Somalia: The presence of Midgan in Hargeisa and their treatment by Isaaq prior to and after the 1988 war with Siad Barre
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SOM29054.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Somalia: The presence of Midgan in Hargeisa and their treatment by Isaaq prior to and after the 1988 war with Siad Barre, 1 March 1998, SOM29054.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab7210.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on the presence of the Midgan in Hargeisa and their treatment by the Issaq prior to and after the 1988 war could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However according to Cultural Survival Quarterly, the Midgan originated in the north of the country (30 Apr. 1994) . The Midgan comprises with the Timal and Yabir the three subgroups of the Sab clan which has traditionally been bondsmen of the Issak and Darold clans (ibid). "The stigma still remains" even though this practice was abolished after independence, added the same source. According to a 7 December 1992 Press Associated Newsfile report, the Midgan, also named "untouchables", are among the farming communities who lost their land into the hands of the fierce nomadic clan.
Please refer to Responses to Information Requests SOM23679.E and DJI25970.E of 26 April 1996 and 13 January 1997 respectively for a profile of the Midgan clan.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Cultural Survival Quarterly. 30 April 1994. de Waal Alex. "The UN and Somalia's Invisible Minorities." (The Ethnic News Watch /NEXIS)
Press Association Newsfile. 7 December 1992. Aidan Hartley. "Somalia Shattered by Clan Hatreds. (NEXIS)
Attachments
Cultural Survival Quarterly. 30 April 1994. de Waal Alex. "The UN and Somalia's Invisible Minorities." (The Ethnic News Watch /NEXIS)
Press Association Newsfile. 7 December 1992. Aidan Hartley. "Somalia Shattered by Clan Hatreds. (NEXIS)
Sources Consulted
Africa Confidential [London]. 1990 - February 1998
Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series [London]. 1991-1996.
Gilkes, P.S. September 1994. The Price of Peace: Somalia and the United Nations 1991-1994. Bedfordshire, U.K.: Save the Children's Fund.
Indian Ocean Newsletter [Paris]. 1992 to present.
The Invention of Somalia. Edited by Ali Jamale Ahmed. 1995. Lawrenceville, NJ: The Red Sea Press.
Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. 1996-1997.
Lewis, I. M. 1994. Blood and Bone: The Call of Kinship in Somali Society. Lawrenceville, NJ: The Red Sea Press.
_____. 1988. Rev. ed. A Modern History of Somalia: Nation and State in the Horn of Africa. Boulder, Col.: Westview Press.
Resource Centre country file: Somalia. 1991-February 1998.
Electronic sources: IRB Databases, Global News Bank, Lexis/Nexis, Internet, World News Connection (WNC).
One oral source consulted did not provide information on the above-mentioned subjects.
