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.

The conflict between the Garre subclan and Marehan subclan in the Gedo region of Somalia has no historic roots, the clans having had close ties in the period before the 21st century. Inter-marrying was common, costs for blood money payments were reduced and a notable absence of severe conflict over grazing lands prevailed. Though no clashes over pastures were present during the 20th century the population explosion in Africa and the instability in Somalia increased pressure on lands and soured relations also between the Garre subclan and Marehan subclan. Relations were further strained by the influx of many -and powerful- Marehan subclan members into the Gedo region when the dictatorship of Siad Barre (who was a Marehan) collapsed in 1991.

These factors aside the most overt trait of the non-state conflict between the Garre subclan and Marehan subclan has been the objective to control the town of El Wak in the Gedo region of southwest Somalia, where the bulk of the fighting has taken place. In the El Wak district territory controlled by the two sub-clans overlaps. Control of El Wak is important mainly for two reasons; the economic value of a town that has much border trade and the parliamentary and government seats (in the transitional government) that holding it and its surroundings entails. Thus, for the Marehan subclan, the capture of Gedo region entailed more power in the national sphere, whilst for the Garre subclan the loss of the same would mean being sidelined from national politics altogether.

Armed conflict between the Garre subclan and Marehan subclan broke out in late 2004 (coded as a non-state conflict in 2005 only), in essence being triggered by the almost simultaneous non-state conflict between the Garre subclan and Marehan subclan and a series of unresolved murders. In the Garre-Murule conflict the latter clan is allied to a Marehan subclan and the Garre subclan soon saw a Marehan hand and political pretexts concerning Gedo in those events. The Garre subclan called for assistance from their well-equipped kinsmen in Ethiopia (funded by the Ethiopian government to fight Oromo rebels) and attempted to seize El Wak by force in December 2004. A few months into 2005 the Marehan subclan counterattacked in an attempt to retake the town.

Clashes in the conflict-centered, as has been noted above, almost solely on the town of El Wak, which was taken and retaken several times throughout the year. Whilst the Garre subclan employed militias from Ethiopia the Marehan subclan made use of fighters from the JVA (Jubba Valley Alliance); a Marehan (Darod) dominated organization in Somalia’s south. The conflict thus expanded from the local sphere into the regional dynamics of the Horn of Africa and Somalia’s nation-wide problems.

In August 2005 a peace agreement was struck between the two clans and the Marehan militias withdrew from El Wak. The Kenyan government hosted the conference of the local clan elders that signed the agreement, which entailed the return of El Wak to the status of peaceful cohabitation. Some analysts claim that the conflict was finally resolved amicably since the fighting effectively destroyed one of El Wak’s main values; the border trade.

The non-state conflict between the Garre sub-clan of the Digil clan (Digil-Mirifle) and the Marehan sub-clan of the Sede clan (Darod) is first included in UCDP data in 2005. In April that year, clashes between the two groups in El Wak caused six deaths, making the total tally exceed the 25 battle-related deaths threshold.