SUMMARY
The Abdalle subclan of Habar Awal clan (Isaaq) and the Aidagalla subclan of Habar Garhadjis clan (Isaaq) were among the politically most active clans in the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland, heavily influencing its political landscape in the early and mid-1990s. The two clans were closely affiliated to the main political figures of the time; The Abdalle to Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal and the Aidagalla to Abdurahaman Ahmed Ali ‘Tur’. Since Egal and Tuur were political rivals, also the two clans were considered as enemies, and both were, through different militias, engaged in non-state conflicts. (see the Forces of Abdurahman Ahmend Ali ‘Tur' – Republic of Somaliland, and Republic of Somaliland – SNM 'Calan cas' conflicts).
In the fall of 1995, President Egal reshuffled the Somaliland government and reduced the influence of several clans, among them the Garhadjis. This led to a further destabilization of Somaliland. In the spring of 1996, a series of peace talks took place, aiming at finally ending the non-state conflicts in Somaliland. The peace processes were partially successful, but since they were initiated by the Somaliland diaspora and included some of the most prominent anti-Egal clans, President Egal considered this peace process to undermine his authority. In the same year, Tuur’s change of position towards opposing the secession of Somaliland paid off and he received political posts in Mogadishu under the presidency of Muhamed Farah ‘Aideed’.
It is unclear whether the conflict between the Abdalle subclan and the Aidagalla subclan was directly linked to the political situation, or if it was a traditional clash between clans overland borders and resources as was often the case in Somalia. While at least indirectly political motives are likely, the sources do not report so. Furthermore, the sources report that clan members, and not militias, were involved in the fighting, which is why the conflict is coded as a conflict between the two tribes, rather than as a conflict between political militias.
The non-state conflict between the Abdalle subclan of Habar Awal clan (Isaaq) and the Aidagalla subclan of Habar Garhadjis clan (Isaaq) is first included in UCDP data in 1996. In July of that year, fighting between the two groups had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.
