Toward independence, 1920 to 1960
Jews in Somalia and Somaliland: what the records say
Small numbers of Jewish traders, mostly from Yemen, lived in Somali coastal towns in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In August 1949 the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported, from World Jewish Congress information, that no Jews remained in Italian or British Somaliland and that almost all of French Somaliland's community had gone to Israel. Some writers have linked the Yibir, a Somali minority group, to Jewish origins, but the main academic study of the Yibir calls Jewish descent improbable. The US State Department lists the number of Jews in Somalia today as unknown.
In short
"Information received by the organization department of the World Jewish Congress" showed that "there are no Jews left in Italian and British Somaliland", the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported on 15 August 1949. Almost all of the Jews of French Somaliland (Djibouti) had gone to Israel, and three remained in Djibouti to settle the community's affairs (JTA, "Only Three Jews Remain in Somaliland", 15 August 1949).
For other faiths in Somalia, see religion in Somalia in numbers and Christians and missions.
Traders on the coast
Yemenite Jewish traders are reported in Somali coastal towns from the 1880s. Wikipedia's article names Berbera, Zeila and Brava, but its figures are marked as needing citations (Wikipedia, "History of the Jews in Somalia"). See British Somaliland and Somali seamen and early migrants.
1949: leaving for Israel
The 1949 JTA report said the remaining Jews of the region had left for Israel. One of the three still in Djibouti wrote to the World Jewish Congress asking for money to pay taxes, duties and debts so that they could join their families there (JTA, 1949).
The Yibir question
The Yibir (also Yibro) are a small Somali minority group, traditionally known as healers and counted among the Gabooye groups (EUAA, Country Focus: Somalia, 2025). See minority communities.
- A claimed Jewish origin. Some accounts link the Yibir to Jewish roots; Wikipedia reports the claim but marks it as unsourced.
- The main study. Christian Bader's study Les Yibro: Mages somali. Les juifs oubliés de la corne de l'Afrique (Paris, 2000) concluded that the Yibir are "improbables descendants de Juifs", improbable descendants of Jews (as cited by Wikipedia).
- Their own account. In 2000 a Yibir leader, Ahmed Jama Hersi, told the New York Times of an oral history of arriving as Arabic-speaking teachers more than 1,000 years ago, without claiming Jewish descent (Ian Fisher, "Djibouti Journal; Somalia's 'Hebrews' See a Better Day", New York Times, 15 August 2000).
Today
The US State Department's religious freedom report for 2023 gives "unknown numbers of Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and people with no religion" in Somalia (US State Department, International Religious Freedom Report 2023).
Israel recognised the State of Somaliland during its five days of independence in June 1960, and recognised Somaliland again on 26 December 2025. See the State of Somaliland, 1960 and Somalia and Somaliland, 1991 to 2026.
Who suffered?
- The Yibir, who as a minority group have faced discrimination; see minority communities.
Sources differ
- The Yibir's origin. Some writers claim a Jewish origin; Bader's study calls it improbable, and a Yibir leader gave a different oral history in 2000.
- How many Jews lived in the Somali lands. No census figure is linked here. Wikipedia's estimates of 100–200 traders in the early 1900s are unsourced.
Read the primary sources yourself
Sources
- JTA, "Only Three Jews Remain in Somaliland", 15 August 1949 · jta.org
- Wikipedia, "History of the Jews in Somalia" · en.wikipedia.org
- EUAA, Country Focus: Somalia, 2025 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- Ian Fisher, "Djibouti Journal; Somalia's 'Hebrews' See a Better Day", New York Times, 15 August 2000 · nytimes.com
- US State Department, International Religious Freedom Report 2023 · ecoi.net
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Where it happened
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Boorama (Borama) and AwdalAwdal is the far north-west region, on the borders with Djibouti and Ethiopia, with Borama (Boorama) as its capital and about 300,000 to 636,000 people.
- Hargeysa (Hargeisa) and Woqooyi GalbeedWoqooyi Galbeed is the north-western region that holds Hargeisa (Hargeysa) and the port of Berbera, with about 1 to 1.45 million people.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- British Somaliland, 1884–1960: the protectorate before independenceBritish Somaliland from the 1884 treaties to independence on 26 June 1960: why Britain came, how it ruled, the parties, the 1960 election and the union.
- The British Military Administration of Somalia, 1941 to 1950British military rule in former Italian Somaliland, 1941–1950: the Somalia Gendarmerie and police academy, the rise of the Somali Youth League, the Four Power Commission, the 1948 riots, the Ogaden handover and the end of British rule.
- The Somali Youth League (SYL), 1943–1969The Somali Youth League, 1943–1969: who founded it, its oath and aims, 1948 and the Four Power Commission, the road to 1960, and its end in 1969.
- The UN trusteeship, 1950–1960: ten years to independenceThe UN trusteeship of 1950–1960 from the agreement itself: sovereignty in the people, a fixed date, the SYL at the UN, the 1956 assembly and independence.
- The Haud and the Reserved Area, 1954–1955: the grazing lands handed to EthiopiaThe Haud handover of 1954–1955 in Parliament's own words: the 1897 treaty, the 1954 agreement, the Somali delegation, the UN, and what it led to.