Somalia: Information on the expectations and obligations of clan members during times of war and on the consequences of not fulfilling these expectations

The following information was obtained in a telephone interview on 9 November 1995 with a professor of Somali history at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.

According to the professor, individuals are generally expected to stand by the clan. This support may take the form of fighting to defend the clan, but the professor noted that recently there has been a trend, especially among younger people, of not feeling "obliged to come to the aid of distant clansmen." Young people may also be told by, or feel pressure from, family members not to associate with certain clan members because of certain alliances during periods of conflict, but this situation is very fluid as clan alliances are often fragmentary.

According to the professor, subclan interests are increasingly pragmatic or opportunistic and focused on immediate loyalties and needs. The professor was of the opinion that Somalis were increasingly weary of the conflict and less willing to put themselves at risk for people in the militias who might not be acting in the best interests of the clan grouping.

Regarding the consequences of not meeting clan expectations, the professor stated that dissent is tolerated at clan meetings where major decisions are made, but once decisions are made, individuals are expected to keep their dissent to themselves, lest they make the clan appear weak. In the past, ostracism from the immediate family group served as a sufficient threat or sanction to those who might not fulfil their obligations. But more recently, the professor noted that in the modern setting of the current conflict, traditional rules are not always followed, nor are expectations always met. Traditional leaders or clan elders are not always respected. Furthermore, the ready availability of guns makes the pursuit of contrary action easier. As an example of this, the professor cited an incident in which a clan elder was shot to death by younger members who opposed the leadership of the clan elder.

An anthropologist at the State University of New York in Binghamton, on leave at the University of Kentucky, stated in a telephone interview on 9 November 1995 that clan members are expected to show allegiance to their clan relations according to the segmentary lineage system; however, this system is subject to fragmentation and can not always be counted upon. In addition, recent war conditions have tended to disrupt the traditional obligations of clan members (ibid.).

For additional information on clan structure in Somalia, please consult the attachments.

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

Anthropologist at State University of New York, Binghamton, on leave at the University of Kentucky. 9 November 1995. Telephone interview.

Professor of Somali history, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 9 November 1995. Telephone interview.

Attachments

Bradbury, Mark. October 1993. The Somali Conflict: Prospects for Peace. Oxford: Oxfam UK and Ireland, pp. 17-20.

Laitin, David D. and Said S. Samatar. 1987. Somalia: Nation in Search of a State. Boulder, Co.: Westview Press, pp. 29-34.

Minority Rights Group International. August 1991. No. 91/4. Somalia: A Nation in Turmoil. London: Minority Rights Group, pp. 12-13, 25-27.

Rabeh, Omar Osman. 1988. L'état et le pansomalisme. Paris: Les Editions "Le Derwish," pp. 76-86, 105-33.