Dhulbahante

Dhulbahante
ضولباهانت

Regions with significant populations
Somalia  Yemen
Languages
Somali and Arabic
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Majeerteen, Warsangali and other Harti and Darod groups.

The Dhulbahante (Somali: Duulbaahaante, Arabic: ضولباهانت‎) is a Somali clan, and a part of the larger Harti Darod clan. Members of the clan primarily inhabit the Sool, Nugaal, Sanaag and Ayn (a new province carved out of Togdheer) regions, the Haud, the port city of Kismayo, as well as other areas in the Jubbada Hoose region of southern Somalia.

Tradition

Currently, there are 15 active Garaads (clan chiefs). The most senior Garaad of the traditional Dhulbahante leaders is Jama Garad Ali.^[1][2] Politically, all clan chiefs strongly oppose the existence of Somaliland (see the Boocame Declaration by Dulbahante Traditional clan chiefs for reference).^[3]

Under the leadership of Sayid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, the Dhulbahante waged war against Britain and Ethiopia for over twenty years, which ended with the British Royal Air Force bombing their command center in Taleex in 1920.^[4] The Dulbahante clan lost nearly half of its population in this struggle, and as result, its constituents naturally support Greater Somalia.^[5]

Clan tree

There is no clear agreement on the clan and sub-clan structures and many lineages are omitted. Within the Dhulbahante clan, according to the researches of I.M. Lewis, the Dhulbahante are divided into 50 groups which pay diyya (or blood money for their members. These are gathered into four lineages of unequal size: the Muuse Si'iid, who made up the majority of the clan circa 1960, and in turn is highly segmented into numerous lineages; the Ahmad Si'iid, (also known as the Hayaag), which Lewis estimated to number 1,000 male members at the time but now estimated at 7,500 male members; and the Malbammad Si'iid, and the Yuunis Si'iid, which he described as "small, insignificant, and incapable of independent political action."^[6] The following listing is taken from the World Bank's Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics from 2005 and the United Kingdom's Home Office publication, Somalia Assessment 2001.^[7][8]

• Darod (Daarood)
  • Marehan
    • Red Dini
    • Rer Hassan
    • Eli Dheere
  • Kabalah
    • Absame
      • Ogaden
        • Makabul
        • Mohamed Zubeir
        • Aulihan
      • Jidwaq
    • Harti
      • Dhulbahante (Dolbahante)
      • Warsangali (Warsengeli)
      • Majeerteen (Mijerteen)
        • Omar Mahmud
        • Issa Mahmud
        • Osman Mahmoud (Osman Mahmud)

Dulbahante Traditional clan chiefs declaration

A historic summit was convened in Boocame from November 15 – November 23 of 2007, by the traditional leaders of the Dulbahante (Dhulbahante) sub-clan of the Darod clan in Somalia. The Dulbahante traditional chiefs have issued an official communiqué on October 15, 2007 regarding of Somaliland (a self-declared republic with no International recognition) militias’ aggression and occupation of Laascaanood (LasAnod), the regional capital of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions of Somalia. An occupation that has caused thousands of internally displaced refugees and countless lost of lives, businesses and properties. As result, the population of the city is less than half of that pre-occupation population.^[9][10][11]

All 14 major traditional chiefs of the Dulbahante clan attended this summit. In addition to the traditional chiefs, there were many intellectuals (women & men), students and civic organizations from outside and inside of the country attending the summit. All chiefs unanimously signed declaration communiqué on November 22, 2007. The communiqué states that the Dulbahante clan is not part of (and was never part of) and does not recognize the administration that calls itself "Somaliland" and that there are no agreements between Dulbahante clan and "Somaliland", in the past or the present. The communiqué also calls for an immediate end of hostility, return of customary peaceful co-existences among clans and an unconditional removal of the Somaliland militia from their territory. Finally, chiefs declared that the Dulbahante clan stands for the Somali unity.

In the anniversary of their historic summit in Boocame in November 2007, the Dulbahante Traditional Chiefs (SSC Traditional Leaders Council) have reiterated their previous declaration (above) that they are NOT part of the secessionists of "Somaliland". The council has sent their pronouncement to the European Union, United Nations Agencies and all NGOs that operate within Somalia. The council also notified the international groups that supposedly pending secessionist "election" are taking place under occupation and hence sham/non-binding.

