Family and clan
Surre (Qubeys and Cabdalle, Dir)
The Surre are a Dir clan of central Somalia, made up of the Qubeys and the Cabdalle. Abbink places them under Maahe of the Dir. Wikipedia places them in Mudug and Galgaduud, around Bacadweyne, Gaalkacyo, Towfiiq and Xeraale (Herale), and in Gedo and Ethiopia. The EUAA lists Surre disputes with the Mareexaan and Sheekhaal.
Name and family tree
The Surre are a clan of the Dir. Somali Wikipedia says they are also called Dirta Dhexe (the central Dir). It says they are known as the Cabdalle and Qubeys (Somali Wikipedia, Surre, backup).
| Source | Line it gives |
|---|---|
| Abbink 2009 | Dir > Maahe > Suhure, with Qubeys and 'Abdalle under it (Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009, p. 18) |
| ACLED 2025 | Dir > Qubeys (ACLED clan actor list, September 2025) |
| EUAA 2025 | "Saleban Abdalle (Surre/Dir)" and "Surre (Dir)" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1) |
| Wikipedia (backup) | Dir > Mehe > Surre, with Qubeys, Habardeel and Abdalle (Wikipedia, Surre, backup) |
See the Dir tree.
Main branches
Abbink lists these groups (Abbink 2009, p. 18):
| Line | Groups named under it |
|---|---|
| Qubeys | Lafagaab |
| 'Abdalle | 'Abdi, Na'adoor, Suleiman and Goorad |
Wikipedia gives this tree (Wikipedia, Surre, backup):
| Line | Groups named under it |
|---|---|
| Qubeys | Tolweyne, Axadoobe (Cabdalle Diidshe and Cismaan Diidshe), Reer Toonle (Fiqi Cumar and Fiqi Yaxye) and Yabadhaale (Midkasse and Wayaagle) |
| Habardeel | none given |
| Cabdalle | Maxamed Cabdalle (Na'door), Yuusuf Cabdalle (Goorod), Cabdi Cabdalle (Fiqi Maxamed and Aadan Faarax) and Saleebaan Cabdalle (Fiqi Khayre and Muuse Faarax) |
Wikipedia's separate Qubeys page gives a longer list of Qubeys sub-groups (Wikipedia, Qubeys, backup). Both Wikipedia pages carry warnings that they need more sources.
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 |
|---|---|
| Southern Mudug | The EASO says "a small enclave of Qubeys, of the Dir clan family" lives in the south of the region (EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021) |
| Mudug and Nugaal | Wikipedia places the Saleebaan Cabdalle in Towfiiq district, Gaalkacyo and Godobjiraan, with a presence in Boosaaso. It places the Qubeys around Bacadweyne (Wikipedia, Surre, backup) |
| Galgaduud to Gedo | It places the Fiqi Maxamed from Xeraale (Herale) district to Boholgaras in Gedo, and across the border in Dolo Ado and Chereti (same source) |
| Mogadishu and Lower Shabelle | It names Golweyn and Marka (same source) |
| Sanaag | It places a Surre group, the Cabaas Muuse, in Badhan district (same source) |
See Mudug, Galgaduud and Gedo.
History on record
- About 1316. Wikipedia says the Surre moved from what is now Somaliland to central and southern Somalia around this year. It gives no source for the date (Wikipedia, Surre, backup).
- Faith. It says the Surre are linked with spreading Islam and the Qadiriyya Sufi order in central and southern Somalia (same source). See Sufi orders in Somalia.
- Colonial records. It says Italian and British writers often called them simply "the Dir" of the centre and south (same source).
- 1990s. It says that in 1996 the Southern Somali National Movement represented the Surre (same source).
- Later figures. It lists Mahad Abdalle Awad, a deputy speaker of the federal parliament, and Zakia Hussein, a deputy police commissioner (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).
The EUAA says mediation was under way in February 2025 in the Surre and Sheekhaal dispute in Mudug (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1). Wikipedia names many fiqi (religious scholar) lines among the Surre (Wikipedia, Surre, backup). See xeer, Somali customary law.
In recent conflict records
The EUAA lists these Surre disputes for April 2023 to March 2025 (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1):
- the Saleebaan Cabdalle with the Loboge (Sheekhaal) in Towfiiq and Afbarwaaqo districts, Mudug
- with the Mareexaan in Caabudwaaq and at Laandheer, Galgaduud
- opposition to the new Galwaq region, in the Xeraale (Herale) area, Galgaduud
- with the Sheekhaal in Jariiban and Hobyo districts, where it says they "clashed repeatedly in the course of 2023-2024"
See Mareexaan and clan conflicts, district by district.
Where sources differ
- Name. Abbink writes Suhure. Wikipedia and the EUAA write Surre.
- Lines. Abbink names Qubeys and 'Abdalle. Wikipedia adds the Habardeel as a third line.
- Sources. Both Wikipedia pages cite few sources. The 1316 date has no source.
Read more
Sources
- Somali Wikipedia, Surre, backup · so.wikipedia.org
- Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009, p. 18 · hdl.handle.net
- ACLED clan actor list, September 2025 · acleddata.com
- EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- Wikipedia, Surre, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Qubeys, 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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Where this matters
Same era
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- 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.