SUMMARY

The Habar Gidir clan is one of the largest clans in the Hawiye clan family in Somalia. The Hawiye is one of the largest, perhaps even the largest, clan in Somalia. It comprises approximately 25% of the country’s population. The Hawiye mainly reside in central and southern Somalia (Mudug and Mogadishu respectively), but large numbers can also be found in Kenya and Ethiopia. The Hawiye clan is relatively powerful in economic terms due to a large community in Mogadishu. The rural based Hawiye are commonly also involved in lucrative trade, but are also pastoralist. The Hawiye clan is divided into several sub-clans, of which the Habar Gidir is one. The Habar Gidir is also divided into a number of sub-clans.

The prevailing context of political rivalries in Somalia is mainly based on identification along clan lines and the Habar Gidir was one of the clans that were highly involved in the rebellion that ultimately led to the ousting of Siad Barre in 1991. They formed the basis of the anti-Barre rebel group USC (United Somalia Congress), and after Barre’s ouster they made up the bulk of the USC/SNA (United Somali Congress/Somali National Alliance), led by Mohammed Farah ‘Aideed’ and later his son Hussein Farah ‘Aideed’, both members of the Sa’ad sub-clan of Habar Gidir, who was fighting the new government, Another notable figure in the Somali conflict that came from the Habar Gidir clan was Hassan Dahir Aweys, who was a leading figure in the Islamic fundamentalist groups AIAI (al-Ittihad al-Islamiya), ARS/UIC (Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia/Union of Islamic Courts), and Hizbul Islam.

The Habar Gidir sub-clan of Hawiye has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.