Information on the background and current circumstances of the Absguul (Abesguul) clan [SOM16167.E]

Information on the Absguul (Abesguul) clan is currently unavailable to the DIRB in Ottawa. However, the following information on the Abgaal, a sub-clan of the Hawiye clan may be helpful. According to Somalia: A Nation in Turmoil, the Hawiye clan, of which the Abgaal is a sub-clan, occupies the south-central region of Somalia, and the capital, Mogadishu, is in the middle of Abgaal country (Samatar 1991, 12, 20). The Hawiye clan is the second largest group after the Darood clan (ibid.). The Shaping of Somali Society describes the Abgaal Darandoole as a section of the Hawiye clan and states that the group began settling in the area around Mogadishu in the 16th century (Cassanelli 1982, 73). According to the source, the Hawiye-affiliated clans and sub-clans include Gaaljacal, Baddi Addo, Murursade and Abgaal (ibid., 106). The New York Times mentions that the Abgaal, who control northern Mogadishu, are a merchant class and consider Mogadishu their city (9 Dec. 1992).

The main clan militia operating in Somalia, the United Somali Congress (USC), is dominated by the Hawiye clans (Samatar 1991, 22). Africa Confidential adds that the two leaders of the Somali conflict are the two Hawiye leaders, President Ali Mahdi Mohammed of the Abgaal clan, and Mohammed Aydeed of the Sa'ad sub-clan of the Habr Gidir (25 Oct. 1991, 5).

For further background information on the Abgaal sub-clan, please refer to the attachments on the Hawiye extracted from A Modern History of Somalia and The Shaping of Somali Society. With regard to the current situation in Somalia, please refer to pages 236 to 239 of Country Reports 1992. Concerning the history of the United Nations Operations in Somalia (UNOSOM), please refer to pages 40 to 45 of Human Rights Watch Report 1994.

The sources consulted indicate the importance of the Hawiye clan and its two leaders, one of whom is Abgaal, to the present Somali conflict. The role of the undisputed leader of the Abgaal, Ali Mahdi, who also happens to be the president of Somalia, could give some indication of where the Abgaal stand and their role in the present conflict. The attached electronic and print media accounts provide information on the Hawiye leaders and the conflict between them.

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


Africa Confidential [London]. 25 October 1991. Vol. 32, No. 21. "Somalia: Fragile Agreements."

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

Country Reports on Human Rights for 1992. 1993. US Department of State. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.

Human Rights Watch. December 1993. Human Rights Watch World Report 1994. New York: Human Rights Watch.

Samatar, S. Said. 1991. Somalia: A Nation in Turmoil. London: Minority Rights Group.

Attachments

Africa Confidential [London]. 3 December 1993. Vol. 34, No. 24. "Somalia: Aydeed Faces His Own People," pp. 3-4.

_____. 25 October 1991. Vol. 32, No. 21. "Somalia: Fragile Agreements," pp. 5-6.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 12 June 1993. "Aideed: From Shepherd to Warlord." (NEXIS)

The Associated Press (AP). 16 February 1993. AM Cycle. Tom Cohen. "Residents Return to Shambles in Formerly Wealthy Neighbourhood." (NEXIS)

Cassanelli, Lee V. 1982. The Shaping of Somalia: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900, pp. 72-75.

The Christian Science Monitor [Boston]. 19 January 1993. Robert M. Press. "First US Troops Exit Somalia...." (NEXIS)

Human Rights Watch. December 1993. Human Rights Watch World Report 1994. New York: Human Rights Watch, pp. 40-45.

The Indian Ocean Newsletter [Paris]. 25 December 1993. No. 604. "Somalia: Talks on UN-Held SNA Prisoners," p. 3.

Lewis, I. M. 1988. A Modern History of Somalia: Nation and State in the Horn of Africa. Boulder, Co.: Westview Press, p. 6, 24.

The Los Angeles Times. 3 January 1993. Home Edition. Daniel Williams. "Clans Make Reconciliation in Somalia Improbable." (NEXIS)

Manchester Guardian Weekly. 13 December 1992. Jean Helene. "Surviving in Mogadishu." (NEXIS)

NewAfrica [London]. November 1993. No. 313. "What's Wrong in Somalia," pp. 14-15.

The New York Times. 9 December 1992. Final Edition. Jane Perlez. "Mission to Somalia...." (NEXIS)

Reuters. 3 December 1993. BC Cycle. Buchizya Mseteka. "Ethiopia Hosts Talks to Reconcile Somali Factions." (NEXIS)

Samatar, S. Said. 1991. Somalia: A Nation in Turmoil. London: Minority Rights Group, p. 12, 20.

West Africa [London]. 22-28 November 1993. "Somalia: At the Mercy of the Warlords," pp. 2113-2114.