Clan structure key to understanding Somalia

[musika man]

(Reuters) - Somalia's new prime minister, Nur Hassan Hussein, is meeting Somalia's clan leaders while he prepares to name his new cabinet.

Here are some facts about clans, the key to understanding Somalia's history, society and above all, politics:

WHY ARE CLANS IMPORTANT?

* The clans control districts and businesses and are the arbiters of most aspects of Somali life. Decisions are made collectively within the clans and their complex sub-divisions.

* An internationally recognised interim government formed in 2004 was created on a "4.5" clan structure, meaning major positions were split between the four main clans. The remaining 0.5 share was given to a grouping of smaller clans sometimes called the Fifth Clan.

WHAT ARE MAIN CLANS AND THEIR PLAYERS?

1. HAWIYE CLAN:

* New Prime Minister NUR HASSAN HUSSEIN hails from the ABGAL sub-clan, same as his predecessor ALI MOHAMED GEDI -- who resigned under pressure.

* SHEIKH HASSAN DAHIR AWEYS, now exiled in Eritrea after the government and Ethiopian troops defeated his militant Islamist movement in January, is from the AYR wing of the HABR GEDIR sub-clan. Aweys' Afghanistan-trained protege ADEN HASHI AYRO, said to be leading the Mogadishu insurgency, is also an AYR.

2. DAROD CLAN:

* Ex-dictator MOHAMED SIAD BARRE, ousted in 1991, came from the MAREHAN sub-clan.

* President ABDULLAHI YUSUF is from the MAJERTEEN wing of the clan. Since he is a Darod, the prime minister must be Hawiye.

3. DIR CLAN

* The immediate former education minister, and a deputy prime minister, ISMAIL HURRE BUUBA is from the Dir sub-clan of

IDAGALE.

4. DIGIL AND MIRIFLE CLAN

* This clan also known sometimes as RAHANWEIN.

* Parliamentary speaker SHEIKH ADAN MADOBE comes from this line via the HADAMO sub-clan.

5. FIFTH CLAN

* Prof. MOHAMED OMAR DALHA, the deputy parliament speaker, is a member of this clan via the JARERWEYNE sub-clan. That sub-clan is made up of Somalis from the ethnic Bantu minority originally brought to Somalia by slave traders, from what is now Mozambique, Tanzania and Malawi.

CLAN ROLES IN RECENT HISTORY

* Hawiye dissatisfaction has played a major role in the travails of the interim government since its inception in late 2004. Many Hawiye felt that Gedi was imposed on them as prime minister by Ethiopian pressure, hence cheating them of real influence in the clan's topmost government position. That dissatisfaction manifested itself in an Islamist movement that controlled Mogadishu for the latter half of 2006, until its defeat by Ethiopia and Somalia over the New Year. Some Hawiye are still involved in the current insurgency. It remains to be seen what welcome the clan will give the new prime minister.

* Somalia's last national president, dictator Siad Barre, was blamed by many Somalis for favouring members of his Marehan sub-clan and discriminating against others, often brutally. That spurred Darods in northeastern Somalia who felt marginalised to rise up against his government, followed by Dir from what is now self-declared Somaliland. Barre's actions are said by Somalis to underpin much of the current Darod-Hawiye mistrust.

Sources: Reuters, Somali experts.

(Writing by Andrew Cawthorne, Bryson Hull and Guled Mohamed)

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20071129/ ... a8d4f.html

[X.Playa]

Muwalad Boy,

Your point been?

[musika man]

[quote="X.Playa"]Muwalad Boy,

Your point been?[/quote]

^^^

my point is to bring a topic concerns my somali people politics and not the break away republic of somaliland.
hey x tell me, when the qaldaans were actually breaking away, were they mirqaam and did the break like michael jackson's moonwalking dance. slowly but steady broke away via backwards?

[xoogSADE14]

Calaacal hadaan rabo "the oprah winfrey show" baan daawan lahaa.

[Gedo_Boy]

^^ oo waxaan ba ku darsan lahaa Dr. Phil

[musika man]

[quote="xoogSADE14"]Calaacal hadaan rabo "the oprah winfrey show" baan daawan lahaa.[/quote]

^^^

join fah, gedo-boy, nabeela, prince awdal and ismahaan. they sharing a shisha and watching oprah together.

[Gedo_Boy]

^^ musika

Tufaax flavor

BTW, that's an unfavorable boy:girl ratio

[KUUSH]

Muski kid, don't come here citting some article wrote by non somali. go and do some research about somali clan structure. may check with yo granda. he may know more than rueters do.

[xoogSADE14]

lool @ GB

Shaanshi boy ma luuqadaa ku dhibeeysa? Orodoo wax farta ku gasha raadso.

[Luq_Ganane]

[quote="musika man"][quote="xoogSADE14"]join fah, gedo-boy, nabeela, prince awdal and ismahaan. they sharing a shisha and watching oprah together.[/quote]

[musika man]

^^^^

cyber warlords, i didnt write the article, adress your points of contention and grievancec without sending to my place your cyber moryan militia. why did this article made angry marehans and isak? i didn't get.
gedo best taste tufa7. competion, you got 2/3 of a chance. i like chasin, it is half of the game.