SUMMARY

The Marehan is one of several sub-clans of the wider Darod clan of Somalia. The Darod clan is one of Somalia’s numerically largest clans, making up approximately 25% of Somalia’s population. Exact lineages within the Darod clan are disputed but the clan is commonly divided into three main groups: the Ogaden, Marehan and Harti, which in turn have several tiers below. The Darod mainly reside in Somalia’s north-east (where the autonomous Puntland administration is run by the Majerteen sub-clan since 1998), but they also have a significant presence in the Mogadishu and the southwest. In addition, the Darod inhabit parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen.

In Somalia members of the Marehan clan mainly reside in Jubbaland, Gedo and the Lower Jubba in the southwestern part of the country, which is often designated to be the "homeland" of the Marehan. Substantial numbers also live in Galgudud and Mudug in central Somalia. Those Marehan that are not urbanized are mostly pastoralists, and competition for grasing and water has brought the clan into conflict with other pastoralist groups in Somalia.

Like many other clans in Somalia, the Marehan have been engaged in the political conflicts that broke out in the late 1980s. The political rivalries that have taken place in Somalia have mainly been based on identification along clan lines. Following former Somali president Siad Barre’s ousting in 1991, many of the Marehan took part in SNF (Somali National Front), a militia trying to recapture control of the country for Barre. As Siad Barre was also Marehan, many of the members of his SRC (Supreme Revolutionary Council) were also from the Marehan clan. In the late 1990s the Marehan clan was also involved in the formation of JVA (Jubba Valley Alliance) which tried to establish an autonomous region in the south of Somalia. These organizations have often acted as vehicles for Marehan interests.