According to a professor of geography specializing in Somalia at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Kismayo
is one of the "most contested places in the whole country" (25 Sept. 1995). The professor, who visited Somalia recently, stated that Kismayo and the surrounding area is "a horrific place" where uncertainty is a daily part of the inhabitants' lives as rival warlord factions fight to control the city and vicinity (ibid.). The professor explained that the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM) militia allied with General Aideed are fighting to wrest control of this southern port city from General Said Hersi Morgan, a warlord of the Harti subclan, who commands a coalition of factions in the city, including the Majerteen clan (ibid.; see also HRW/A Apr. 1995, 4, 43). The professor stated that the situation of the Lelkasse would be similar to that of a member of any clan living in the Kismayo territory so long as the area remains the scene of fighting.

The professor added that the particular circumstances of the claimant need to be considered, especially in light of the fact that some Lelkasse have been living in Kismayo for generations and believe that they have no other place to go in the country (ibid.). The professor explained that maps of the traditional areas of Somali clans are not always reliable indicators of where particular clan members can be found (ibid.).

A community worker with the Toronto-based Community Information Centre, an immigrant resource centre, said in a telephone interview on 22 September 1995 that the Lelkasse are a subclan of the Darod. The Lelkasse were originally found in the central area of Somalia, in the Mudug region where they are surrounded by members of the Hawiye clan family and the Majerteen (ibid.). According to the community worker, the Lelkasse are a small clan without a militia who may be identified as being in association with the Darod clans of the area, and therefore be targets of the Hawiye clans fighting for control of the Kismayo region (ibid.). In addition, the Lelkasse would not necessarily benefit from protection from fellow Darod clan members in the Kismayo area, because of a long-running intra-clan conflict with the Majerteen clan (ibid.). The community worker also said that in Kismayo, the Lelkasse would be vulnerable since it is difficult to hide one's identity from the inhabitants (ibid.).

However, the professor from the University of Minnesota, questioned whether there is a longstanding conflict between the Majerteen and the Lelkasse that would be of any consequence to the Lelkasse in Kismayo (25 Sept. 1995). According to the professor, conflicts between the two clans have to do with water and grazing resources in the Mudug area of Somalia (ibid.). Whether or not this conflict would make a difference in Lelkasse-Majerteen relations would depend upon the particular situation of a Lelkasse clan member.

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.

Community Information Centre, Toronto. 22 September 1995. Telephone interview with community worker.

Human Rights Watch/Africa. April 1995. Somalia Faces the Future: Human Rights in a Fragmented Society. New York: Human Rights Watch.

Professor of geography, specializing in Somalia, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 25 September 1995. Telephone interview.