Specific information on the Amudi subclan of the Reer Hamar could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

A specialist on Somalia and author of The Price of Peace in Somalia, stated that generally the Reer Hamar have been "badly scattered" in different parts of Mogadishu such as Afgoi and Merca, and Belet Weyne (19 Jan. 2000). He also said that on the whole, the Reer Hamar are a vulnerable group because they do not have the support and protection of the major clans nor do they have a militia of their own. He further stated that the situation of the Reer Hamar has not changed much since 1999.

A Somalia Assessment Report for 1999 posted on the United Kingdom Home Office's Website states the following:

Members of the minority populations, such as the Reer Hamar, the original Benadiri population of Mogadishu (known in Somali as Hamar) living in the Hamar Weyne and Shingani districts, and Bantu, found themselves particularly exposed at times of heavy fighting. As with Somalia as a whole, an individual in Mogadishu will be most secure in an area in which his or her clan is able to afford them protection. Members of small clans and minority groups are, inevitably, at more risk, although some minority groups, such as the low-caste Midgan, Tomal,Yibir, Ayle, Jaji and Yahar, who may risk harassment by Somali clans in rural areas, do not necessarily find themselves facing particular human rights or security problems in Mogadishu... Most homes belonging to the Reer Hamar (a Benadiri people) in Mogadishu have been taken over by members of Hawiye militias (Sept. 1999).

For additional information on the Reer Hamar, please consult SOM32622.E of 23 August 1999.

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 see the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Specialist and author of The Price of Peace in Somalia, London. 19 January 2000. Telephone interview.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), UK Home Office. September 1999. "Somali Assessment. Version 4. " http://homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/some4.htm#kismayu [Accessed: 19 Jan. 2000]

Africa Research Bulletin [Oxford]. 1999.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1998. 1999. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Press.

Danish Immigration Service [Copenhagen]. May 1997. Report of the Nordic Fact-Finding Mission to Central and Southern Somalia. 15 February to 14 March 1997.

Horn of Africa Bulletin [Uppsala]. 1998-1999.

The Indian Ocean Newsletter [Paris]. 1998-1999.

Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. 1998-1999.

Two oral sources consulted did not provide information on the requested subject.