The Musa Abokor (, full name:'' Mūsa ibn Abū Bakr ibn Jibrīl ibn Abū Bakr ibn Mūsa ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad'') is a Somali clan, and a 2 major sub-division of the muuse sh isxaaq clan of the

Isaaq The Isaaq (, , ''Banu Ishaq'') is a major Somali clans, Somali clan. It is one of the largest Somali clan families in the Horn of Africa, with a large and densely populated traditional territory. The Isaaq people claim in a traditional legend ...

clan-family. The Musa Abokor are one of the largest sub-divisions of the

Habr Je'lo The Habr Je'lo (), , Full Name: ''Mūsa ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad,'' historically known as the Habr Toljaala () is a major Northern Somali clan of the wider Isaaq family. Its members form the Habr Habusheed () confederation along with t ...

clan family. They inhabit the

Togdheer Togdheer (, ) is an administrative region (''Administrative divisions of Somaliland, gobol'') in central Somaliland. Togdheer is bordered by Maroodi Jeex to the west, Sahil, Somaliland, Saaxil to the north, Sanaag to the northeast, Sool, Somalia ...

, Sahil,

Sanaag Sanag (, ) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north eastern Somaliland.Regions of Somalia
Sa ...

and

Sool Sool (, ) is a disputed administrative region (gobol). It borders Togdheer to the west, Sanaag to the north, Ethiopia to the south and Nugal, Bari to the east. Its capital city is Las Anod. The region is disputed by the self-declared Republic o ...

regions of

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 ...

. They exclusively dominate the

Aynabo district Aynabo District (), colloquially known as Sarar (), is a district in the northern Sool region of Somaliland. Its capital lies at Aynabo. Other settlements in the district includes Wadaamagoo, War Idaad, Berkad Ali Hersi, Godheeli, Habarihes ...

in Sool and

El Afweyn district El Afweyn District () is a district in the Sanaag region of Somaliland. Its capital lies at El Afweyn. Population The population in 2005 was 65,797 according to the OCHA survey. See also *Administrative divisions of Somaliland *Regions of Som ...

in Sanaag, as well as reside the provincial capital of

Erigavo Erigavo (, ), also spelled as Erigabo, is the capital and largest city of the Sanaag region of Somaliland. Etymology The name ''Ceerigaabo'' is made up of two parts: ''Ceeri'' which describes a place water collects, and ''gaabo'' (''gaaban'') ...

.Also they are well resided the provincial capital of

Burao Burao, also spelt Bur'o or Bur'ao (; , , ), is the capital of the Togdheer region and the second largest city in Somaliland. Burao was the site of the Somaliland Declaration of Independence, declaration of an independent Somaliland on 18 May 19 ...

togdheer Togdheer (, ) is an administrative region (''Administrative divisions of Somaliland, gobol'') in central Somaliland. Togdheer is bordered by Maroodi Jeex to the west, Sahil, Somaliland, Saaxil to the north, Sanaag to the northeast, Sool, Somalia ...

They are also present in

Isiolo Isiolo is a town in Isiolo County, of which it is the capital. It is located in the upper eastern region of Kenya and is geographically considered the center of the country Kenya. It lies 285 kilometers north of the capital Nairobi. The town gr ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, where they form part of the Isahakia community. Major sub-divisions of the clan include the Bi'iide, Reer Yoonis, Uduruhmiin, Bahmajeelo, Buraale Yoonis, Mahamed Bare and Ali Barre.

Overview

Members of the subclan are descendants of Musa Abokor, the great-great-great-grandson of Sheikh Ishaaq bin Ahmed. The full name of the subclan is ''Mūsa ibn Abū Bakr ibn Jibrīl ibn Abū Bakr ibn Mūsa ibn ash-Shaykh Ishaaq ibn Aḥmad''. Historically, the Musa Abokor along with the Omar obtained much of their wealth via their frankincense plantations in the mountainous interior adjacent to the coastline, whereas the

Mohamed Abokor The Mohamed Abokor (, full name: ''Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Jibrīl ibn Abī Bakr ibn Mūsa ibn Ishaaq bin Ahmed, ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad'') is a Somali clan, and a major sub-division of the Habr Je'lo of the Isaaq.'' The Mohamed Aboko ...

were chiefly nomadic pastoralists. Duale Abdi

History

Lineage

Sheikh Ishaaq ibn Ahmed was one of the Dir scholars that crossed the sea from Arabia to the Horn of Africa to spread Islam around 12th to 13th century. Hence the Sheikh belonged to the Dir or Sada.Shiekh Isxaaq married two local women in Somaliland that left him eight sons, one of them being Abdulrahman (Awal). The descendants of those eight sons constitute the Isaaq clan-family.

19th century

The Habr Je’lo coastal settlements and ports, stretching from

Siyara Siyara () was a historic coastal settlement and fort located in the Sahil region of Somaliland. It served as the first capital of the Adal Sultanate following the Muslim resurgence spearheaded by Sabr ad-Din II.Pankhurst, Richard. ''The Ethiopia ...

in the west to Heis (Xiis) in the east, were important to trade and communication with the Somali interior. While the settlements were not as significant as the more established ports of

Berbera Berbera (; , ) is the capital of the Sahil, Somaliland, Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country, located approximately 160 km from the national capital, Hargeisa. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of t ...

Zeila Zeila (, ), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila with the Biblical location of Havilah. Most modern schola ...

and

Bulhar Bulhar (Bulahar, ) is a historic port town in the Sahil region of Somaliland with routes dating back to antiquity. The port was rejuvenated in the 19th century and was a rival to nearby Berbera. History Antiquity Bulhar is situated near Berber ...

