Somalia: Information on the Makahil subclan of the Ogaden clan and from where they originated; and on the relationship of the Makahil subclan with the Rer Issaq subclan of Omar Jess, including the strength, size, and position of the Makahil in relation to the Rer Issaq
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SOM20668.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Somalia: Information on the Makahil subclan of the Ogaden clan and from where they originated; and on the relationship of the Makahil subclan with the Rer Issaq subclan of Omar Jess, including the strength, size, and position of the Makahil in relation to the Rer Issaq, 1 May 1995, SOM20668.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac3b44.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| 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. |
None of the sources consulted by the DIRB refer to the Makahil as a subclan of the Ogaden clan.
According to Gilkes, the Makahil, after the Madahasi, is the "second main subclan" of the Gadabursi, whom he estimates number 300,000 or about 8 per cent of the northern population (July 1992, 49). The northern area, former British Somaliland, is home to three clan families: the Isaaq, the Dir (consisting of the Issa and the Gadabursi clans), and the Darod (ibid., 43). The Gadabursi clan consists of the Madahasi subclan (which is the largest), the Makahil and the Arfan (ibid., 49). According to Gilkes, the Makahil are
more significant politically with such subclans as the Jibril Yunis around Boroma and Lafayisa; the Rer Ugas, mostly in Ethiopia around Aw Bare (also called Teferi Bar) and west; and the Rer Nur Yunis centred on Dilla but also across the border around Aw Bare (inside Somalialand, they also neighbour the Jibril Abokr and have poor relations with them)" (ibid.).
Gilkes states that the Gadabursi set up the Somalia Democratic Alliance (SDA) in 1989, but that it subsequently split into factions (ibid.). The Makahil created their own political grouping, the Horval Democratic Front, in late 1991 in Ethiopia, where they have an established political and historical base (ibid.).
A genealogy chart prepared by the General Survey of British Somaliland in 1944 depicts the following Makahil tribes as belonging to the Gadabursi clan: Makahil Mikadore, Musa Makahil, Makahil Dera, Ali Makahil Dera, Elli Makahil and Egeh Makahil (1944, 5-6). The same survey lists the Ogaden clan under the Darod clan family (ibid., 21).
None of the sources consulted by the DIRB associate Omar Jess with a subclan of the Rer Issaq.
According to Gilkes, Omar Jess' lineage connects him with the Rer Abdille/Mohamed Zubeir/Ogaden subclans, which in turn belong to the Darod clan family, and not the Rer Issaq (Sept. 1994, 133). The Indian Ocean Newsletter and Africa Confidential identify Jess as a leader of the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), which is backed by the Ogaden (29 Oct. 1994, 8; 18 Dec. 1992, 3). A map published in Africa Confidential depicts the SPM as controlling or influencing territory around the southern port town of Kismayu (sometimes spelled Kismayo) (ibid., 4). Gilkes also describes Kismayo as Jess' theatre of operation (Sep. 1994, 84-90). Ahmed Samatar depicts the Ogaden (Ogadeen) as a clan of the Darood (Darod) clan family (1988, 11). This relationship is corroborated by D. Laitin and S. Samatar, spell Ogaden as Ogaadeen, Darod as Daarood and Gadabursi as Godabiirsay (1987, 32). Neither of these two sources charts the Makahil subclan.
Information on the relationship between the Makahil and Omar Jess' subclan in terms size and strength could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
For general information on the political situation in areas of Somaliland where the Gadabursi are found, and information on the Darod/Ogaden clan of Omar Jess, please consult the attachments.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB 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.
References
Africa Confidential [London]. 18 December 1992. Vol. 33, No. 25. "Somalia: Beyond the Pax Americana."
Somali Tribes. 1989. Jean-Peirre Gaithier. "Arbre généalogique des clans de la tribu Somali." (Includes John A. Hunt. 1944. "Genealogies of the Tribes of British Somaliland and the Mijertein.")
Gilkes, P.S. September 1994. The Price of Peace: Somalia and the United Nations 1991-1994. Bedfordshire: Save the Children Fund UK.
Gilkes, Patrick. July 1992. "Ethnic and Political Movements in Ethiopia and Somalia."
Indian Ocean Newsletter [Paris]. 29 October 1994. No. 644. "Aideed's 'G12'."
Laitin, David D. and Said S. Samatar. 1987. Somalia: Nation in Search of a State. Boulder, Col.: Westview Press.
Samatar, Ahmed I. 1988. Socialist Somalia: Rhetoric and Reality. London: Zed Books.
Attachments
Gilkes, P.S. September 1994. The Price of Peace: Somalia and the United Nations 1991-1994. Bedfordshire: Save the Children Fund UK, pp. 133-36.
Gilkes, Patrick. July 1992. "Ethnic and Political Movements in Ethiopia and Somalia." pp. 43-56.
