The Issa (also Eesah, Esa, Aysa) ( so, Ciise, '', ar, عيسى)'' is a northern

Somali clan The Somalis ( so, Soomaalida 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒆𐒖, ar, صوماليون) are an ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic Somali language is the shared mo ...

, a sub-division of the Dir clan family.'

Overview

As a Dir sub-clan, the Issa have immediate lineal ties with the

Gadabuursi The Gadabuursi (Somali: ''Gadabuursi'', Arabic: جادابورسي), also known as ''Samaroon'' (Arabic: ''قبيلة سَمَرُون)'', is a northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Dir clan family. The Gadabuursi are geographically sp ...

, the Surre (Abdalle and Qubeys), the Biimaal (who the Gaadsen also belong to), the Bajimal, the

Bursuk The Bursuuk or also written as Barsuk or Barsuq or Barsuug (Somali: Barsuug) is a clan belonging to Madahweyne sub clan of the Dir clan family. They largely live in Ethiopia, in the Somali Region, especially around the ancient city of Harar and ...

, the Madigan Dir, the Gurgura, the Garre (the Quranyow sub-clan to be precise as they claim descent from Dir), Gurre, Gariire, other Dir sub-clans and they have lineal ties with the Hawiye (Irir),

Hawadle The Hawadle or Xawaadle ( so, Xawaadle, ar, حوادله, it, Auadleh) are a Somali clan who traces its descent from Mayle Gorgaarte, one of the sons of Hawiye clan. The Hawadle, as well as many other Somali clans like the Dir, trace themselv ...

, Ajuran, Degoodi, Gaalje'el clan groups, who share the same ancestor

Samaale Samaale, also spelled Samali or Samale ( so, Samaale) is traditionally considered to be the oldest common forefather of several major Somali clans and their respective sub-clans. His name is the source of the ethnonym ''Somali''.. As the purported ...

.The Quranyo section of the Garre claim descent from Dirr, who are born of the Irrir Samal. UNDP Paper in Kenya http://www.undp.org/content/dam/kenya/docs/Amani%20Papers/AP_Volume1_n2_May2010.pdf For the treaty between the Issa and colonial powers, see "treaties".

History

The Issa clan has produced numerous noble Somali men and women over the

centuries A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

, consisted of a King (Ugaas) and including many

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

s. Traditionally, the Northern Dir (Issa and Gadabuursi) men ruled these settlement pockets until the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an colonial powers changed the

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studi ...

dynamics of

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

Somaliland Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...

and

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

during the late 19th century. The name of Dire Dawa means were the "Dir Hit" Meeshii Dir Dhabah in reference to 14th century battles between the Sultanate of Ifat and

Oromo people The Oromo (pron. Oromo: ''Oromoo'') are a Cushitic ethnic group native to the Oromia region of Ethiopia and parts of Northern Kenya, who speak the Oromo language (also called ''Afaan Oromoo'' or ''Oromiffa''), which is part of the Cushitic br ...

. In the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935/36, Issa fought on the Italian side, in return benefited from

weapon A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

s and

military training Military education and training is a process which intends to establish and improve the capabilities of military personnel in their respective roles. Military training may be voluntary or compulsory duty. It begins with recruit training, procee ...

and lucrative marketing opportunities for their cattle. In the second half of the twentieth century,

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 Constitut ...

supplied additional weapons to the Issa, which it upgraded as part of the West Somalia Liberation Front. The Aysha massacre was a massacre of ethnic Issa Somalis by Ethiopian army on 13 August 1960 in

Aysha, Ethiopia Aysha ( so, Ayshaca, , ) is a town in Ethiopia. It is situated about 36 kilometres (22 miles) South of the border with Djibouti and 20 km (12 mi) West of the border with Somalia. Located in the Shinile Zone in the Somali Region. This town served by ...

