Family and clan
Sacad Muuse (Sa'ad Musa, Habar Awal, Isaaq)
The Sacad Muuse (Sa'ad Musa) are an Isaaq clan in the Habar Awal line, brother line of the Ciise Muuse. Their sections include Jibriil Abokor, Cabdalla Abokor, Xuseen Abokor, Reer Axmed Nuux and Reer Yoonis Nuux. Wikipedia says they are the majority in Hargeisa and Gabiley, and live in Ethiopia's Fafan zone and Djibouti.
Name and family tree
The Sacad Muuse are a clan of the Habar Awal, part of the Isaaq. Their brother line is the Ciise Muuse. The name is also written Sa'ad Musa and Saad Muse.
| Source | Line it gives |
|---|---|
| Abbink 2009 | Habr Awal > Zubeir > Muuse > Sa'ad (Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009, p. 32) |
| ACLED 2025 | Isaaq > Habar Awal > Sacad Muse; it also codes Habar Awal-Abdale Abokor (ACLED clan actor list, September 2025) |
| EUAA 2025 | "Jibril Abokor, Sa'ad Muse, Habar Awal (Isaaq)" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1) |
| Wikipedia (backup) | Sa'ad, son of Musa, son of Zubayr, son of Abd al-Rahman (Awal), son of Sheikh Isaaq (Wikipedia, Sa'ad Musa, backup) |
Wikipedia says Zubeyr Awal, the shared ancestor of the Sacad Muuse and Ciise Muuse, is buried at Jidali in Sanaag (same source). See the Isaaq tree.
Main branches
Abbink lists these groups (Abbink 2009, p. 32):
| Line | Groups named under it |
|---|---|
| Sa'ad | Jibriil (Abokor), Reer Dalal and Reer Samatar (Haad) |
| Isaq | Abokor, Yesif, Makahil and 'Abdulla |
| Others listed beside them | Abdurahman, Hassan, Isma'iil, 'Abdulla, Idrais, Afgab and Egalla |
Wikipedia gives a deeper line through Isaaq Sa'ad (Wikipedia, Habr Awal, backup):
| Line | Groups named under it |
|---|---|
| Abokor Isaaq | Ugaadh Abokor (Ugaadhyahan), Cabdalla Abokor and Xuseen Abokor |
| Xuseen Abokor > Jibriil > Ismaaciil > Nuux | Reer Yoonis Nuux (Shirdoon, Hoosh, Gadiid and Maxamed) and Reer Axmed Nuux |
| Xuseen Abokor > Jibriil > Ismaaciil | Saciid Ismaaciil > Cabdalla Saciid (Reer Samatar, Reer Abane and Reer Axmed Cabdalla); also Bah Gobo and Waran'ad |
| Makaahiil | Nuux, Abokor, Cumar, Maxamed and Xasan Makaahiil |
Cabdalla Abokor. Wikipedia places Cabdalla Abokor under Abokor Isaaq, beside the Ugaadhyahan and Xuseen Abokor (same source). ACLED codes it as Habar Awal-Abdale Abokor. Wikipedia shows an 1890 photo of Warsame Yunis "of the Reer Geille Abdalla Abukar, Sa'ad Musa" (Wikipedia, Sa'ad Musa, backup). Its Somali Wikipedia page was not available when this page was written.
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 |
|---|---|
| Hargeisa | The EUAA says "the Isaaq/Habar Awal clans (Sa'ad Muse and Isse Muse) predominantly populate Ibraahim Koodbuur", the 26 June district and parts of Gacan Libaah (EUAA Country Focus 2025) |
| Woqooyi Galbeed | The EASO says the region is "predominantly inhabited by the Habar Awal clan", from the coast to the Ethiopian border (EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021) |
| Gabiley and farm towns | Wikipedia names Gabiley, Wajaale, Arabsiyo, Kalabaydh, Agabar, Ceel Bardaale, Faraweyne and Allaybaday (Wikipedia, Sa'ad Musa, backup) |
| Sahil coast and Awdal | It places them between Ceel Sheekh and Bulhar, and in north-eastern Awdal (same source) |
| Ethiopia | It names Harshin, Hart Sheik, Aware, Kebri Beyah and Jigjiga in Fafan zone (same source) |
| Djibouti and Kenya | It places them in Quartier 3 of Djibouti, and in Kenya's Isahakia community (same source) |
See Woqooyi Galbeed, Awdal, Somalis in Ethiopia and Somalis in Djibouti.
History on record
- 1500s. Wikipedia says the Futuh al-Habasha names the Habr Magaadle, including the Habar Awal, in the wars of Imam Ahmad (Wikipedia, Sa'ad Musa, backup). See Futuh al-Habasha.
- Before 1839. It quotes I. M. Lewis that the Ayyal Yunis and Ayyal Ahmed lineages "had held Berbera and jointly managed its trade" (same source).
- 1825 to 1827. It says Habar Awal men attacked the British ship Mary Anne at Berbera. It says this led to a blockade and fighting in 1827 (same source).
- 1800s. It quotes an Aden record that Somali merchants there "are generally members of the Sa'ad Musa tribe" (same source).
- 1955. It says Sultan Abdulrahman Deria went to London to ask for the return of the Haud (same source). See the Haud transfer.
- Later figures. Wikipedia lists Sheikh Madar, Muse Bihi Abdi, the poet Gaarriye and Mo Farah among Sacad Muuse people (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).
Wikipedia says the Habar Awal sultan comes from the Axmed Cabdalla line of the Sacad Muuse. It says the title was garaad until Sultan Abdulrahman Deria took the title of suldaan. It lists eight holders, from Garaad Biniin to Sultan Xasan Sultan Cabdillaahi (Wikipedia, Sa'ad Musa, backup). See xeer, Somali customary law.
In recent conflict records
The EUAA lists a dormant dispute between the Gadabuursi and the Jibriil Abokor (Sacad Muuse) in Ceel Bardaale, Gabiley. It also lists a Sacad Muuse rivalry with the Ciidagale and Habar Yoonis in Hargeisa. It says such election rivalries "did not lead to armed violence" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1). See Gadabuursi, Ciidagale and clan conflicts, district by district.
Where sources differ
- Size. Wikipedia calls the Sacad Muuse the majority in Hargeisa. The EUAA and EASO name the Habar Awal as a whole. No census confirms either.
- Tree. Abbink lists Abokor under Jibriil and under Isaq. Wikipedia puts Cabdalla Abokor and Xuseen Abokor under Abokor Isaaq.
- Sources. Much of the detail on lines and towns comes from Wikipedia, which relies on few modern sources.
Read more
Sources
- Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009, p. 32 · hdl.handle.net
- ACLED clan actor list, September 2025 · acleddata.com
- EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- Wikipedia, Sa'ad Musa, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Habr Awal, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 11 · ecoi.net
- EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014 · ecoi.net
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