Danish Immigration Service _________________________________________________ Report on Minority Groups in Somalia 17 to 24 September 2000 Copenhagen, 2000 Table of contents 1. BACKGROUND 6 2. INTRODUCTION TO SOURCES AND METHODOLOGY 7 3. OVERALL POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND THE SECURITY SITUATION IN SOMALIA 10 3.1 ARTA PEACE PROCESS IN DJIBOUTI..............................................................................................10 3.2 TRANSITIONAL NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (TNA) AND NEW PRESIDENT ................................................10 3.2.1 Position of North West Somalia (Somaliland)..................................................................12 3.2.2 Position of North East Somalia (Puntland) .......................................................................13 3.2.3 Prospects for a central authority in Somalia......................................................................14 3.3 SECURITY SITUATION ..................................................................................................................14 3.3.1 General ..............................................................................................................................14 3.3.2 North West Somalia (Somaliland) and North East Somalia (Puntland) ...........................16 3.3.3 Hawiye clans in central Somalia (Galgaduud, Hiran & the Shabelle regions) .................16 3.3.4 Bay and Bakool Regions ...................................................................................................17 3.3.5 Mogadishu (Benadir Region) ............................................................................................18 3.3.6 Gedo region .......................................................................................................................19 3.3.7 Kismayo and the far south.................................................................................................19 4. INTRODUCTION TO THE MINORITY GROUPS IN SOMALIA 19 4.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND..........................................................................................................19 4.2 PRESENT SITUATION OF MINORITY GROUPS IN SOMALIA................................................................20 4.3 SOMALI MINORITY REFUGEES IN KENYA .......................................................................................23 5. BAJUNI 24 5.1 GROUPS AND SUB-GROUPS, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION ..........................................................25 5.2 LANGUAGE .................................................................................................................................26 5.3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION......................................................................................................26 5.3.1 Relationship with other groups and clans..........................................................................26 Report on minority groups in Somalia 5.3.2 Occupations.......................................................................................................................27 5.4 SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION....................................................................................28 5.5 BAJUNI REFUGEES IN KENYA .......................................................................................................28 6. BANTU 29 6.1 GROUPS AND SUB-GROUPS, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION ..........................................................31 6.2 LANGUAGE .................................................................................................................................33 6.3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION......................................................................................................34 6.3.1 Relationship with other groups and clans..........................................................................34 6.3.2 Occupations.......................................................................................................................35 6.4 SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION....................................................................................35 6.5 BANTU REFUGEES IN KENYA AND ABROAD ...................................................................................37 7. BENADIR 38 7.1 GROUPS AND SUB-GROUPS, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION ..........................................................38 7.2 LANGUAGE .................................................................................................................................42 7.3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION......................................................................................................43 7.3.1 Relationship with other groups and clans..........................................................................43 7.3.2 Occupations.......................................................................................................................43 7.4 SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS ....................................................................................................44 7.5 BENADIR REFUGEES IN KENYA AND ABROAD ................................................................................46 8. EYLE 47 8.1 GROUPS AND SUB-GROUPS, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION ..........................................................47 8.2 LANGUAGE .................................................................................................................................48 8.3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION......................................................................................................48 8.3.1 Relationship with other groups and clans..........................................................................48 8.3.2 Occupations.......................................................................................................................48 8.4 SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS ....................................................................................................48 9. MIDGAN, TUMAL, YIBIR (SAB) 49 17 – 24 September 2000 3 Report on minority groups in Somalia 9.1 GROUPS AND SUB-GROUPS, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION, ORIGINS............................................49 9.2 LANGUAGE .................................................................................................................................50 9.3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION......................................................................................................50 9.3.1 Relationship with other groups and clans..........................................................................50 9.3.2 Occupations.......................................................................................................................52 9.4 SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION....................................................................................52 10. SHEKHAL 54 10.1 SUB-GROUPS, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION, RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER CLANS .......................54 10.2 OCCUPATIONS..........................................................................................................................55 10.3 SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION..................................................................................55 11. DIGIL AND MIRIFLE (RAHANWEYN) 56 11.1 GROUPS AND SUB-GROUPS, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION ........................................................56 11.2 LANGUAGE ...............................................................................................................................57 11.3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION....................................................................................................57 11.3.1 Relationship with other groups and clans........................................................................57 11.3.2 Occupations.....................................................................................................................59 11.4 SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS ..................................................................................................59 12. INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS CONSULTED 60 13. BIBLIOGRAPHY 62 14. ABBREVIATIONS 64 15. LIST OF ANNEXES, MAPS ETC. 66 ANNEX 1.......................................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ANNEX 2.......................................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ANNEX 3.......................................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ANNEX 4.......................................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ANNEX 5.......................................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ANNEX 6.......................................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. 4 17 – 24 Septemer 2000 Report on minority groups in Somalia ANNEX 7.......................................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ANNEX 8.......................................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ANNEX 9.......................................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ANNEX 10.....................................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. 17 – 24 September 2000 5 Report on minority groups in Somalia 1. Background A relatively large number of Somali asylum seekers in some European countries