. The Ethiopian troops had descended on the area to reportedly help defuse clan-related conflict. However, according to eye-witness testimony, that Somali men were then taken to a different location and then executed by Ethiopian soldiers. Among the latter, those who fled to Dikhil and

Ali Sabieh Ali Sabieh ( so, Cali Sabiix, ar, علي صبيح) is the second largest city in Djibouti. It is situated about Southwest of Djibouti City and north of the border with Ethiopia. It sprawls on a wide basin surrounded by granitic mountains on all ...

. The

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

and hunger crisis of 1972-1973/74 intensified the conflicts. The

Ethiopian army The Ethiopian Ground Forces () is the land service branch of the Ethiopian National Defense Force. It is senior of the two uniformed military branches. It engages in land warfare and combined arms operations, including armored and mechanize ...

intervened against the Issa and in 1971/72 killed hundreds and seized nearly 200,000 cattle. After the defeat of the

Western Somali Liberation Front The Western Somali Liberation Front ( so, Jabhadda Xoreynta Somali Galbeed; abbreviated WSLF) was a separatist rebel group fighting in eastern Ethiopia to create an independent state. It played a major role in the Ogaden War of 1977-78 assisting ...

, the Issa Division remained under the name Issa and Gurgura Liberation Front. They continued to receive support from

and joined the

EPRDF The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF; am, የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝቦች አብዮታዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር, translit=Ye’Ītiyop’iya Ḥizibochi Ābiyotawī Dīmokirasīyawī Ginibari) was an eth ...

. In 1987 the autonomous region of

Dire Dawa Dire Dawa ( am, ድሬዳዋ, om, Dirree Dhawaa, 3=Place of Remedy; so, Diridhaba, meaning "where Dir hit his spear into the ground" or "The true Dir", ar, ديري داوا,) is a city in eastern Ethiopia near the Oromia and Somali Re ...

was created for the Issa (which had previously belonged to the province of Xararge) as part of a new administrative division of Ethiopia. Since the

took over in 1991, the Issa areas in

were part of the ethnic definition of the

Somali Region The Somali Region ( so, Deegaanka Soomaalida, am, ሱማሌ ክልል, Sumalē Kilil, ar, المنطقة الصومالية), also known as Soomaali Galbeed (''Western Somalia'') and officially the Somali Regional State, is a regional stat ...

. In

, which was colonized by France under the name of the French Coast of Somalis, (up until 1967, then to the

French Territory of the Afars and the Issas The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas (FTAI; french: Territoire français des Afars et des Issas) was the name given to present-day Djibouti between 1967 and 1977, while it was still an overseas territory of France. The area was former ...

), there were also tensions between Issa and Afar, as the Issa and other Somalis natives of Djibouti sought to connect with

independent since 1960. Most Afar preferred the fate of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Mahamoud Harbi was a major leader of the independence movement but was killed on 29 September 1960 and his comrades Djama Mahamoud Boreh and Mohamed Gahanlo disappeared on a flight from

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...

. Officially, they were killed in a

plane crash An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...

, but a possible role of the organization de l'armée secrète is speculated. In 1977

gained its

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...

, but did not unite with

. During the

Ogaden War The Ogaden War, or the Ethio-Somali War (, am, የኢትዮጵያ ሶማሊያ ጦርነት, ye’ītiyop’iya somalīya t’orineti), was a military conflict fought between Somalia and Ethiopia from July 1977 to March 1978 over the Ethiop ...

, influential Issa politicians envisioned a Greater Djibouti or "Issa-land", where Djibouti's borders would extend from the Red Sea to Dire Dawa. That dream however was dashed towards the end of the war as Somali forces were routed from Ethiopia. Under Hassan Gouled Aptidon, Djibouti developed into the one-party state of the Rassemblement Populaire pour le Progrès (RPP) In which the interests of the Afar minority were little considered. In 1991–1994, there was therefore a

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

between the Issa-dominated government and the Afar rebels of the FRUD. Finally, other opposition parties were admitted and Afar was involved in the government, while Issa still dominated political life. In 1999 Ismail Omar Guelleh, a nephew of Hassan Gouled Aptidon, succeeded Djibouti as his successor. Ugaas Rooble

