Garad Jama Garad Ali () is the 21st supreme traditional clan

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

( Garaad) of the

Dhulbahante The Dhulbahante, (, ) are a Somali sub-clan, part of the Harti branch of the larger Darod clan. They primary reside in and around their traditional territories of Nugaal, as well as Doollo. The clan's progenitor is buried at Badweyn. The cur ...

. He has significant influence in Somalia's current politics, particularly in Ssc- Khatumo.

Biography

Birth

Jama was born in 1974 as the son of Garad Ali Garad Jama in the city of

Las Anod Las Anod (; ) is the administrative capital of the Sool region, currently controlled by Khatumo State forces aligned with Somalia. Territorial dispute The city is disputed by Puntland and Somaliland. The former bases its claim due to the kins ...

, Sool region Republic of Somalia. He belongs to the Baharsame in Farah Garad in

clan. According to another source, he has

Sahdheer Sahdheer () is a town in northern Khatumo State region of Somalia. Overview Saaxdheer is on the border with Ethiopia. The town lies in the Sahader Valley, due south of Las Anod. Sahdheer lies a few miles northwest of Gumburka Cagaare, the site ...

as his hometown. In 1985, his father Garad Ali died. At this time Jama was 11 years old, too young to assume the position of Garad, so the position was taken over by Garad Abdiqani Garad Jama, brother of Garad Ali. Garad Jama's predecessor Garad, Garad Abdiqani Garad Jama, who led the

delegation in the Grand Conference in Burao in 1991 was first to table the case for secession, and was one of several signatories of the

Somaliland Declaration of Independence The Somaliland Declaration of Independence was made on 18 May 1991 by Somali sultans from the Isaaq, Dhulbahante, Issa (clan), Issa, Gadabursi, Warsangali clans, as well as the Somali National Movement. Nonetheless, Garad Abdiqani was never fully convinced of Somaliland's secessionist endeavour due to Dhulbahante self interest, and later retracted his support when he participated in the foundation of

Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...

in 1998. On 9 February 2006, Garad Abdiqani Garad Jama died. In this section, he will be written Garad Jama.

The Coronation

The coronation brought together, for the first time after the collapse of Somali Government in 1991, a large number of politically diverse politicians such as former Somali Prime Minister Ali Khalif Galaydh, the President and the Vice-President of

. It took place on May 22, 2006, in Geedo-Qarsay Valley, near Las Anod, where

Garad Garad ( Harari: ገራድ, , , Oromo: ''Garaada'') is a term used to refer to a king, Sultan or regional administrator. It was used primarily by Muslims in the Horn of Africa that were associated with Islamic states, most notably the Adal Sultanat ...

Jama's father (Garad Ali aka Ali Garad Jama), his uncle (Garad Abdiqani Garad Jama), and his grandfather (Garad Jama) were crowned. The Las-Anoders showed their well-known hospitality to the thousands of guests who attended "the once of a lifetime" ceremony. The audiences were entertained with well-trained horses that were decorated by damasks and embroidery, which manifested the traditional craftsmen and women's hard work based on the rich Somali cultural heritage. At 10 o'clock the milk was poured onto the Garad. Milk is a symbol of peace and eternal prosperity; this act is true to the equilibrium of the virtues of the traditional culture. Press outlets of varying degrees of conventionality have utilized the abbreviation SSCD (Sool, Sanaag, Cayn, Doollo) for Garad Jama.Since his coronation, the Garad is actively engaged in peace and reconciliation efforts in the northern Somali regions. He primarily participates and spearheads efforts to resolve conflicts in

Somaliland Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is an List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country in the Horn of Africa. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, E ...

state of Somalia and the

Somali Region The Somali Region (, , ), also known as Soomaali Galbeed () and officially the Somali Regional State, is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in eastern Ethiopia. It is the largest region of Ethiopia. The state borders the Ethiopian regions ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. The Garad also possess a huge political sway and plays an influential role in the social dynamics of the northern

Somalis The Somali people (, Wadaad's writing, Wadaad: , Arabic: ) are a Cushitic peoples, Cushitic ethnic group and nation native to the Somali Peninsula. who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic languages, East ...

