SUMMARY
The Galjeel (also spelled Gaaljecel) is a sub-clan of the larger Hawiye clan. The Hawiye is one of Somalia’s largest clan families representing an estimated 25% of the country’s total population. Members of the clan family mainly reside in central and southern parts of Somalia (Mudug and the Benadir regions), but large numbers can also be found in neighboring countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia. The Hawiye played a major role in the ousting of former president Siad Barre, as the main rebel group that eventually succeeded in overthrowing him, USC (United Somali Congress), was primarily based among this clan. 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. Many of the clans and sub-clans of the Hawiye clan family have remained influential in Somalia.
Agriculture and pastoralism have long been the main livelihood of the Hawiye clans. However, some sub-clans have abandoned the agricultural way of life and focused on pastoralism. In Southern Somali, Gaaljecel means “that which loves the camel”. The name suggests that the Galjeel clan was one of the first amongst the Hawiye clans to focus on camel herding and adopt the nomadic way of life.
The Galjeel played an important role in the Somali struggle for independence. One of the most famous Galjeel clan members was Sheik Hassan Barsane, a religious leader who resisted the Italian colonizers in the 1920’s. Although Barsane supported gaining independence through non-violent acts, several militias were created in honor of his resistance.
The complexity of the Somali clan system limits the amount of information available about the different sub-clans. Indeed, there are several perspectives on the lineage charts namely a northern, a central and a southern one. Furthermore the different sub-clans often disagree about their origins. Genealogy is often passed to the next generation orally and is not kept in any written form.
The Galjeel clan (Hawiye) has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence
