Family and clan
Hariin (Harin, Mirifle, Rahanweyn)
The Hariin (Harin) are a Mirifle clan of the Rahanweyn, in the Sideed (eight) group. They are the majority in Baidoa's Adada and Mursal neighbourhoods. The EASO calls the Hariin the power base of South West State president Abdiaziz Laftagareen, and says power within the Mirifle shifted toward them after 2018.
Name and family tree
The Hariin are a clan of the Mirifle, part of the Rahanweyn. The name is also written Harin and Harien.
| Source | Line it gives |
|---|---|
| Abbink 2009 | Rahanwen > Mirifle Siyeed > Medovo > Boqol Dambe > Harien (Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009) |
| EASO 2021 | "The Hariin (Mirifle/Sideed)" (EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021) |
| ACLED 2025 | Rahanweyn > Mirifle > Harin, with a Harin Aw-Yare group (ACLED clan actor list, September 2025) |
| Somali Wikipedia (backup) | A Mirifle clan of the eight (Sideed) (Wikipedia Soomaali, Hariin, backup) |
See the Rahanweyn tree.
Main branches
Abbink lists Harien as the only line under Boqol Dambe, one of the three Boqol lines of the Medovo (Abbink 2009, Rahanwen chart). The others are Boqol Hore and Boqol Daabe.
Somali Wikipedia says the Hariin divide into two lines, Hoon and Waraasile (Wikipedia Soomaali, Hariin, backup). Abbink lists a Warasilay line under Gedafade, in the Helai (Eelay) group (Abbink 2009).
ACLED codes a Harin Aw-Yare group under the Mirifle (ACLED 2025).
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 |
|---|---|
| Baidoa | "The Hariin (Mirifle/Sideed) are the majority in Adada and Mursal neighbourhoods" (EASO 2021) |
| Bay | The EASO says Mirifle clans "tend to populate the northern half of the region" (EASO 2021) |
The EASO adds that returnees from Kenya are "changing the sub-clan demographics" of Baidoa (EASO 2021). See Bay and South West State.
History on record
- 2018 to 2021. The EASO says a federal intervention in Baidoa installed "Lafta Gareen" as South West State president. It says this "shifted the power balance within the Mirifle group in favour of the Harin clan" (EASO 2021). It calls the Hariin "'Lafta Gareen' power base".
- 2018. Abdiaziz Laftagareen became president of South West State. See South West State.
- Before 2018. The EASO says the Laysaan were the dominant Mirifle clan (EASO 2021). See Leysan.
Somali Wikipedia lists Hariin elders, traders and members of parliament, including Laftagareen (Wikipedia Soomaali, Hariin, backup).
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).
Somali Wikipedia names Cabdiwali Macalin Cali as the Hariin Ugaas (Wikipedia Soomaali, Hariin, backup). In Bay, posts are shared "between the Sagaal and Sideed" (EASO 2021). See xeer, Somali customary law.
In recent conflict records
The EUAA's 2025 list of major clan conflicts does not name the Hariin (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1). It does list the Leysan against South West State forces in Bardaale, "due to their ambitions to lead the SWS" (same source). See clan conflicts, district by district.
Where sources differ
- Branches. Somali Wikipedia names Hoon and Waraasile as Hariin lines. Abbink places Warasilay under Eelay, not Hariin.
- Spelling. The EASO uses both Hariin and Harin. Abbink writes Harien.
Read more
Sources
- Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009 · hdl.handle.net
- EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- ACLED clan actor list, September 2025 · acleddata.com
- Wikipedia Soomaali, Hariin, backup · so.wikipedia.org
- ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 11 · ecoi.net
- UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014 · ecoi.net
- EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
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Where this matters
Same era
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- 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.
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