Somalia: Information on the current state of the Yibir clan, its location, alliances with other clans, and particularly on whether they reside currently in Gedo province
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SOM16954.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Somalia: Information on the current state of the Yibir clan, its location, alliances with other clans, and particularly on whether they reside currently in Gedo province, 1 March 1994, SOM16954.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6acab34.html [accessed 25 May 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. |
For general information on the location of the Yibir in Somalia and their relationship with the clans or sub-clans, please refer to Responses to Information Requests SOM10712, SOM9848, SOM9847, SOM9824, SOM9393 and SOM8655. These documents are available at your Regional Documentation Centre.
According to a Somali professor at the Department of African Studies, University of Florida in Gainsville, the Yibir are not a clan but an occupational class "found everywhere in Somalia" (28 Mar. 1994). The Yibir are also found in Gedo province. They move around a lot and they stay with the clans or sub-clans in their locality. Although they are despised as an inferior class, they are also "feared for their sorcery powers." The source explains that the Yibir do not enter into alliances, as such, with the clans. However, because of their "magical powers", the social and spiritual services they provide their neighbours, the clans protect them. The clans or sub-clans also tend to invite the Yibir along whenever they move to new locations (ibid.).
A professor of history of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, who also specializes on Somalia and has written considerably on the country, states that the Yibir are not a clan nor sub-clan but a traditionally low-status religious "caste" (28 Mar. 1994). The Yibir are found throughout Somalia and according to the source, he would not be surprised if they are found in Gedo province, too. He adds, however, that the Yibir are located mostly in northern Somalia. In terms of military or political strength and importance, it is a very powerless group and may align with more powerful neighbours, clans or sub-clans, for protection. According to this source, the fate of the Yibir in today's Somalia may ultimately hinge on the fate of their neighbours (ibid.).
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
Department of African Studies, University of Florida, Gainsville. 28 March 1994. Telephone interview with professor.
Department of History, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 28 March 1994. Telephone interview with professor.
