SUMMARY

The Somali people are a large ethnic and ethnolinguistic community residing in the Horn of Africa, with a majority living in Somalia and considerable parts being present in Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. The majority are Muslims, and the Somali community is organized around clans, in turn further divided into subclans, and the community is traditionally nomadic pastoralist, herding cattle, camels, and goats. Some of the major clan groups include Hawiye, Darod, Ogadeni, Isaaq, and Dir.

Somali irredentism in the Somali National Regional State (SNRS), also referred to as the Ogaden region in Ethiopia, led to the formation of the ONLF (Ogaden National Liberation Front) in 1984. ONLF has waged a small-scale intrastate conflict against the Ethiopian government, at times leading to the state detaining and targeting Somali people on suspicion of involvement with the ONLF. However, with the disintegration of Somalia, most Somali movements in [Ethiopia](/#/country/530 instead became oriented towards achieving a strengthened position within the Ethiopian political system, where Somali people have limited influence. A number of political and militant groups have claimed to represent Somali interests, some of which have cooperated with the central government while others have been opposition movements. Grievances centered on political marginalization have been further impounded by food insecurity and vulnerability to drought and floods in the region.

The Somali of Kenya mainly reside in the Eastern and North-eastern Provinces, bordering Somalia and Ethiopia. Clashes with other Somali clans or other ethnic groups in Kenya and Ethiopia have concerned, among other things, border demarcations, limited access to water sources, or pasture land for their herds of cattle and camels.

Leadership among the Somali people is mostly based on clan structures and traditional authority structures, side by side with government institutions, and analysts have pointed out patronage relations and political opportunism as main factors affecting inter-group relationships. However, in conflicts with other ethnic groups, the Somali appear to not deploy a formally organized militia but instead rely on more loosely organized groupings to carry out violence against their opponents.

The Somali people have been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organized violence.