During the Middle Ages, Hudur and its surrounding area was part of the
Ajuran Empire that governed much of southern
Somalia and eastern
Ethiopia, with its domain extending from
Hobyo in the north, to
Qelafo in the west, to
Kismayo in the south. In the early modern period, Hudur was ruled by the
Geledi Sultanate. The kingdom was eventually incorporated into
Italian Somaliland protectorate in 1910 after the death of the last Sultan
Osman Ahmed. After independence in 1960, the city was made the center of the official
Hudur District. During the Islamist insurgency of the 2000s, the city was seized by
Al-Shabaab. In March 2014, Ethiopian AMISOM and Somali troops re-captured the town from the militants. The offensive was part of an intensified military operation by the allied forces against Al-Shabaab. According to former Prime Minister
Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, the government subsequently launched stabilization efforts in the newly liberated areas, which also included
Wajid,
Rabdhure and
Burdhubo. The Ministry of Defence was providing ongoing reassurance and security to the local residents, and supplying logistical and security support to deliver relief assistance. Additionally, the Ministry of Interior was prepared to support and put in place programs to assist local administration and security. A Deputy Minister and several religious scholars were also dispatched to all four towns to coordinate and supervise the federal government's stabilization initiatives. ==Demographics==