Family and clan
Moobleen (Mobileen, Mudulood, Hawiye)
The Moobleen (Mobileen) are a Hawiye group of the Mudulood line. Abbink lists them among the Abgaal sections, while Somali Wikipedia calls them Moobleen Cismaan, a brother line of the Abgaal. Somali Wikipedia places them in Middle Shabelle and Banaadir, with Qalimoow as their main centre. The EUAA lists a Moobleen dispute with the Shiidle in Jowhar district.
Name and family tree
The Moobleen are a Hawiye group of the Mudulood line, with the Abgaal and the Udeejeen. The name is also written Mobileen and Mobleen.
| Source | Line it gives |
|---|---|
| Abbink 2009 | Hawiye > Gorgate > Abgal > Mobileen, as one of the Abgaal sections (Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009, p. 27) |
| ACLED 2025 | Hawiye > Mobleen, coded as its own group (ACLED clan actor list, September 2025) |
| EUAA 2025 | "Moobileen (Mudulod/Hawiye)" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1) |
| Wikipedia (backup) | Names the Moobleen among the Mudulood, with the Wacdaan, Hiilibi and Udeejeen (Wikipedia, Abgaal, backup) |
| Somali Wikipedia (backup) | Moobleen Cismaan, son of Cismaan, son of Dalandoole, in the Mudulood Hiraab (Somali Wikipedia, Moobleen, backup) |
The English Wikipedia title "Moobleen" redirects to its Hawiye page, and there is no separate English article. See the Hawiye tree.
Main branches
Somali Wikipedia names two founding lines, Magacle and Abidig (Somali Wikipedia, Moobleen, backup):
| Line | Groups it names |
|---|---|
| Magacle Moobleen | Yabar, Xayaale and Cool |
| Abidig Moobleen | Tolweyne, Yabadhaale and Maqalsame |
It also uses the name Reer Xaaji Cumar for the clan (same source). Abbink gives no sections under Mobileen (Abbink 2009, p. 27).
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 |
|---|---|
| Middle Shabelle | Somali Wikipedia says they live in more than 54 places, with Qalimoow as the main centre. It names Saarsaare, Cadayga, Jadda, Raaxooy and Buulo Caano among them (Somali Wikipedia, Moobleen, backup) |
| Jowhar district | The EUAA records them there, in a dispute with the Shiidle (EUAA 2025) |
| Banaadir | Somali Wikipedia names Banaadir as well (same source) |
| Abroad | It names Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Ethiopia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and England (same source) |
See Middle Shabelle and Mogadishu.
History on record
- 1905. Somali Wikipedia describes a Moobleen war with Ethiopian forces that it dates to 1905. It gives no source, and its casualty figure is not found in any other source here (Somali Wikipedia, Moobleen, backup).
- 1960 to 1991. It says the Moobleen had MPs, politicians and senior officers in the governments before the collapse of the state (same source).
- After 1991. It says the Moobleen lost political ground during the civil war and later regained it (same source).
Somali Wikipedia lists many politicians and officers, including Abdirahman Mohamed Sheikh Ali and Prof. Maxamed Xasan Nuur (Jeesto) (same source).
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 Ugaas Cabdullaahi Ugaas Saalax Ugaas Cali as the clan's general ugaas. It calls him the 18th to hold the title (Somali Wikipedia, Moobleen, backup). See xeer, Somali customary law.
In recent conflict records
The EUAA lists a Moobleen dispute with the Shiidle, a Bantu group, in Jowhar district of Middle Shabelle. It was active or possibly active in April 2023 to March 2025 (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1). Earlier, the EASO said the Abgaal Mudulood dominate Middle Shabelle, with the Shiidle on the west bank around Jowhar (EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021). See clan conflicts, district by district.
Where sources differ
- Place in the tree. Abbink lists Mobileen as an Abgaal section. Somali Wikipedia, ACLED and the EUAA treat the Moobleen as a Mudulood group of their own.
- Sources. Most of the detail here comes from Somali Wikipedia, which cites almost nothing on this page.
Read more
Sources
- Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009, p. 27 · hdl.handle.net
- ACLED clan actor list, September 2025 · acleddata.com
- EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- Wikipedia, Abgaal, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- Somali Wikipedia, Moobleen, 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
- EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
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