SUMMARY
The Garre (also known as Garri and Garrex) is an ethnic group living in north-eastern Kenya and adjacent regions in Somalia and Ethiopia, but is not related to the Garre Clan in Somalia. This vast and mostly arid region is home to several ethnic groups who frequently and in changing alliances engage in fighting. Depending on the current state of alliance, many of the groups revise their overarching ethnic affiliation, which makes them difficult to categorise. This change of affiliation is facilitated through three different traditional identity divisions which can be stressed more or less depending on the situational needs. First is the Boran Oromo versus Somali division, identified by language. Somali here refers to the use of Somali language, and not to the Somali nationality. Due to a long history of mutual interaction, most people in the region speak both – the Boran dialect of Oromo and the Somali – fluent, but depending on the current affiliation, consider one as their own language and the other as a foreign tongue. Second is the division between Islam and age-grade system. Here, the age-grade system is considered as a religious institution and counter-weight to Islam. Generally, Islam is associated with being Somali, while the age-grade system is connected to Boran Oromo. Note that most Boran Oromo are Muslims as well, but stress this affiliation less than the Somali. Third and last is the division between Worr Dasse and Worr Buyye, a distinction along the lines of life form. The Worr Dasse (translated: People of the mats) life in mat-covered tents and are usually Somali or Somali-like camel nomads, while the Worr Buyye (translated: People of the grass) life in grass-covered huts and are normally Boran cattle-keepers.
The Garre is a nomadic group, herding camels and, more seldom, goats and sheep. Being nomadic camel herders, the group belongs to the Worr Dasse. The main language spoken by the Garre is Af-garre, but Somali and, rarer, Boran Oromo is also known. The Garre are Muslim, and generally seen as Somali. Yet this categorisation is contested and some argue that they are neither Somali nor Boran Oromo, but simply Garre.
The Garre has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.
