The Reer Barre (or Rer Shabelle) are a tribe in the Gedo region of the Ethiopia-Ogaden region on the Shabele River, near Somalia, who currently speak Somali. Historically farmers, a small number of Reer Barre are pastoralist, mostly keeping cows and goats and are usually residents of eastern cities of Ethiopia, such as Jijiga, Gode, Kelafo, Far-libah, Feerfeer, Mustahiil, along with more cities and towns in different parts of the Somali Regional state of Ethiopia. These tribes are unknown to the government of Ethiopia so far, regardless of the country's ethnic based federalism who has no stock of its ethnic group. They are a large family who also have a large population in the Shabelle region, Somalia. Reer means "family" and Barre is a name, altogether meaning "Barre family". They are descendants of Barre Abdille.[ citation needed ]
Their unattested but apparently non-Somali language [1] seems to have been first mentioned in print by Lionel Bender in 1975:
D. W. Mcclure, Sr. first reported to me the presence of Sudanese immigrants on the Wabi Shebelle River at Gode in the eastern Ogaden. They are said to have their own language, bearing the given name [Rerebere]. Later Taye Reya informed me that Sudanese immigrants are found along the Ganale and Dawa Rivers as well, and that they are referred to by the Somali as rer bare (rer means sub-tribe in Somali.) They are also known as adona, and they speak Somali as well as their own language... I cannot say with certainty whether they speak one or more languages of what any of them is... So far no linguistic data has come my way.
Others have linked the Reer Barre to the Bantu language family, implying that they may be the remnants of a Bantu-speaking pre-Somali population or, like the "Somali Bantu" in the Jubba River valley of southern Somalia, the descendants of Bantu slaves imported from other parts of East Africa in the 19th century. Tobias Hagmann refers to them as "Somalised Bantu". [2] According to Ulrich Braukämper:
The Adonē, a dark-skinned Somali-speaking population on the banks of the Wabi Shäbälle, are obviously the offspring of Bantu slaves who settled and expanded there since the 19th century. [3]
A British hunter, Colonel Swayne, who visited Imi in February 1893, relates that he was the guest of Gabba Oboho, a chief of the Adona, for several days. [4]
The Somali Region, also known as Soomaali Galbeed and officially the Somali Regional State, is a regional state in eastern Ethiopia. Its territory is the largest after Oromia Region. The regional state borders the Ethiopian regions of Afar and Oromia and the chartered city Dire Dawa to the west, as well as Djibouti to the north, Somalia to the northeast, east and south; and Kenya to the southwest.
Ogaden is one of the historical names used for the modern Somali Region. It is also natively referred to as Soomaali Galbeed. The region forms the eastern portion of Ethiopia and borders Somalia. It also includes another region to the north known as Haud.
The Western Somali Liberation Front was a Somali movement fighting in eastern Ethiopia to liberate the Somali inhabited Ogaden region from Ethiopian control. It played a major role in the Ogaden War of 1977–78, assisting the invading Somali Army.
The Habar Yoonis alternatively spelled as Habr Yunis is a major clan part of the wider Isaaq clan. As descendants of Ismail bin Sheikh Isaaq, its members form a part of the wider Habar Magaadle confederation which constitutes the largest sub-clan of the Isaaq.
The Hawiye are one of the principal and largest of the Somali clans, tracing their lineage back to Sheikh Ahmed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Uthman, also known as Sheikh Hawiye, the eponymous figure of the clan. They are considered the earliest documented clan to have settled in the Somali peninsula, as noted in the 12th century by Al-Idrisi, occupying the regions spanning from Ras Hafun to Merca, which served as their capital. Presently, the Hawiye reside in central and southern Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, the Somali region of Ethiopia, Harar, Oromia, and Afar regions, as well as Kenya. Furthermore, they represent the majority of the population in the capital city of Mogadishu.
The Habr Garhajis also contemporarily known as the Garhajis is a major clan of the wider Isaaq clan family. They are the traditional holders of the Isaaq Sultanate and Habr Yunis Sultanate since the 18th century. As descendants of Ismail bin Sheikh Isaaq, its members form a part of the Habar Magaadle confederation, and they constitute one of the largest sub-clans of the Isaaq. The Garhajis are divided into two major sub-clans: the Habr Yunis and Eidagale. They are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, merchants and skilled poets.
