Family and clan
Majeerteen (Majerteen, Harti, Darod)
The Majeerteen (Majerteen) are a Harti clan of the Darod, also called Mohamed Harti. They live mainly in Bari, Nugaal and northern Mudug, with a community in Kismayo. Their best-known lines are the Osman Mahamoud, Isse Mahamoud and Omar Mahamoud, together called Mahamoud Saleebaan, and the Ali Saleebaan. The Majeerteen sultanates ruled the north-east coast before Italian rule.
Name and family tree
The Majeerteen are a clan of the Harti, part of the Darod. The name is also written Majerteen, Mijurtin and Majertain. Wikipedia also calls them Mohamed Harti (Wikipedia, Majeerteen, backup).
| Source | Line it gives |
|---|---|
| Abbink 2009 | Darod > Kablalah > Kombe-Harti > Mahamed Harti > Majerteen (Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009) |
| ACCORD 2009 | The Harti "are composed of the Majerteen", the Dulbahante and the Warsangeli (ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 12) |
| UK Home Office 2019 | "The Harti are a federation of three clans: the Majerteen are the main clan in Puntland" (UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014) |
| ACLED 2025 | Darod > Majeerteen, with more than 25 coded sub-groups (ACLED clan actor list, September 2025) |
Wikipedia gives a Somali meaning for the name, "much beloved" or "much admired" (Wikipedia, Majeerteen, backup). See Harti and the Darod tree.
Main branches
Abbink lists three main Majerteen lines and several smaller ones (Abbink 2009, Darod chart):
| Line | Groups named under it |
|---|---|
| Mahmood | Osman Mahmoud, Isa Mahmoud and Omar Mahmoud (Reer Khalaf, Reer Hersi, Reer Mahad) |
| Saleeban | 'Ali (Awlyahan, Isma'iil, Bi'iidyahan, 'Umar, Sa'id), Se'ed, Ugar, Isma'iil, Aden, Aderahin and Mahmuud |
| Noleys | Muse, Abdalla and Jibrahil ('Ali, Nuh, Siwaqrun) |
| Other lines | Daanwayne, 'Ali Ugar and 'Ali Jibrahil |
Wikipedia says the Osman Mahamoud, Omar Mahamoud and Isse Mahamoud together form the Mahamoud Saleebaan. With the Ali Saleebaan and Ugaar Saleebaan, these make up the Saleebaan Maxamed (Wikipedia, Majeerteen, backup).
ACLED codes these Majeerteen groups, among others: Ali Jibril, Ali Saleban (with Bicidyahan and Colyahan), Ismail Saleban, Issa Mahmud, Omar Mahmud, Nuh Mohamud and Dashishe. Under Issa Mahmud it codes Ahmed Kheyre, Ali Ibrahim, Hassan Ugaar, Mohamed Ugaar, Reer Muse, Reer Samakaab, Reer Shirwac and Reer Yoonis (ACLED 2025).
See Isse Mahamoud, Osman Mahamoud and Dishiishe.
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 |
|---|---|
| Bari | "The region's main clan is the Osman Mahmud sub-clan of the Majerteen clan; the Ali Suleman clan also is very relevant politically" (EUAA 2025, Bari) |
| Nugaal | Puntland's dominant clans are "three sub-clans of the Majeerteen/Mohamoud Saleban, including the Isse Mohamud who live mostly in Nugal region" (EUAA 2025, Nugal) |
| Garowe | The EUAA calls Garowe the clan homeland (degaan) of the Isse Mahamoud. It adds that other Majeerteen lines also live there (EUAA Country Focus 2025, Garowe) |
| Northern Mudug | "Dominant clans are the Darod (Majerteen-Omar Mahmoud sub-clan) in the North" (EUAA 2025, Mudug) |
| Kismayo | "The largest Harti clan in Kismayo is the Majerteen" (EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021) |
| Ethiopia | Wikipedia places some Majeerteen in the Dollo Zone of Ethiopia's Somali Region (Wikipedia, Majeerteen, backup) |
ACCORD wrote in 2009 that "Puntland almost entirely overlaps with the Majerteen clan family" (ACCORD 2009, p. 12). See Bari, Nugaal, Mudug, Lower Juba and Puntland.
History on record
- 1700s. Wikipedia cites a 1727 English account of a raid on an Indian ship near Ras Filuk. It reads this as possible early Majeerteen sea activity (Wikipedia, Majeerteen, backup).
- 1808 to 1809. The traveller Henry Salt wrote of the Majeerteen on the Hafun coast under a Sultan Hassan. He also met the Majeerteen merchant Yunus Buraale on the Red Sea coast (same source).
- 1800s. Majeerteen sultans ruled the north-east coast from Aluula and Bargaal. Yusuf Ali Kenadid, of the Majeerteen, founded the Sultanate of Hobyo. See the Majeerteen and Hobyo sultanates and the sultans of Majeerteen and Hobyo.
- 1889 to 1927. Italy signed protectorate treaties with both sultanates, then took them by force in 1925 to 1927. See Boqor Osman Mahamud.
- 1960s. Wikipedia says Majeerteen lines formed "a powerful business class in Kismayo" (Wikipedia, Majeerteen, backup).
- 1998. Puntland declared itself an autonomous state. ACCORD calls it "primarily based on the Majerteen clan" (ACCORD 2009, section 1.2). See presidents of Puntland.
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 Majeerteen paramount title is Boqor (king). See the sultans of Majeerteen and Hobyo and xeer, Somali customary law.
In recent conflict records
The EUAA lists these Majeerteen disputes (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1):
- Majeerteen sub-clans against each other in Kismayo, Lower Juba, "currently dormant".
- Majeerteen against the Cormale (Cawrmale) south of Kismayo, over land ownership and resources.
- Dhulbahante against Omar Mahamoud in the Adadda area between Nugaal and Sool, "feuding for decades".
- Isse Mahamoud against Dhulbahante in Burtinle district, Nugaal, around Kalabayr.
- Omar Mahamoud against Sa'ad (Habar Gidir) in Galkayo and Jiriiban districts, dormant as of February 2025.
The EASO also listed Ali Jibrail against Ali Saleban, and Ugaadh Saleban against Ali Saleban, in Bari. It listed Osman Mahamoud against Ugaadh Saleban in Iskushuban district (EASO 2021). The EUAA reports a December 2024 clash between two Majeerteen clans in Xarfo, Mudug, that destroyed a water well (EUAA 2025, Mudug). See clan conflicts, district by district.
Where sources differ
- Name of the main line. Abbink calls the main line Mahmood under Majerteen. Wikipedia names it Mahamoud Saleebaan under Saleebaan Maxamed.
- Dishiishe. Abbink lists the Dashishe beside the Majerteen, under Mora Hasse. ACLED codes Dashishe as a Majeerteen sub-group.
- Ali Saleebaan. Abbink puts 'Ali under Saleeban. ACLED codes Ali Saleban directly under Majeerteen.
Read more
Sources
- Wikipedia, Majeerteen, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009 · hdl.handle.net
- ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 12 · ecoi.net
- UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014 · ecoi.net
- ACLED clan actor list, September 2025 · acleddata.com
- EUAA 2025, Bari · euaa.europa.eu
- EUAA 2025, Nugal · euaa.europa.eu
- EUAA Country Focus 2025, Garowe · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- EUAA 2025, Mudug · euaa.europa.eu
- EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
Toosoo!
Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.
Can you help with Majeerteen (Majerteen, Harti, Darod)? Tell us what you can give.
I want to help with this
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.