More importantly, this inability to control the Marehan illustrated just how little control the colonial state exercised on the northeast frontier. This example of Somali resistance certainly would make the British think twice about imposing their dictates in the northeast for some years to come. Indeed, the presence of so-called recalcitrant Somalis there had much to do with the nature of the cession of Jubaland to Italy in 1925
The Rer Hassan are the orginal inhabitants. The Isak are further divided into four sections, three of which are called Galti which means strangers, they having come into the country from the north-east during the last six or seven years, in some cases having been with the Mullah. They are typical fighting Somalis and the majority of them have ponies and rifles. Numbers of course are very difficult to obtain and are quite unreliable, but probably the Rer Hassan could put 4000 men into the field and the Galti about 9000, of whom the Rer Farah Ugas numbered nearly half.
