Family and clan
Digil (Rahanweyn, Digil-Mirifle)
The Digil are one of the two halves of the Rahanweyn (Digil-Mirifle) family, with the Mirifle. They are mostly settled farmers in southern Bay and Lower Shabelle, between the Juba and Shabelle rivers. Their clans include the Geledi, Tunni, Garre, Jiiddu, Begedi, Dabarre and Shanta Caleemo.
Name and family tree
The Digil are one of the two halves of the Rahanweyn, with the Mirifle. The UK Home Office says the Digil and Mirifle "trace back their ancestry to Saab" (UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014).
| Source | Line it gives |
|---|---|
| Abbink 2009 | DIGIL, as its own top heading beside Rahanwen (Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009) |
| World Bank 2005 | The south-central chart puts the Digil under the Rahanweyn. The Puntland chart lists Rahanweyn and Digil as two families (World Bank, Conflict in Somalia, 2005, Appendix 2) |
| ACCORD 2009 | A Saab chart with "Rahanwein/Mirifle" and "Digil" as two branches (ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 28) |
| ACLED 2025 | Rahanweyn > Digil, with about 15 coded sub-groups (ACLED clan actor list, September 2025) |
The Digil speak Maay, like the Mirifle (UK Home Office 2019). See the Rahanweyn tree.
Main branches
Abbink lists these groups under the Digil (Abbink 2009, Digil chart):
| Line | Groups named under it |
|---|---|
| Dabarre | Dirmedo and Ieran |
| Jiddu | Hafow (Gadinale, Gowsitta, Gulle, Seyye), Farre and Gogo (nine lines) |
| Other lines | Dubdere, Irole, Garre, Dagine, Osman and Dube |
Abbink gives the Tunni a separate heading, with five lines.
The World Bank's south-central chart names the Digil as "Geledi, Tunni, Garre, Jiiddo, Begedi, Shanta-Alen" (World Bank 2005). ACLED codes these Digil groups: Bagadi, Dabarre, Duubane-Darbane, Garre, Garre Maqabul, Garwale, Geledle, Heledo, Jambaluul, Jiido, Jiido Safar, Jilible, Shanta Caleemo and Tuni (ACLED 2025).
See Garre, Jiiddu, Dabarre and Begedi.
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 |
|---|---|
| Bay | "Digil predominate in the southern portion, toward the Lower Shabelle region" (EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021) |
| Lower Shabelle | Long-settled groups "include many sub-clans of the Digil-Mirifle clan-family, the largest of which include the Tunni, Tunni-Tore, Eelay, Garre, Bagadi, Geledi, and Jiddu" (EASO 2021) |
| Lower Shabelle | An EASO source estimated the region as "Digil 55-60 %, Hawiye 30%, Biyomaal 10%" (EASO 2021) |
| Marka district | The EUAA says the district "is home to Biyamal, Digil (Rahanweyne), 12 Koofi (Benadiri), and Madow (Bantu)" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1) |
See Bay, Lower Shabelle and South West State.
History on record
- 1700s to 1900s. The Geledi, a Digil clan, ruled a sultanate at Afgooye. See the Geledi Sultanate and the sultans of Geledi.
- 1940s to 1950s. The EASO says a shared marginalisation in this period keeps the Digil and Mirifle "firmly together" (EASO 2021).
- 1991 onward. ACCORD says Digil groups, "despite not being a minority, were suppressed by the Hawiye" in the war (ACCORD 2009, p. 20).
- Before 2009. ACCORD says Al-Shabaab moved into Lower Shabelle "on the basis of supporting the Digil and the Biymaal" (ACCORD 2009, p. 20).
- 2021. The EASO says the Digil feel "under that alliance" with the Mirifle. They claim they are "not getting their fair share" (EASO 2021).
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 2019, quoting EASO 2014).
ACCORD says Digil-Mirifle clans are made of four to seven jilib that pay compensation together. Their elders are "more hierarchical and tightly related to the villages" (ACCORD 2009, p. 13). See xeer, Somali customary law.
In recent conflict records
The EUAA lists these disputes that name Digil clans (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1):
- Gelidle (Mirifle) against Dabarre (Digil) in Diinsoor district, Bay.
- Gaaljecel (Hawiye) against Shantalemod (Digil) and other Mirifle clans in Wanlaweyn district.
- Geledi (Digil) and Wacdaan (Hawiye) against Habar Gidir (Hawiye) in Afgooye district.
- Garre (Digil) against Jiido (Digil) in Qoryooley district, Lower Shabelle.
The EASO describes "an on-going rivalry between Hawiye and non-Hawiye clans" in Lower Shabelle, "both the Biyomaal and Digil", over farmland (EASO 2021). See clan conflicts, district by district.
Where sources differ
- One family or two. The World Bank's south-central chart and ACLED place the Digil inside the Rahanweyn. The Puntland chart and Abbink list them apart.
- Garre. ACCORD says the Garre are often counted as Digil, "but are sometimes also described as being distinct" (ACCORD 2009, p. 20).
- Geledi. The World Bank and ACLED place the Geledi in the Digil. Abbink lists them among the Mirifle Sagaal.
Read more
Sources
- UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014 · ecoi.net
- Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009 · hdl.handle.net
- World Bank, Conflict in Somalia, 2005, Appendix 2 · openknowledge.worldbank.org
- ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 28 · ecoi.net
- ACLED clan actor list, September 2025 · acleddata.com
- EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
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