Family and clan
Jiiddu (Jiddu, Jiido, Digil)
The Jiiddu (Jiddu, Jiido) are a Digil clan of the Rahanweyn with their own language, Af-Jiiddu. They live in Lower Shabelle, Bay and Middle Juba, around Qoryooley. Abbink lists three Jiiddu lines: Hafow, Farre and Gogo. The EUAA records a Garre and Jiiddu dispute in Qoryooley that turned deadly in 2024.
Name and family tree
The Jiiddu are a clan of the Digil, part of the Rahanweyn. The name is also written Jiddu and Jiido.
| Source | Line it gives |
|---|---|
| Abbink 2009 | Digil > Jiddu (Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009) |
| World Bank 2005 | Under the Digil, as "Jiiddo" (World Bank, Conflict in Somalia, 2005, Appendix 2) |
| EUAA 2025 | "Jiido (Digil/Rahanweyne)" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1) |
| ACLED 2025 | Rahanweyn > Digil > Jiido, and Jiido Safar (ACLED clan actor list, September 2025) |
See the Rahanweyn tree.
Main branches
Abbink lists three Jiddu lines (Abbink 2009, Digil chart):
| Line | Groups named under it |
|---|---|
| Hafow | Gadinale, Gowsitta, Gulle and Seyye |
| Farre | No sub-lines given |
| Gogo | Wa'ayse, Qorowa', Odleh, Mahammad, Maddow, Masulle, Surow and Yokor |
ACLED codes one Jiiddu sub-group, Jiido Safar (ACLED 2025).
Language
The Jiiddu speak their own language. Wikipedia gives about 34,000 speakers in Lower Shabelle, Bay and Middle Juba (Wikipedia, Jiiddu language, backup). It says the language is usually grouped with the Digil languages, but has "a different phonology and sentence structure from Somali" (same source). A native speaker, Dr. Salim Ibro, wrote a Jiiddu dictionary (same source). See the Somali language.
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 |
|---|---|
| Lower Shabelle | The EASO lists the Jiddu among the largest long-settled Digil-Mirifle groups (EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021) |
| Qoryooley | The EUAA places the Garre and Jiido dispute in Qoryooley district (EUAA Country Focus 2025) |
| Shabelle east bank | Wikipedia says a treaty gave the Tunni the west bank of the Shabelle and the Jiiddu the east bank (Wikipedia, Tunni Sultanate, backup) |
See Lower Shabelle, Bay and Middle Juba.
History on record
- Before 1000. Wikipedia says the Tunni drove the Jiiddu inland, then made a treaty with them. It says both agreed "to resist foreign penetration" (Wikipedia, Tunni Sultanate, backup). See Tunni.
- 1951 to 2021. A 2021 thesis traces seventy years of work on writing Jiiddu (Neterer, 2021, cited by Wikipedia).
- June to July 2024. The EUAA records "a clash in Qoryooley between the Jiido and Garre clans". It "reportedly left at least two people dead" (EUAA 2025, Lower Shabelle).
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). See xeer, Somali customary law.
In recent conflict records
The EUAA lists "Garre (Digil/Rahanweyne) versus Jiido (Digil/Rahanweyne), in the Qoryoole District, Lower Shabelle Region" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1). See Garre and clan conflicts, district by district.
Where sources differ
- Family. Abbink, the World Bank, the EUAA and ACLED put the Jiiddu in the Digil. Wikipedia's language article calls them "the Jiiddu sub-clan of the Dir".
- Spelling. Abbink writes Jiddu, the World Bank Jiiddo, and the EUAA and ACLED Jiido.
Read more
Sources
- Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009 · hdl.handle.net
- World Bank, Conflict in Somalia, 2005, Appendix 2 · openknowledge.worldbank.org
- EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- ACLED clan actor list, September 2025 · acleddata.com
- Wikipedia, Jiiddu language, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 11 · ecoi.net
- EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- Wikipedia, Tunni Sultanate, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- EUAA 2025, Lower Shabelle · 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.
- 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.