SUMMARY
The Majerteen subclan (Darod) and Ogaden clan (Darod) are both subclans of the Darood clan. In the Somali National Regional State (SNRS), one of Ethiopia’s nine federal states, the Ogadeni makes up the large majority, which has allegedly led to fears of Ogadeni domination among other clans in the region.
After the fall of the Marxist-Leninist “Derg” in 1991, the new government enacted a policy of ethnic federalism, and sought political allies in the newly formed regions of Ethiopia. In the SNRS, they first turned to the Ogaden-dominated ONLF (Jabhadda Wadaniga Xoreynta Ogaadeenya, Ogaden National Liberation Front), leading other clans in the region to feel marginalized and increasingly seek federal government support amidst fears of becoming a minority group in case of Ogadeni secession. However, the ONLF soon fell out with the government, and a newly formed coalition of non-Ogadeni clans, including Majerteen, became the government’s new ally in the region. Later, this coalition merged with moderates of the ONLF to form the SPDP (Somali People’s Democratic Party), which has since held power in the region.
There is little information available on the recent relationship between Majerteen subclan (Darod) and Ogaden clan (Darod) in the Somali region, but analysts note that the introduction of ethnic federalism has led to numerous conflicts over resources and border delimitations among clans and subclans in the region. Whereas the mostly pastoral communities in the Somali region have traditionally been quite mobile with few fixed borders, the new arrangement requires the delineation of districts and Kebeles (the smallest administrative unit), and this has led to groups scrambling to claim areas and resources for themselves, sometimes escalating into armed clashes. These non-state conflicts have generally not seemed to involve formally organized militia, but rather there has been a pattern of more loosely organized armed groups fighting each other.
The non-state conflict between Majerteen subclan (Darod) and Ogaden clan (Darod) is first included in the UCDP data in 2004. In June that year, Majerteen and Ogadeni clashed in Warder Zone, resulting in 54 battle-related deaths.