A consultative Conference of Dulbahante intellectuals organized by the Horn Economic and Social Policy Institute (HESPI) --an independent, non-profit think tank and consultancy firm -- was held in London, UK on April 21-24, 2011. The conference has been centered on the issues of peace, security, the provision of humanitarian assistance to those adversely affected by the war campaigns waged against our people and ravaging drought which envelops Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC) regions of Somalia. ^[12]

The deliberations have uncovered the necessity of crafting of a common political framework and identification of appropriate administrative mechanisms for assuring peace and stability in our territory among us and our neighboring communities and in the wider Horn of Africa area.

The common political framework incorporates the enduring commitment to the principles of :

• Unity and territorial integrity of Somalia

• Democratic self-governance and the abiding rights to resistance against aggression

• Peaceful political dialogue in managing conflicts

• Peaceful building, sinking the deep roots of stability and sustainable development

• Good practices in self governance such as accountability and transparency

• Sustainable management of the ”commons” (grazing areas and water points) in accordance with the carrying capacity of the land and the curbing of desertification.

Notable Dhulbahante people

• Ali Khalif Galaydh, former Prime Minister under the Transitional National Government.
• Abdi Bile, a former middle distance runner from Somalia and 1500m world champion in 1987.
• Ali Garad Jama, member of the United Somali Party, Somali Minister of Education during the 1960s, and ostensible king of the Dhulbahante clan.^[13]
• Jama Garad Ali, the most senior Dhulbahante Garaad.^[14]
• Mohamed Abdi Hashi, interim President of Puntland, October 2004 - January 2005.

References

1. ^ http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/50_000_civilians_flee_conflict_in_Somalia_s_north_UN_official.shtml
2. ^ http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/15456.html/The convention was called for by Garad Jama Garad Ali, the highest-ranking traditional elder of the Dhulbahante clan. Garad Jama reportedly told local media that the Bo'ame conference will be "independent of [both] Somaliland and Puntland."
3. ^ "Somalia: The Bo'ame Declaration of Dhulbahante Clan Elders". GaroweOnline.com. 2007-11-22. http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Features_34/Somalia_The_Bo_ame_Declaration_of_Dhulbahante_Clan_Elders.shtml. Retrieved 2010-11-24. 
4. ^ "Dawn of Civilization". Civicwebs.com. http://www.civicwebs.com/cwvlib/africa/somalia/1994/dawn_of_civilization/chapter_10.htm. 
5. ^ Imhotep: The Collective African Blog: Somalia: When a Nation Chases a State
6. ^ Lewis, "Force and Fission in Northern Somali Lineage Structure", American Anthropologist, New Series, 63 (1961), p. 100
7. ^ Worldbank, Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics, January 2005, Appendix 2, Lineage Charts, p.55
8. ^ Country Information and Policy Unit, Home Office, Great Britain, Somalia Assessment 2001, Annex B: Somali Clan Structure, p. 43
9. ^ "The Declaration of Clan Elders from Sool, Sanaag and Cayn Regions (North Somalia)." (Press release). Declaration of Dulbahante Traditional clan chiefs. November 23, 2007. http://www.markacadey.net/main/news.php?readmore=2405. Retrieved 2007-11-23. 
10. ^ "SSC TRADITIONAL LEADERS COUNCIL (Sool, Sanaag and Cayn Regions of Northern Somalia Tribal chiefs)" (Press release). Declaration of Dulbahante Traditional clan chiefs. November 28, 2008. http://www.n-sum.org/sites/default/files/declare%20from%20SSC%20traditional%20leaders.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-28. 
11. ^ "Declaration of the Consultative Conference of the Dhulbahante in the Diaspora -- Guiding Principles" (Press release). Declaration of the Consultative Conference of the Dhulbahante in the Diaspora. April 24, 2011. http://www.lasanod.com/details.php?num=5664. Retrieved 2011-04-24. 
12. ^ http://www.lasanod.com/details.php?num=5664
13. ^ Lewis, I.M. 1988. A Modern History of Somalia. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Cited (no page reference) by Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, "Somalia: Information on Ali Garad Jama, a king of the Dhulbante clan, and on any positions held by him in the Somali government before or after Barre's 1969 coup", 1 January 1996, SOM22804.E, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6ab9d58.html. Accessed 5 January 2011.
14. ^ http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/15456.html/The convention was called for by Garad Jama Garad Ali, the highest-ranking traditional elder of the Dhulbahante clan.