The Marehan is a Somali clan, which is part of one of the largest Somali clan families, the Darod.
The Rahanweyn, also known as the Digil and Mirifle is a major Somali clan. It is one of the major Somali clans in the Horn of Africa, with a large territory in the densely populated fertile valleys of the Jubba and Shebelle rivers and the areas inbetween, which are mainly inhabited by settlers from the Digil and Mirifle lineages.
Shabelle is one of nine Zones of the Somali Region of Ethiopia. It was previously known as Gode, so named after its largest city, Gode. Shabelle is bordered on the west by Afder, on the north by Fiq, on the northeast by Korahe. On the south it borders the Provisional Administrative Line of Somalia along the borders of the Hirshabelle and Galmudug federal states.
Danan is one of the districts in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, named after its major town, Danan. Part of the Gode Zone, Danan is bordered on the south by Gode, on the west by Imiberi, on the north by the Fiq Zone, and on the east by the Korahe Zone.
Gode (Godey) is a woreda in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, named after its major town, Gode. Part of the Gode Zone, Gode is bordered on the south by the Shebelle River which separates it from Adadle, on the northwest by Imiberi, on the north by Danan, on the northeast by the Korahe Zone, and on the southeast by Kelafo.
Over the course of the Somali Civil War, there have been many revolutionary movements and militia groups run by competing rebel leaders which have held de facto control over vast areas within Somalia.
Degehabur is a town in the region of Somali galbeed in Ethiopia. It is located in the Jarar Zone of Somali galbeed. Degehabur sits at 1044 meters above sea level. The town is the administrative center of Degehabur woreda.
Gode is a city in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Shabelle Zone, the city was the capital of the Somali Region until 1995 when Jijiga became the capital
Imi is a town in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. It is currently divided to two separate towns. East Imi located in Imiberi woreda of the Gode Zone and West Imi located in Mirab Imi woreda of the Afder Zone. The Shebelle River runs between these towns. It's located at latitude and longitude 6°28′N42°10′E with an elevation of 442 meters above sea level.
The Hiraab clan, is a prominent Somali clan belonging to the larger Hawiye clan. Renowned for its influential role, the Hiraab clan has produced numerous significant leaders within Somalia, including six presidents, the first president and prime minister of Somalia, and various other prominent figures. The clan's historical contributions include pioneering military leadership roles, and establishing a foundational influence in Somalia.
Mustahīl is a town in eastern Ethiopia, close to the border with Somalia. Located in the Gode Zone in the Somali Region and straddling the Shabelle River, it has a latitude and longitude of 5°15′N44°44′E with an altitude of 193 meters above sea level. It is the main town of the Mustahīl woreda. This district belongs to Jidle tribe
Sheikh Mohamed Hikam Sheikh Abdirahman was an ethnic Somali Islamic scholar originating from the Somali region of Ethiopia. He was born around the 1920s in the district of Babile, which is around 76km east of the historical city of Harar. He was an Islamic scholar, community elder, reformer, poet, freedom fighter and formidable peace negotiator in the clan-dominated, lawless Somali region in the 1960s. He studied Islamic religion with a famous sheikh called Sheikh Abdiweli Gurgure at Belbeleyti area of Oromia region in the 1940s-50s.
The Bicidyahan is the nickname of Ali Ibrahim Jibra'il, a Majeerteen sub-clan.
The Abaskuul, Abasguul, Abasgul or Abaskul is a Somali sub-clan of the Jidwaaq, Absame, Kumade, Kablalah, Darod line. The Abaskuul mainly reside between Jigjiga and Degahbur in the Somali Region in Ethiopia, but also have settlements in Jubaland (Somalia) and Kenya. They share borders with the Ogaden, Bartire, and Habar Awal clans. The Abaskuul were famously described in Richard Burton's First Footsteps in East Africa, as well as 17 Trips to Somaliland and a Visit to Abyssinia by Captain Harald G. C. Swayne.