In the Awdal region of Somaliland there were battles with the

, another Dir subclans. The conflict drove some of the Issa to escape to Ethiopia in the late 1990s. A refugee camp was opened at Degago/Ayisha. A second wave of Issa refugees left the coastal town of

Zeila Zeila ( so, Saylac, ar, زيلع, Zayla), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila (or Hawilah) with the Bibl ...

in 1991 after fighting with the SNM of the Isaaq and

. The Issa organization United Somali Front had previously tried to connect

. In the same year, the north-west of Somaliland, including Awdal under the leadership of the SNM as

, a country which has as of 2019 not been recognized by any country. In the lower house of the Somaliland Parliament (House of Representatives), six out of 82 were members of Issa in 2005. Since the 2005 elections, only one Issa (as a member of the government division UDUB ) has been represented. This decline is mainly explained by the fact that the Issa in Awdal instead of to

are increasingly oriented towards the neighboring

Distribution

The Issa primarily live in

largely where they reach the Oromia and Afar regions and make a large chunk of the Chartered city of Dire Dawa. They also inhabit

, where they make up more than half of the population, thirdly they inhabit Awdal,

too. The Issa are the largest clan by population within the

. Also the Issa is the second largest sub-clan within the borders of the

based on the Ethiopian population census 2008. The immediate neighbor to the Issa to the west are the Afar (or Danakil) with whom the Issa used to frequently fight. I. M. Lewis used to refer to it as "a of an almost constant state of enmity between the 'Ise and the 'Afar" , To their east the 'Ise are in contact with the Somali Gadabursi to whom they feel themselves akin and share same descent and culture. To the South the Gurgura, Hawiye and Oromo.

Lineage

The Issa traditionally traces its connexions through Dir, his actual grave lies between Rugay and Maydh in eastern

. Sheikh Issa tomb most likely pre-date the local arrival of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

, which would mean their construction took place in the 13th century or earlier. The traditional Ugaas (King) comes from the smallest Issa clan, Wardiiq and rules from his settlement Waruf located about 180 km south of

, west of the Harrar road. One of their Ugaas's was Ugaas Hassan Xirsi Ugaas. The Issa belong to the T-M184 haplogroup and the TMRCA is estimated to be 2100–2200 years or 150 BCE.

Clan tree

There is no clear agreement on the clan and sub-clan structures and many lineages are omitted. The following listing is taken from the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

's ''Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics'' from 2005 and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

's Home Office publication, ''Somalia Assessment 2001''.Worldbank,
Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics
', January 2005, Appendix 2, Lineage Charts, p.55 Figure A-1Country Information and Policy Unit, Home Office, Great Britain, Somalia Assessment 2001, Annex B: Somali Clan Structure
, p. 43 Based on the Notes on the social organisation of the 'Ise Somal. The Isse is divided into the following branches. *Issa **Ēlēye' (Musse & Mamasan) ** Hawlagadee(IDLE iyo YOUSSOUF **Hōlle (Mahadle & Saaib) **Hōrrōne (Habar Walaal iyo Geele walaal) **Ūrweyne(Cabdelle iyo Siciid) **Wardīq (Wakhtishiil iyo Rumawaaq)

Notable Issa people

* Mahmoud Harbi: Vice-president of the Government Council of

French Somaliland French Somaliland (french: Côte française des Somalis, lit= French Coast of the Somalis so, Xeebta Soomaaliyeed ee Faransiiska) was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. It existed between 1884 and 1967, at which time it became the French Te ...

. * Hassan Gouled Aptidon: 1916–2006, first President of Djibouti from 1977 to 1999. *

Ismaïl Omar Guelleh Ismaïl Omar Guelleh ( so, Ismaaciil Cumar Geelle ar, إسماعيل عمر جليه) (born 27 November 1947) is the current President of Djibouti. He has been in office since 1999, making him one of the longest-serving rulers in Africa. He is ...

