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 Rer Ahmad subclan (Hawiye) and Hawarsame Rer Hasan and Habar Yaqub subclan of Marehan clan (Darod) was mainly about political control and influence in the Somali-Kenyan border town Doorow in the Gedo administrative region in southern Somalia. Doorow town and the surrounding Doorow district profited economically from the good location between Kenya and Somalia along one of the major trade roads. Thus, the region flourished. In the late 1990s, the economic well-being as a pull factor, together with the instability and violence in other parts of Somalia as a push factor led to that many people moved to the region. The fast-growing population resulted in animosities between those traditionally living there and the newcomers, which occasionally resulted in violence.
The fighting between the two groups started in 2004, when the SNF faction led by Mahmud Adan, which governs the region, appointed a new district commissioner. The Hawarsame Rer Hasan and Habar Yaqub subclan of Marehan clan (Darod), who dominate Doorow, opposed the appointment and attacked the Rer Ahmad subclan (Hawiye) who supported the appointment.
The non-state conflict between Rer Ahmad subclan (Hawiye) and Hawarsame Rer Hasan and Habar Yaqub subclan of Marehan clan (Darod) is first included in UCDP data in 2004. By the end of May that year, fighting between the groups had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.