Somaliland

In 2007, Garad Jama visited Las Anod. However, the Somaliland forces occupied Las Anod. For the next 15 years, Garad Jama did not visit Las Anod. While Garad Jama is supportive of Somali unity, his predecessor, Garad Abdiqani Garad Jama, who led the

delegation in the Grand Conference in Burao in 1991 was first to table the case for secession, and was one of several signatories of the

Somaliland Declaration of Independence The Somaliland Declaration of Independence was made on 18 May 1991 by Somali sultans from the Isaaq, Dhulbahante, Issa (clan), Issa, Gadabursi, Warsangali clans, as well as the Somali National Movement. Nonetheless, Garad Abdiqani Garad Jama was never fully convinced of Somaliland's secessionist endeavour, and later retracted his support when he participated in the foundation of

in 1998. In October 2009, Garad Jama met with the BBC after a meeting in Nairobi and demanded that the Somaliland army withdraw from Las Anod and Buuhoodle. However, Bashe Mohamed Farah, deputy speaker of the

parliament, refused. In November 2010, Garad Jama met with

Sharif Sheikh Ahmed Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (, ; born 25 July 1965) is a Somali politician who served as the 7th President of Somalia from 2009 to 2012. Before his presidency, he became the Chairman of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) from 2004 to 2007 and the A ...

, President of the

Transitional Federal Government of Somalia The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) (, , ) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Somalia from 14 October 2004 until 20 August 2012. It was established in Nairobi, Kenya, following the Transitional National Govern ...

, along with

Suleiman Haglotosiye Saleban Essa Ahmed "Haglotosiye" (), is a prominent Somali politician who was the leader of the SSC Movement and served as Somaliland's Minister of Health. Haglotosiye has had an elaborate career in Somali politics, in 2009 he run as presiden ...

as part of a delegation from the SSC, President of the

. Garad Jama joined Dhulbahante's

Khatumo State SSC-Khaatumo (), officially known as the SSC-Khaatumo State of Somalia (), is a federal member state in northern Somalia, with its capital in Las Anod. It includes parts of the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions (combined under the acronym "SSC") ...

as a traditional leader, which began operating around 2012. In August 2012, a meeting of the Khatumo State was held in

, where Garad Jama lives, and Ali Khalif Galaydh was elected as the new president. In November 2013, Garad Jama criticized the Puntland government for interfering with the Khatumo State and the Khatumo State Vice President for responding to a dialogue with the Puntland government with a

Buuhoodle Buuhoodle (, ), also known as Bohotle, serves as a significant border town for the movement of goods between Khatumo State, Khaatumo and the Somali Region of Ethiopia. The surrounding district is rich in livestock with growing agricultural activ ...

. Around April 2014, when the Khatumo State began to decline, he was living in

, not in the center of the Khatumo State, and had contact with Puntland. In January 2015, Garad Jama attended the coronation of Garaad Abdirisaaq Garaad Soofe, brother of

Garaad Abdulahi Garaad Soofe Garad Abdullah Garaf Soofe Durraan (Garaad Cabdillaahi G. Soofe Durran), '' Garad'', of the ''Ahmed Garad'', the second most senior chief of the Farah Garad branch of the Dhulbahante clan of the Somali people. He was one of the elders of the Dhulb ...

. In June 2017, Garad Jama criticized President Ali Khalif Galaydh's policy of integrating Khatumo State into Somaliland.

After the end of Khatumo

In June 2019, Garad Jama visited

Werder, Ethiopia Werder (; ) is a town in eastern Ethiopia. Located in the Werder Zone of the Somali Region, Werder has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 541 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Werder woreda. The Walwal ...

and met with

Mustafa Mohammed Omar Mustafa Muhumed Omar (; born 1972), also called Cagjar, is an somali politician who is the current president of the Somali Region and also the Deputy Chairman of the Somali Democratic Party, a member of Ethiopia’s newly formed Prosperity Party ...

