Galkayo (Somali: Gaalkacyo, Arabic: جالكعيو,[2] Italian: Gallacaio also known as Rocca Littorio) is the third-largest city in Somalia which serves as the capital of the north-central Mudug region.

The city has grown considerably in recent times and serves as a commercial hub connecting southern Somalia with the northern parts of the country.

[4] At its founding, the city was primarily inhabited by pastoralists, who sporadically fought in clan groups over resources like water and grazing land.

[6] Kenadid, as part of an ongoing power struggle with his rivals in the Majeerteen Sultanate, signed a treaty with the Kingdom of Italy to become a protectorate, thereby passing the city into nominal Italian control.

[5] The fighting clans drew administrative borders through the city, splitting it between the Darod-controlled Puntland and the Hawiye-controlled Galmudug, strengthening the divide between them.

[5] In June 1993, in order to end the fighting in Galkayo, it was decided to relocate the militias that were in conflict in the city to Wargalo, Buryaqab (Harfo) and Galdogob, which are 70 kilometers away.

The Puntland Administration fully controls Garsoor, Israac, and Horumar (The neutral areas are sited by the Old Galkayo market and the loose boundary.

Although relatively stable compared to southern Somalia,[4] sporadic targeted assassination attempts by Al-Shabaab militants against Puntland public officials led to a police crackdown and comprehensive administrative reform in 2010 and 2011.

[19][20] The Puntland and Galmudug administrations subsequently signed an accord in Garowe in February 2011, officially agreeing to cooperate on security, economic and social matters so as to strengthen inter-regional relations.

[2][18] Hotels, guest houses, restaurants, supermarkets and newly erected office blocks earmarked for the government and NGOs line the streets, juxtaposed by the tall minarets of masjids.

The city also offers numerous social services such as hospitals, petrol stops and police stations, with the former Somali Army barracks kept in good condition and renovated.

In September 2013, the Somali federal government signed an official cooperation agreement with its Chinese counterpart in Mogadishu as part of a five-year national recovery plan.

The pact will see the Chinese authorities reconstruct several major infrastructural landmarks in the Somali capital and elsewhere, as well as the road linking Galkayo with Burao.