Friday, February 3, 2012

Surre in Bari, Mudug and South Somalia

Surre in Bari, Mudug and South Somalia


In the Bari and Mudug regions of Somalia and all the way to Hiiraan region is another cluster of Dir clans known as the Surre Qubeys or Abdallahs. The Suure have been associated with spreading the Islamic faith in Somalia and the Qadiriya Sufi tariiqa in southern Somalia. They left the Lafaruug area of Awdal where their founder was killed during the clashes with the Ethiopians and they were the defeated. That last defeat forced the Biyomaal to flee to the Lower Shabeele region while the Qubeys and Abdalle's fled to Mudug and Bari. The Suure are among the most influential Dir groups in Southern Somalia, and their territories include large areas of the Mudug and Galguduud regions. Also the Suure have founded major trade cities in the Hiiran area including Alaabay and Kamhanley.



The majority of western scholars (both Italian and British) simply referred to the Surre as the "Dir of central Somalia" without differentiating them, but recent studies in Somalia reveal that the majority of the Dir in Hiiran, Gedo, Jubba and Bakool are divided into two branches, the Qubeyes and Abdalles, both descendants of Surre.



Surre

Surre sub-clan is local to mostly Puntland state districts such as Mudug (Galkaiyo, Jariiban, and Hobyo) in particular Towfiiq, Ceeldhanaan and Cowle of the Golol Valley which is dominated by the Reer Agoon and Dabac segments; Nugal (Eyl); Bari (Qardo, Bosaso, Qandala, Alulo); and Sanaag (Laasqoray), the Laasqoray Surre clan called locally Reer Cabaas or Urdudub and live side by side with Warsangeli. In Galgudug, the Surre sub-clan of Cabdale occupies territory extending 180 km from approx 20 km of Abuqwaq to Balanbale parallel to the Ethio-Somalia boundary. The centre of the Surre in Galgadud in the district of Xeraale which is located between Dhusamared and Abudwaq (The heartland of the Dariqa sects Ahlu-Sunna Wal Jameeca).



Southward, the Surre is also an integral part of the Hiiran region communities. The base of the Surre is the commercial and farmland villages of Kabhanley and Defow. Perhaps the most important region for the Surre remains Luq district of Gedo. The border town of Boholgaras to the limits of the river Jubba banks of Luq is dominated by Surre dir sub-clans of mainly Fuqu-Muhumed sub sub-clan. In the Jubba regions, Jamame is an important homeland of the Surre accompying their Bimal brethren whom are vastly dominant in that area. The farmland town of Bender-Jadid is solely domiciled by the Surre. The Surre are allocated 5 MPs among the Transitional Federal Parliament namely: Mahad Abdalla Awad, Jeylani Ali Kediye, Nasra Abdisalam Alim, Sh. Mohamed Sh. Yusuf Direed, and Qamar Adan Ali.

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