Published information on this specific subject is currently unavailable to the IRBDC in Ottawa.

1) According to a professor at Concordia University in Montreal, the Galgalo were a small minority living among the Abgal clan that was used by Siad Barre in an attempt to eliminate the Abgal clan in 1987-90 (24 Dec. 1991). The Abgal launched a successful counter-offensive from 1989 to 1991 (Ibid.). The Galgalo wore the same uniform as the Red Berets (Presidential Guards) (Ibid.).

A Ph.D. student at the University of Pau in France and a specialist of Somalia reported that the Galgalo are a group related to the Abgal, but are not part of the noble Abgal lineages (30 Dec. 1991). The Galgalo were considered as an inferior group by the Abgal (Ibid.). This source also mentioned that the Galgalo were used by the Barre government to stop the United Somali Congress (USC) movement towards the capital (Ibid.). The USC was composed of members of the Abgal clan and more specifically, the Waciisley sub-clan (Ibid.). The Galgalo attack against the Waciisley failed and the Galgalo warriors were annihilated (Ibid.). At the present time, the Galgalo (almost exclusively children, women and the elderly) are living in refugee camps in Mogadishu (Ibid.).

Additional information on this subject is currently unavailable to the IRBDC in Ottawa.

2) Information on the current situation of the Midgaan is scarce.

According to a specialist of Somalia at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, the Midgaan had ministers in the former Barre government (30 Dec. 1991). A professor at Concordia University in Montreal reported that the Midgaan were also used by the Barre regime to oppose other groups (24 Dec. 1991). A Ph.D. student at the University of Pau in France mentioned that the Midgaan are not a clan per se, but more of a caste (30 Dec. 1991). In fact, the Midgaan are dispersed among several different clan (Ibid.).

Additional information on this subject is currently unavailable to the IRBDC in Ottawa.

For further information please refer to the attached document(s).

Concordia University, Montreal. 24 December 1991. Telephone Interview with a Professor.

University of Pennsylvania, History Department, Philadelphia. 30 December 1991. Telephone Interview with a Professor.

University de Pau, France. 30 December 1991. Telephone Interview with a Ph.D. Student.

Immigration and Refugee Board Documentation Centre. 4 December 1991. Information Request SOM9848.

Immigration and Refugee Board Documentation Centre. 28 November 1990. Information Request SOM7293.

Immigration and Refugee Board Documentation Centre. 15 May 1990. Information Request SOM5442.