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With the arrival of the UNITAF, supporters of Omar Jess, fearful that they might lose Kismayo, were involved in the assassination of over 100 Harti people in the town between 8 and 10 December 1992.
Goljano Lion wrote:guhad122 wrote:Advo,
Ina-Adeer all I know is that if it weren't the UN Belgium forces; Kismaayo would have been one of the most stable cities in the nation because its rightous owners would have managed it.
so who are the righteous owners of kismayo?
Historical Conflicts
Central to the conflict in lower Juba is a question of territorial ownership and control over resources. The main players are the Hawiye, Ogaden, Harti and Marehan. They all make historical claims to the control of Kismayo and its hinterland. The dispute, as it has developed, is largely between the Darod (see diagram 8), in particular between the Ogaden, Marehan and the Harti, rather than between the Darod and Hawiye.20
Kismayo was originally settled by the Banjuni people and only developed as an urban centre in the 1880s, when the Sultan of Zanzibar held suzerainty over Kismayo.
In 1865 the Ogaden crossed from the east to the west side of the Juba river, pushing out the Oromo, who had been weakened by a smallpox epidemic, and gained control of pastoral lands between the Juba and the Tana rivers. According to the Ogaden, the first inhabitants of Kismayo were Ogaden Muqaabul, who are now concentrated in Badade district south of Kismayo.
The first evidence of Harti settlement in Kismayo dates from the 1880s, when Harti traders from north-east Somalia established a foothold in the town. The main Harti group to settle in the town were Majeerteen traders from Ras Hafuun, who were known as 'Hafuuni'. Conflicts between the Osman Mahmoud and the Ali Suleiban Majeerteen, in north-east Somalia, led many of the Ali Suleiban to migrate to Kismayo (see diagram 8). Further migrations by the Issa Mahmoud and the Dolbahunte took place during the wars of the Sayid Abdulla Hassan (the 'Mad Mullah'), in the first two decades of this century.
Under the British administration the Harti became a strong mercantile class in Kismayo. They were also the first Somali employees of the British administration, thereby establishing themselves as an educated urban professional class. They maintained this position under the Italians, when Kismayo was ceded to them in 1926. The Harti therefore claim long-term settlement and trading rights in Kismayo, and cite as evidence the 1968 elections, when the four MPs from Kismayo were all Harti.
Hawiye interests in Kismayo are based on the presence of Galgaal in the area. They were displaced into the area earlier this century, having been driven southwards by the Rahanweyne. Other Hawiye clans, such as the Xawadle and Sheikal, are more recent residents in the region. Frequent land disputes between the Majeerteen and the Ogadenis took place in the early part of this century. In one famous battle some 80 Harti were killed. The Ogadenis refer to the area of the battle as 'lafara ha tiga' ('the bones of Harti'), while the Harti refer to it as 'lafara ha rage' ('the bones of men'). Jubaland was also the scene of frequent fights between the Awlihan/Ogaden and the Marehan in the first two decades of this century.
At the time when Kismayo was ceded to Italy, the British are said to have enforced an agreement between the Harti and Ogadenis. According to the Ogaden, the agreement found in favour of the Ogadenis, giving their Sultan Ahmed Magan overall authority in Jubaland. This has now passed to his grandson Sultan Abdi Ali 'Songkor'. According to the Harti, the agreements stipulated that the Ogaden (mainly Mohamed Zubeir) should stay north of what is now the Liboi-Kismayo road, while the area south of this remained under the control of the Harti. By this agreement the Mohamed Zubeir Ogaden were also given access to the port.21
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