SUMMARY
Unlike other multiethnic countries in the Sub-Saharan African context, the Somali society is characterized by a vast system of clans. Most of the population belongs to one of the five overarching clan families namely the Darod, the Isaaq, the Hawiye, the Dir, and the Rahanweyn (also known as Rewin or Digil-Mirifle). Each clan family is further divided into sub-clans and in some cases into sub-sub-clans. The origins of the clans are shared and each clan is related to the others, yet there are differences in terms of culture, tradition, and the form of life.
Up until independence in 1960, the Somali society was organized according to the clan system and each clan had a leader and a council of elders. These leaders played a major role in daily life and especially in intertribal relations. The council of elders was responsible for maintaining peace and harmony amongst the Somali people. Weakened clans were, for example, to be protected and were at times integrated into stronger clans in order to assure its survival. When inter-clan conflicts did occur, rules of conduct were agreed upon; such as caring for the injured or the treatment of prisoners.
During the post-independence era, traditional structures were replaced by modern governmental and judicial institutions hence removing the power once given to the clan leader and the council of the elders. As a result, relations between clans continuously deteriorated, which in turn also resulted in a stronger sense of affiliation to one’s own clan. This process contributed to, and was further strengthened by, the outbreak of the intra-state conflict in Somalia which began at the end of 1982. Clan-related conflicts continued to fuel non-state conflicts in Somalia.
In mid-January 2004, rival militiamen from the Afi and the Abtisame subclans of Galje’el, of the Hawiye clan family, clashed in Beledweyne town, in the Hiiraan region. During the two-day clash, clan elders tried to negotiate a ceasefire without success. Eventually, the fighting died out, only to erupt again a few weeks later. Little is known about the background to the fighting, but one report claims that the clashes followed a disagreement about one of the faction’s attempt to seek assistance from Ethiopia. However, other sources stated that the dispute was over control of pastoral land and water wells. In order to halt the violence, clan elders, religious leaders, and civil society actors once again engaged in finding a peaceful solution to the dispute. Eventually, an agreement was concluded in Buqda-Aqable village, near Beledweyne town, in 2005.
The non-state conflict between Abtisame subclan of Galje'el clan (Hawiye) and Afi subclan of Galje'el clan (Hawiye) is first included in UCDP data in 2004. In January and February of that year, a disagreement between rival militiamen from the Afi and Abtisame subclans escalated into violent clashes, resulting in over 25 battle-related deaths.