. In March 2020, Garad Jama visited

Dharkayn Geenyo Dharkayn Geenyo (Dharkayngeenyo, Darkeyn Genyo) is a town in the southern Sool region of Somaliland. Overview It is located on the Khaatuma State-Ethiopia border. Dharkayn Geenyo is a historical town, it was an important border post during the Si ...

for the inauguration of

Garad Mukhtar Garad Ali Garad Mukhtar Garad Ali Burale () waa madaax"dhaqaamedka mid ka mid ahaa Ee SSCKHAATUMO Biography Mukhtar's father Ali founded and led a new community in Dharkayn Geenyo in July 1999. Mukhtar was born in Dharkayn Geenyo at the end of the 20th c ...

and stated that they do not belong to Somaliland or Puntland.

2023 Las Anod conflict

On January 23, 2023, Garad Jama visited Las Anod for the first time in 15 years, where he was welcomed. Garad Jama said that the Somaliland government was cause of the chaos in Las Anod and killing civilians who was protesting peacefully in the city of Las Anod will no longer be controlled by

Hargeisa Hargeisa ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Somaliland, a ''List of states with limited recognition, de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still considered internationally to be part of Somalia. It is also th ...

. On January 31, Garad Jama Garaad Ali accused the Somaliland troops of being the terrorists in response to Somaliland's president describing the forces disrupting Las Anod as terrorist. On February 6, 2023, the supreme of Dhulbahante, Garaad Jaamac Garaad Cali and other Dhulbahante clan elders declared their intent to form a state government named "SSC-Khatumo" within the Federal Government of Somalia. Somaliland troops attacked the city on the same day killing many people. On February 8, Garad Jama Garad Ali, accused the Somaliland government of genocide, called for peace and declared Las Anod's intent to be governed from Mogadishu under the Federal Government of Somalia. Within the same week of February, fighting and civilian bombardments had killed at least 82 people in total and displaced 90% of the residents. The region had produced 185,000 internally displaced people and 60,000 refugees in February. On March 2, the mayor of Las Anod reported that Somaliland forces were bombing public buildings from the surrounding countryside including government institutions and hospitals. The UN also reported a casualty count of over 200 deaths. On July 11, Somaliland troops were reported to have shelled a health facility in Las Anod, destroying 2 ambulances and causing dozens of casualties (including healthcare workers and patients). The World Health Organization published a press release condemning the attack on the facility and the shelling of hospitals. In response, the Somaliland Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the statement as "disturbing" and claimed that they were fighting clan militias and Al-Shabaab terrorists, to ensure "that those in need have access to these services and other humanitarian assistance". On 16 August, Somali traditional poet Abwan Jama Kadiye died in an incident that generated significant attention and concern. Reports suggest that he was a victim of indiscriminate mortar shelling in the vicinity of Goja Adde. While there have been claims attributing this incident to Somaliland, Somaliland has denied any involvement in these allegations. On August 25, the SSC administration overran two strongholds of the Somaliland National Army in Maraaga and Goja’adde, capturing numerous weapons and vehicles. A spokesperson for SSC-Khatumo stated that they achieved a significant victory on Friday by capturing all nearby Somaliland military outposts and seizing their war vehicles, weapons, and ammunition socks. During the battle, General Faisal Abdi Bootan was taken as a Prisoner of War and ssc-Khatumo military succeeded to drive away Somalilands army over 100km and secure the whole region. This significant victory brought peace to the Las anod and the cities of

SSC-Khatumo SSC-Khaatumo (), officially known as the SSC-Khaatumo State of Somalia (), is a federal member state in northern Somalia, with its capital in Las Anod. It includes parts of the Sool, Sanaag and Cayn regions (combined under the acronym "SSC") I ...

. In december, Garaad jaamac garaad Ali and Dhulbahante elders stated that that Khatumo state is not part of Puntland, belonging neither to Somaliland nor Puntland.

References

External links

Caleema-saarkii Garaadka
by the famous Somali writer Axmed F. Cali Idaajaa, one of the notable figures who attended the coronation ceremony.
Laascaanood

by Faysal ismaaciil {{DEFAULTSORT:Garad Jama Garad Ali Ethnic Somali people Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century Somalian people Somali sultans Dhulbahante