Information on the current situation of the Ajuran clan in Somalia could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB. However, media reports, indicate that the Ajuran and the Degodia are rival Somali clans that inhabit both territories in Kenya and Somalia (AFP 18 Oct. 1993; AP 9 May 1994; Inter Press Service 12 July 1993). One report also states that fighting between the two clans for grazing rights, water holes and local leadership has been going on "for some time" (ibid.).

According to The Shaping of Somali Society: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900, the Ajuran dynasty dominated a vast territory of southern Somalia from the late fifteenth to mid-seventeenth centuries (Cassannelli 1982, 84). The Ajuran living in northeastern Kenya and along the upper Shabeelle river in Ethiopia are descendants of the Ajuran dynasty in Somalia (ibid., 87). The Ajuran are reportedly related to the Hawiye; according to Cassannelli, "Ajuraan power reposed on the twin pillars of spiritual preeminence and Hawiyya kinship solidarity, a potent combination in the Somali cultural context" (ibid., 101). Although the Ajuran state was not a cohesive entity, it consisted of several clan territories joined together by "kin, marriage, and patron/client ties of the inhabitants" (ibid., 102). Cassannelli notes that the Ajuran are unique because they were able to exploit the major forms of political significance in the Somali pastoral setting: clan solidarity, religious baraka, political alliance and control of natural resources (ibid., 105). Ajuran domination seems to have diminished as the Hawiyya gained influence. According to Cassannelli, the Ajuraan story thus can be seen as an account of group formation for the Hawiyya" (ibid., 115).

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

Agence France Presse (AFP). 18 October 1993. "Eight More Die in Fresh Ethnic Fighting." (NEXIS)

The Associated Press (AP). 9 May 1994. "Gunmen Kill 18 People in Clan Violence." (NEXIS)

Cassannelli, Lee V. 1982. The Shaping of Somali Society: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Inter Press Service. 12 July 1993. Horace Awori. "Kenya: 60 Killed in Mounting Violence in the North." (NEXIS)

Attachments

Agence France Presse [AFP]. 18 October 1993. "Eight More Die in Fresh Ethnic Fighting." (NEXIS)

_____. 16 October 1993. "14 Killed by Armed Bandits in Northeastern Kenya." (NEXIS)

Associated Press (AP). 9 May 1994. "Gunmen Kill 18 People in Clan Violence." (NEXIS)

Cassannelli, Lee, V. 1982. The Shaping of Somali Society: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Inter Press Service. 12 July 1993. "Kenya: 60 Killed in Mounting Violence in the North." (NEXIS)

The United Press International (UP). 9 May 1994. BC Cycle. "Clan Feud Kills 35 in Kenya." (NEXIS)

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Human Rights in Africa. 1990. Washington: Brookings Institute.

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