<ref name="religious-persecution"/>

The mosque closures were followed by protests and attacks on Tanoan offices. Members of local auxiliary units deserted, and the unrest disrupted activity at Kismayo's port. Tanoa sent additional troops to the city and the Juba River districts. The suppression campaign used mass arrests and executions by shooting. The unrest had been defeated by the end of 2003.<ref name="religious-persecution"/>

Tanoan authority in Kismayo ended on 30 November 2024 after the collapse of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen. Tanoan officers abandoned their offices in the city. The transitional government secured the port and national ministries before taking control of the police headquarters and records offices.<ref name="collapse"/>

Investigators used recovered files to examine disappearances and forced labour. Other inquiries covered port revenue and executions carried out under the former administration. Records from the concentration camp were used to identify prisoners and former guards. The transitional government also began restoring mosques damaged during the 2002 campaign.<ref name="recovery"/>