(respectively), the principle Habr Je’lo port of Kurrum (

Karin Karin may refer to: *Karin (given name), a feminine name Fiction * ''Karin'' (manga) or ''Chibi Vampire'', a Japanese media franchise * Karin Hanazono, title character of the manga and anime ''Kamichama Karin'' *Karin Kokubu, a main character in ...

) was a major market for livestock and frankincense procured from the interior, and was a favorite for livestock traders due to the close proximity of the port to

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

. Habr Je’lo traders acted as middlemen to

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 ...

livestock herders in the interior by purchasing and/or bartering their stock for export to the Aden market:

Soocane faction

During the early to mid 19th century the Musa Abokor, along with other sub-divisions of the Habr Je'lo, were part of a military faction known as Soocane. The faction was led by

Kite Fiqi Ibrahim Fiqi Yusuf (), more commonly known as Kite Fiqi, was a Somali military leader and poet. As a military leader, he led the Soocane faction during the early to mid 19th century, consisting of forces from various sub-divisions of the reer yooni ...

, a military leader and poet belonging to the Reer Yoonis sub-division of the Musa Abokor.

Participation in the Dervish movement

The Habr Je’lo were one of the first clans in the Somaliland Protectorate to revolt against the Colonial government between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among their prominent anti-colonial ideologues during the Dervish period were

Deria Arale Deria Arale () was a senior ''Khusuusi'' member of the Somali Dervish movement led by Mohamed Abdullah Hassan. Overview He along with Abdallah Shihiri led the 1904 Dervish delegation that facilitated the Ilig or Pestollaza agreement between t ...

, Deria Gure,

Abdallah Shihiri Abdallah Mohamed Shihiri (, ; 1868–1931) was a senior Khusuusi member of the Somali Dervish movement and was part of the movement since its inception. He was long time companion and a childhood friend of Mohamed Abdullah Hassan and notable ...

Ibrahim Boghol Ibrahim Hassan Boghol (; 1877 – February 1920) was a Somali military leader. He was a member of the Dervish council, called the ''Khusuusi'', and was also the commander of the northern Dervish army. He was among the most wanted Dervish leaders ...

and

Haji Sudi Suudi Shabeele Omar, more commonly known as Haji Sudi (; 1858–1920) was one of the leaders behind the Somali Dervish movement. He was also the movement's right-hand man and chief lieutenant till its demise in 1920. He is described as the Mull ...

, the latter is credited for importing Dervish customs into the Somali peninsula as well as being one of the original founders of the Somali Dervish Movement. Moreover, the Habr Je'lo played an influential role after the demise of the Dervish Movement in 1920, with Sheikh Bashir Yussuf and Farah Omar being important anti-colonial notables. According to the British War Office, the Musa Abokor provided significant armaments to the Dervish forces in the interior.The Musa Abokor also made up a significant part of the Dervish forces, with a force of 2,000 Sa'ad Yunis and Uduruhmin Dervishes led by

laying siege to

Las Khorey Las Qoray (, ) is a historic coastal town in the Sanaag region of Somalia. BBC reported in 2021, "The Navy or Somalia Coast Guard is one of the military departments of Somalia, operating on the coast of Somaliland in Las Qoray, Zeila and Berbera ...

, the capital of the

Warsangeli The Warsangali (, ), alternatively the Mohamoud Harti, are a major Somalis#Clans, Somali sub clan, part of the larger Harti branch, which belongs to the Darod clan, one of the largest Somali tribe families. In the Somali language, the name Warsan ...

, in retaliation for the Warsangeli raiding the Dervish fort in

Jidali Jidali () is a town in the Sanaag region of Somaliland. Overview Jidali is located north east of the provincial capital Erigavo. The grave of Zubeyr Awal, the eponymous ancestor of the Habr Awal, is also located in the town. The town is approx ...

. Ibrahim's forces captured the eastern portion of the town, killing many Warsangeli fighters. The force managed to surround the settlement and capture the only source of water, causing many to die of thirst. While Las Khorey was being besieged, the Warsangeli were able to secretly send a dhow to Aden to request help from the British Navy, and on 10 May Lancelot Turton commanding HMS Northbrook arrived at Las Khorey and commenced to shell Ibrahim and his forces with Lyddite explosives, forcing them to retreat to the mountains and thus ending the deadly siege.

Clan tree

Below is a breakdown of the different sub-divisions of the Muse Abokor subclan: * Sheikh Ishaaq Bin Ahmed (Sheikh Ishaaq) **''Muse bin Ishaaq'' ***Jibril Abokor ****Abokor Jibril ****Omar Jibril ***Muse Abokor ****Abdirahim Muse ****Idris Muse ****Abdirahaman Muse *****Osman Abdirahman (Bah Majeelo) *****Abdille Abdirahman (Bah Majeelo) *****Isaaq Abdirahman (Bah Majeelo) *****Yonis Abdirahman (Rer Yonis) ******Mohamed Yonis ******Osman Yonis *****Barre Abdirahman ******Ali Barre ******Mohamed Barre ******Yonis Barre *******Burale Yonis *******Biciide Yonis ********Iidle Biciide (Reer Iidle) ********Wadhowr Biciide ********Samatar Biciide ********Faarax Biciide *********Baaho Faarax *********Axmed Faarax **********Xasan Axmed **********Xuseen Axmed **********Cabdalla Axmed **********Cali Axmed ***********Yabaal Cali ***********Samatar Cali ***********Kumin Cali ***********Muuse Cali ***********Bahsanbuur

References

{{reflist Somali clans Somali clans in Ethiopia