In a telephone interview, a representative of the Somali Immigrant Organization in North York supplied the following information on the Duroqbo subclan (8 Feb. 1995). The Duroqbo is a small subclan of the Reer Hamar. Both are described as an urban-based people located in Mogadishu, although scattered numbers would have been found in nearby coastal cities before the civil war (ibid.). The Reer Hamar do not trace their lineage through one of the principle clan families of Somalia (ibid.).

According to the source, the Duroqbo, like other subclans of the Reer Hamar, can be distinguished from Somalis who trace their lineage through the principle clan families by their dialect and accent when they speak standard Somali (ibid.). In addition to these differences, the Reer Hamar's heritage is non-pastoral and non-nomadic. Their tendency to keep to their own people socially, except for business transactions, has meant that some Somalis do not consider the Reer Hamar people to be Somali (ibid.). The source stated that it is believed that the Reer Hamar are of mixed ancestry, possibly of Arab, Arabian or Persian blood, although they have lived in Mogadishu and the surrounding area for centuries (ibid.).

In Mogadishu the Duroqbo resided in a distinct quarter of the old city, where before the civil war they ran small businesses and shops and engaged in trading and other related commercial activities (ibid.). The source stated that neither the Duroqbo nor the Reer Hamar are aligned with any principle clan nor do they have any protective relationship with any other clan. Traditionally the Reer Hamar have not been involved in political affairs. However, during the tenure of the Siad Barre government, officials extorted bribes from the Duroqbo and other Reer Hamar people, which allowed the groups to survive largely unmolested while public order was upheld (ibid.). Following the downfall of the Barre government in 1989, the source stated, all Reer Hamar people were extremely vulnerable to attacks from non-Reer Somalis (ibid.). When the civil conflict started, Reer Hamar people were attacked, raped, and killed, and their property was looted and destroyed (ibid.). Unlike the other clans in Somalia who all have distinctive home areas or regions, the Mogadishu-based Duroqbo had nowhere within Somalia to flee when the civil conflict erupted (ibid.)

In telephone interviews, sources at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Minnesota, in addition to an anthropologist from Somalia now based in Canada and a community worker in Toronto from Somalia corroborated the information provided above (8 Feb. 1995; 6 Feb. 1995; 6 Feb. 1995; 7 Feb. 1995).

The representative of the Somali Immigrant Organization also stated that members of the Hawiye clan were those primarily responsible for attacks on the Duroqbo and other Reer Hamar subclans once the Hawiye took over Mogadishu from government loyalist troops (8 Feb. 1995). The anthropologist stated that the Reer Hamar people "suffered immensely" and were "annihilated in attacks from all sides" (6 Feb. 1995).

The community worker stated that the Duroqbo, as with all the Reer Hamar subclans were a minority group, but were never perceived by the Barre government as a threat precisely because of their small numbers (7 Feb. 1995). According to the community worker, the Duroqbo were perceived to be wealthy because of their commercial activity, and were frequently the victims of attacks perpetrated by soldiers or fighters from clans based in the interior of Somalia (ibid.). The source stated that it was quite possible the soldiers would not know the Duroqbo people, except for having heard the fact, that Duroqbo were a defenceless people with no clan allies, thereby ensuring there would be no retaliation for attacks (ibid.).

The University of Minnesota specialist on Somalia corroborated the information that attacks were made against Reer Hamar because of the perception that the Duroqbo and other Reer Hamar subclans were wealthy, noting that they were also goldsmiths in the community (6 Fe. 1995). The source stated that the "worst period for atrocities against the Reer Hamar" was between fall 1990 and spring 1991 (ibid.). The source stressed that all Reer Hamar people, individually and collectively, were at risk because of the perception of their wealth and the fact that it was known that they had no clan protection (ibid.). In addition, since the 1989 breakdown in public order, the competing Somali clans treated Reer Hamar as enemies simply because they were not considered to be allied with any of the competing clans (ibid.).

The University of Pennsylvania history professor stated that the Duroqbo belonged to a federation involving a number subclans of the Reer Hamar (7 Feb. 1995). The professor identified the federation, entitled Iskashato, as a grouping of "well known, old families" joined together for economic, or real estate reasons or to arrange marriages so as to keep property within the group. Besides the Duroqbo, the federation included the Reer Manyo, Sheik Mumin, Ieydarus, Shamsi, Hatimi and Baxamesh subclans (ibid.). The federation had no military purpose (ibid.). The professor added that some individuals among the Reer Hamar subclans fled Somalia soon after the fall of the government, but these individuals had connections outside the country and left previous to the attacks that destroyed the Reer Hamar community.

For general information on the conditions in Mogadishu since 1989, please consult News From Africa Watch [New York]. Vol. 5 No. 2. "Somalia: Beyond the Warlords: The Need for a Verdict on Human Rights Abuses;" 26 March 1992. "Somalia: No Mercy in Mogadishu: The Human Cost of the Conflict and the Struggle for Relief;" 13 February 1992. Vol. 4. No. 2. "Somalia: A Fight to the Death? Leaving Civilians at the Mercy of Terror and Starvation" available in Regional Documentation Centers.

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.

Anthropologist from Somalia, Ottawa. 6 February 1995. Telephone interview.

Community worker from Somalia, Toronto. 7 February 1995. Telephone interview.

Somali Immigrant Organization, North York. 8 February 1995. Telephone interview with representative.

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. 6 February 1995. Telephone interview with specialist on Somalia.

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 7 February 1995. Telephone interview with history professor.