: President of Djibouti as of 1999. * Lula Ali Ismaïl: Djiboutian-Canadian film director * Abdo Hamargod: Musician * Daher Ahmed Farah: Djiboutian politician * Abdourahman Waberi: Novelist * Musa Shirwa, first representative of Lughaya for Garad Ali's USP party * Ahmed-Idriss Moussa:Djiboutian politician *

Nima Djama Nima Djama ( so, Nimco Jaamac; born 1948) is a composer and singer from Djibouti. In 1976, Nima Djama sang a famous patriotic tune for Djibouti independence. She is also heavily involved in Djiboutian politics. Biography Nima Djama was born in 1 ...

: Musician * Aicha Bogoreh: First lady of

* Ahmed Boulaleh Barreh: Djiboutian politician * Ahmed Salah: Djiboutian athlete *

Idriss Arnaoud Ali Idriss Arnaoud Ali (25 December 1945 – 12 February 2015) was a Djiboutian politician who was President of the National Assembly of Djibouti from 2003 to 2015. He was also the Secretary-General of the People's Rally for Progress The People' ...

: Djiboutian politician * Xabiiba Cabdilaahi: Musician * Omar Farah Iltireh: Djiboutian politician *

Aden Robleh Awaleh Aden Robleh Awaleh ()(1941 – 31 October 2014.) was a Djiboutian politician and President of the National Democratic Party (PND).''Political Parties of the World'' (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, pages 180–181. He was a member ...

: President of the National Democratic Party. * Hawa Ahmed Youssouf: Djiboutian politician * Mohamed Ali Fourchette: Musician *

Roble Olhaye Roble Olhaye (24 April 1944 – 22 July 2015) was the Permanent Representative to the United Nations for the Republic of Djibouti. He was the Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Ambassador of Djibouti to the United States from 1988 ...

: Permanent representative to the United Nations for the Republic of Djibouti. * Kadra Ahmed Hassan: Permanent Representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

and the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...

for the Republic of Djibouti. * Yacin Bouh: Djiboutian politician. *

Hussein Ahmed Salah Hussein Ahmed Salah ( ar, حسين أحمد صلاح, so, Xuseen Axmed Saalax) is a Djiboutian former long-distance runner, best known for winning a bronze medal in the marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He also won silver medals in this even ...

: Djiboutian marathon runner. * Moumin_Bahdon:_Djiboutian_politician. *Aïcha_Mohamed_Robleh.html" ;"title="Moumin_Bahdon_Farah.html" ;"title="Ahmad ibn Ibrahim *Moumin Bahdon Farah">Moumin Bahdon: Djiboutian politician. *Aïcha Mohamed Robleh">Moumin_Bahdon_Farah.html" ;"title="Ahmad ibn Ibrahim *Moumin Bahdon Farah">Moumin Bahdon: Djiboutian politician. *Aïcha Mohamed Robleh: Writer *Jamal Abdi Dirieh: Athlete *Fadumo Ahmed Dhimbiil: Musician *Abdi Waiss Mouhyadin: Athlete *Ahmed Daher: Football *Aden Farah Samatar: Musician *Youssouf Hiss Bachir: Athlete *Mohamed Youssef (sailor), Mohamed Youssef: Sailor * Ahmed Goumane-Roble: Politician * Djama Robleh: Athlete * Roda Ali Wais: Athlete * Mohamed Ali Fourchette: Musician * Mouna-Hodan Ahmed: Novelist * Hoche Yaya Aden: Athlete * Moumina Houssein Darar: Djiboutian Anti-Terrorism police investigator. * Aden Farah: Speaker of House of Federation -

* Choukri Djibah: Politician and Women's equality activist.
Ahmed Bouh
Dire Dawa mayor from 2019 up to 2021. * Ali kalageye: An issa famous warrior.

Notes

References

* {{Authority control Somali clans Somali clans in Ethiopia