During the Middle Ages, Jilib 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.

The kingdom was eventually incorporated into Italian Somaliland protectorate in 1910 after the death of the last Sultan Osman Ahmed.

The Islamic Courts Union was defeated there in the Battle of Jilib (December 2006 – January 2007).

It is the largest national park in the Middle Juba region of Somalia, at around 950km square kilometres in area.

Jilib is controlled by Al-Shabaab, a jihadist fundamentalist group based in East Africa with links to Al-Qaeda.