SUMMARY
The Qayaad subclan of Dhulbahante is one of several sub-clans of the wider Darod clan family. The Darod clan is one of the five overarching clan families in Somalia, making up approximately 25% of the overall population. The Darod reside primarily in Somalia’s north-east, but they also have a significant presence in Mogadishu and the southwestern parts of the country, as well as in parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen.
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 Harti include, among others, the Majerteen, Warsangeli and Dhulbahante clans.
The Dhulbahante almost exclusively inhabit the Somali region of Sool, but can also be found in Nugaal and Sanaag regions, as well as in the Buuhoodle (Ayn) district of Togdheer region. The Dhulbahante in Sool region have since 1998 been split between the self-declared state of Somaliland and semi-autonomous Somali State of Puntland (from 1 August 2012 coded as the Government of Somalia).
The Dhulbahante played a prominent role in the establishment of Puntland in 1998 and have generally opposed Somaliland. During a historic clan summit in 2007, Dhulbahante traditional clan chiefs declared that the clan is not a part of and will not recognize Somaliland, and that it stands for the unity of Somalia. However, the clan’s loyalty remains split between Somaliland and Puntland and the issue has caused serious intra-clan disagreements.
The Dhulbahante itself is further divided into a number of sub-clans, the Qayaad being one of them. The Qayaad sub-clan mainly inhabits the southern parts of Sool region. This area is also inhabited by the Bahararsame sub-clan of the Dhulbahante and the two sub-clans share many settlements.
The complexity of the Somali clan system limits the amount of information available on the different sub-clans. Thus, there is little information available about the Qayaad sub-clan. There are several perspectives on the lineage charts of the clan families in Somalia, namely a northern, central and 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 written form. Consequently, various different spellings for each clan and sub-clan name exists.
