Halin ( so, Xalin) is a town in the

Sool Sool ( so, Sool, ar, صول) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in south eastern Somaliland/north western Somalia. It borders Togdheer to the west, Sanaag to the north, Ethiopia to the south and Nugal, Bari to the east. Its capital city ...

region of

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

. It was the headquarters of the Dervish movement during 1903–1904.

Government

Traditional councils of elders and village assemblies are responsible for administration, and village chiefs are also nominated by councils of elders and assemblies. No elections are held. The legal system is customary law based on

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

Inhabitants

The Dhulbahante clan of Somalis is the main population. Estimated total population is 500-600, with 130 households, or about 1,300 people and 210 households if the suburbs are included. Apart from the general population, there is a traditional base of the Somali Sufism group of Timoweyn, to which 52 families belong.

Environment

Unusually for the Sool region, Halin has a year-round river. Annual precipitation is around 100 to 200 millimeters and is subject to frequent droughts. A legume called Garanwaa, '' Prosopis juliflora'', is under threat as an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

Economic

In the past,

date palm ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

, and other crops were cultivated and cattle were raised, but the legume Garanwaa, an invasive species, has become a weed, and both crops and pastures have suffered greatly. Mainly shipped to Qardho, Garowe and other cities in Puntland, as well as to Somaliland and central Somalia. According to 2019 reports, tomatoes, onions, peppers, lettuce, and cabbage are grown. Residents responding to the report had a monthly income of $160.

Education

The village has a primary and intermediate school, where about 40 percent of the students are women. It is funded by the

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

. There is no secondary school in the village, and most families complete their education in intermediate school because they do not have the money to send their children to secondary school in the city.

Medical

There are no medical facilities in the village, the closest being the hospital in Las Anod. Pregnant women in particular are often at risk.

History

Harin is an old settlement and was one of the strongholds of

Mohammed Abdullah Hassan Sayid Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan ( so, Sayid Maxamed Cabdulle Xasan; 1856–1920) was a Somali religious and military leader of the Dervish movement, which led a two-decade long confrontation with various colonial empires including the British, ...

when he revolted against the British in the early 20th century. From 1963 until the beginning of the

Somali Civil War The Somali Civil War ( so, Dagaalkii Sokeeye ee Soomaaliya; ar, الحرب الأهلية الصومالية ) is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the Military dictatorship, military junta wh ...

(c. 1990), there was a

agricultural cooperative and the administrative structure was more developed than in surrounding pastoral villages. 800-100 kg of sugar was produced annually in the 1980s. In December 2013, residents of Halin were evacuated to avoid fighting between the Khatumo State and Somaliland. The drought that occurred from 2015 to 2017 caused significant damage. In August 2017, Somaliland election officials were injured during a visit to the Halin district. In May 2019, heavy rains caused extensive damage to the Harin district.

References

{{reflist Populated places in Sool, Somaliland