Family and clan
Isse Mahamoud (Ciise Maxamuud, Majeerteen)
The Isse Mahamoud (Ciise Maxamuud) are a Majeerteen line of the Harti and Darod, one of the three Mahamoud Saleebaan lines. Garowe is their clan homeland, and they are the main clan of Nugaal region. Wikipedia lists three main branches: Muuse Ciise, Maxamed Ciise and Abokor Ciise.
Name and family tree
The Isse Mahamoud are a line of the Majeerteen, part of the Harti and Darod. The name is also written Issa Mahmud, Ise Mahamoud and, in Somali, Ciise Maxamuud.
| Source | Line it gives |
|---|---|
| Abbink 2009 | Darod > Kombe-Harti > Majerteen > Mahmood > Isa Mahmoud (Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009) |
| ACLED 2025 | Darod > Majeerteen > Issa Mahmud, with about 15 coded sub-groups (ACLED clan actor list, September 2025) |
| EUAA 2025 | One of "three sub-clans of the Majeerteen/Mohamoud Saleban" (EUAA 2025, Nugal) |
| Wikipedia (backup) | A sub-clan of the Majeerteen, with a line traced through Saleebaan, Nolays and Harti back to Darod (Wikipedia, Isse Mohamoud, backup) |
See the Darod tree.
Main branches
Wikipedia names three sons of Ciise, each heading a jifo line: Muuse Ciise, Maxamed Ciise and Abokor Ciise (Wikipedia, Isse Mohamoud, backup).
ACLED codes these Issa Mahmud sub-groups (ACLED 2025):
| Group | Notes |
|---|---|
| Ahmed Kheyre, Ali Ibrahim, Cabdi Cise, Hasan Idris | Coded under Issa Mahmud |
| Hassan Ugaar and Mohamed Ugaar | Coded under Issa Mahmud |
| Muse Issa, Nuh Muse and Reer Muse | Coded under Issa Mahmud |
| Reer Samakaab, Reer Shirwac, Reer Yoonis and Reer Hassan | Coded under Issa Mahmud |
| Issa Mahmud Xiddo | Coded as a separate Majeerteen group |
Abbink places Isa Mahmoud beside Osman Mahmoud and Omar Mahmoud under the Mahmood line (Abbink 2009). See Osman Mahamoud.
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 |
|---|---|
| Garowe | "Garowe is the clan-homeland (degan in Somali) of Darood/Harti/Majeerteen/Ise Mahamoud. Most buildings and land are owned by Majeerteen/Ise Mahamoud" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, Garowe) |
| Nugaal | The EASO calls Nugaal "almost completely dominated by the Issa Mahmud" (EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021) |
| Nugaal | The EUAA says the Isse Mohamud "live mostly in Nugal region" (EUAA 2025, Nugal) |
Garowe's population is mixed. The EUAA lists other Majeerteen lines, Dhulbahante, Warsangeli and Deshishe living there (EUAA Country Focus 2025, Garowe). See Nugaal and Puntland.
History on record
- 1944 to 1950. Wikipedia says John Hunt's A general survey of the Somaliland Protectorate gives a tree of the clan (Wikipedia, Isse Mohamoud, backup).
- 1998. Garowe became the capital of Puntland. See Puntland and presidents of Puntland.
- 2021. The EASO said there were "no major clan conflicts on-going" in Nugaal. It noted small frictions near Garowe between Dhulbahante and Issa Mahmud camel herders (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, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014).
Wikipedia names two Isse Mahamoud Issim lines. One is Islaan Ciise Islaan Maxamed, for the Muuse Ciise. The other is Suldaan Saciid Maxamed Garaase, for the Abokor Ciise (Wikipedia, Isse Mohamoud, backup). The EUAA calls elders "an important institution for effective conflict resolution in Garowe" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, Garowe). See xeer, Somali customary law.
In recent conflict records
The EUAA lists "Issa Mohamud (Majerteen/Darood) versus Dulbahante" in Burtinle district, Nugaal. It says "the two clans have intermittently clashed in the past few years in the Kalabayr area" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1). See Dhulbahante and clan conflicts, district by district.
Where sources differ
- Name of the parent line. Abbink calls it Mahmood. The EUAA and Wikipedia call it Mohamoud Saleebaan.
- Branches. Wikipedia lists three jifo. ACLED codes about fifteen groups, and does not use the jifo names for all of them.
Read more
Sources
- Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009 · hdl.handle.net
- ACLED clan actor list, September 2025 · acleddata.com
- EUAA 2025, Nugal · euaa.europa.eu
- Wikipedia, Isse Mohamoud, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 11 · ecoi.net
- EUAA Country Focus 2025, Garowe · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014 · ecoi.net
Toosoo!
Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.
Can you help with Isse Mahamoud (Ciise Maxamuud, Majeerteen)? Tell us what you can give.
I want to help with this
Where this matters
- Boosaaso (Bosaso) and BariBari is Puntland's north-east region, with the port city of Bosaso (Boosaaso) as its capital and about 1.28 million people.
- Gaalkacyo (Galkayo) and MudugMudug is a region of central Somalia with about 1.5 million people, split between Puntland in the north and Galmudug in the south.
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
- 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.
- Somali clan tree: DirEvery Dir clan, sub-clan and lineage in Abbink 2009 and ACLED 2025, level by level, as one part of the Somali clan tree.
- 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.
- Somali clan tree: groups outside the clan familiesGroups Abbink places outside the Somali clan families, and the Somali Bantu groups in ACLED 2025: part of the Somali clan tree.
- Somali clan tree: HawiyeEvery Hawiye clan, sub-clan and lineage in Abbink 2009 and ACLED 2025, level by level, as one part of the Somali clan tree.
- Somali clan tree: IsaaqEvery Isaaq clan, sub-clan and lineage in Abbink 2009 and ACLED 2025, level by level, as one part of the Somali clan tree.