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.
Both the Fiqi Mohamud sub-clan of the Mehe clan (Dir) and the Marehan sub-clan of the Sede clan (Darod) reside in relatively large numbers in the highly volatile Somali region of Galgudud, central Somalia. Both clans are pastoralists, using the land they occupy for grazing their livestock. Access to grazing lands and water is, however scarce in the area, something which has brought these two clans, as well as many others, into conflict.
The non-state conflict that erupted in 2003 between the two sub-clans is said by neutral observers to have its origins in long-standing disputes over grazing and water rights, but was triggered by the murder of a prominent Marehan businessman in May of 2003. The murder in turn caused a blood feud to materialize, with subsequent revenge killings of Fiqi Mohamud sub-clan clansmen following. The conflict between the two sub-clans was localized, taking place mainly in the area of Herale (Galgudud region), which has good pastures. According to the available sources both clans tried to expel the other from the area in order to gain access to these scarce resources, with the blood feud as a pretext.
Clashes raged throughout October, November, and December of 2003, but were halted in early 2004 for unknown reasons. Elders and intellectuals from Mogadishu are said to have been invited to mediate in the dispute, but the outcome of this initiative is not clear.
The two sub-clans clashed in Herale’s open terrain, making the fighting highly lethal. Both parties made use of automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and technicals (battlewagons) mounted with machineguns and anti-aircraft artillery.
The non-state conflict between the Fiqi Mohamud sub-clan of the Mehe clan (Dir) and the Marehan sub-clan of the Sede clan (Darod) is first included in UCDP data in 2003. In October that year clashes in Herale left approximately 14 people dead, pushing the total death tally across the 25 battle-related deaths threshold.
