Family and clan
Bartire (Barre Jidwaaq, Darod)
The Bartire (Bartirre) are a Jidwaaq clan of the Absame and Darod, also called Barre Jidwaaq. They live mainly near Jigjiga, the lower Fafan and upper Jarar in Ethiopia's Somali Region, with groups near Bu'aale and in the Hagar area of Jubaland. Their 19th-century Garaad, Xirsi Faarax 'Wiil Waal', ruled from Jigjiga.
Name and family tree
The Bartire are a clan of the Jidwaaq, part of the Darod. Wikipedia also calls them Barre Jidwaaq (Wikipedia, Bartire, backup). Older English writing spells the name Berteri or Burtirrh.
| Source | Line it gives |
|---|---|
| Abbink 2009 | Darod > Kablalah > Kumade > Jid Waaq > Bartire. Abbink also lists a Bartire directly under Kumade (Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009) |
| ACLED 2025 | Codes Darod > Bartire, Darod > Bartire > Jidwaaq and Darod > Ogaden > Bartire (ACLED clan actor list, September 2025) |
| EASO 2021 | "The Bartire (Darood) clan" in Middle Juba (EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021) |
| Wikipedia (backup) | Part of the Jidwaaq of the Absame branch (Wikipedia, Bartire, backup) |
See the Darod tree.
Main branches
Wikipedia says the Habr Maqdi were a union of the Bartire and Yabarre. It quotes the French writer Amelia Checkroun: "the Bartirri which united the Habr Maqdi and the Gawätir" (Wikipedia, Bartire, backup).
Abbink places the Bartire beside the Abasgul, Yabareg, Bah Geri Kombe and Tagal Waaq under Jid Waaq (Abbink 2009, Darod chart). Wikipedia names the Bartire with the Abaskuul and Yabarre as the three Jidwaaq branches (Wikipedia, Jidwaq, backup).
Where they live
No census counts Somalis by clan. ACCORD notes that Somalis often claim more members than their groups have, "in order to demonstrate strength" (ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 11).
| Place | What the sources record |
|---|---|
| Ethiopia's Somali Region | Wikipedia places them near Jigjiga, stretching to the lower Fafan and upper Jarar (Wikipedia, Bartire, backup) |
| Middle Juba | "A pocket of the Bartire (Darood) clan also resides on the pastoral west bank of the river, in between the Aulihan and Mohamed Zubir, in the Hagar area" (EASO 2021) |
| Jubaland | Wikipedia places them in Bu'aale and in Xagar near Kismayo (Wikipedia, Bartire, backup) |
Wikipedia says their neighbours in Ethiopia are the Ogaden and the Habar Awal of the Isaaq (same source). See Somalis in Ethiopia, Middle Juba and Lower Juba.
History on record
- 1500s. Wikipedia says the Futuh al-Habasha names "Bar Tarri", part of the Habr Maqdi, among Imam Ahmad's forces. It says a Garaad Dhaweyd led the Bartire then (Wikipedia, Bartire, backup).
- 1840s. A British account said "the Emirs of Hurrur have for many years intermarried with the Burtirrhi". It said they planted coffee on hills south-east of Harar (Wikipedia, Jidwaq, backup).
- 1854 to 1855. Richard Burton wrote that the Berteri "are estimated at 3000 shields" and "own allegiance to the Gerad Hirsi" (Wikipedia, Bartire, backup).
- 1800s. Wikipedia says the Bartire controlled the caravan route between Harar and Berbera (same source).
- 25 August 2024. The EUAA lists the abduction of "eight civilians from Marehan and Bartire clans in Saakow (Middle Juba)" (EUAA Country Focus 2025).
Elders and customary law
Senior Somali clan leaders carry titles such as suldaan, ugaas or issim. Their role is "mainly judicial and representative" (UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014).
The Bartire leader is the Garaad. Wikipedia says "traditionally Jigjiga is the seat of the Bartire Garad". Garaad Xirsi Faarax Xirsi, called Wiil Waal, held the title in the 1800s (Wikipedia, Bartire, backup). See xeer, Somali customary law.
In recent conflict records
The EUAA's 2025 list of major clan conflicts does not name the Bartire (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1). See clan conflicts, district by district.
Where sources differ
- Place in the tree. Abbink and Wikipedia put the Bartire under the Jidwaaq. ACLED codes the Jidwaaq under the Bartire, and also a Bartire group under the Ogaden.
- Garaad Wiil Waal. Wikipedia reports differing accounts of him: some call him cruel, others "a godly (man) and a prayerful person".
Read more
Sources
- Wikipedia, Bartire, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009 · hdl.handle.net
- ACLED clan actor list, September 2025 · acleddata.com
- EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- Wikipedia, Jidwaq, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 11 · ecoi.net
- EUAA Country Focus 2025 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014 · ecoi.net
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Keep reading
- Somali clan tree: DarodEvery Darod clan, sub-clan and lineage in Abbink 2009 and ACLED 2025, level by level, as one part of the Somali clan tree.
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- Somali clan tree: every clan, sub-clan and lineageThe full Somali clan tree, family by family down to diya-paying groups, from Abbink 2009, ACLED 2025 and the World Bank, with a download.
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