Sool ( so, Sool, ar, صول) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in south eastern Somaliland/north western

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 borders

Togdheer Togdheer ( so, Togdheer, ar, تُوْجْدَيْر, Tūjdayr) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in central Somaliland. Togdheer is bordered by Maroodi Jeex to the west, Saaxil to the north, Sanaag to the northeast, Sool to the east a ...

to the west,

Sanaag Sanag ( so, Sanaag, ar, سَنَاج) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north eastern Somaliland.Regions o ...

to the north,

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 ...

to the south and Nugal, Bari to the east. Its capital city is

Las Anod Las Anod ( so, Laascaanood; ar, لاسعانود) is the administrative capital of the Sool, Somaliland, Sool region of Somaliland. Territorial dispute The city is disputed by Puntland and Somaliland. The former bases its claim due to the ki ...

. The region is disputed by the self-declared Republic of Somaliland and

Puntland Puntland ( so, Puntland, ar, أرض البنط, it, Terra di Punt or ''Paese di Punt''), officially the Puntland State of Somalia ( so, Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland ee Soomaaliya, ar, ولاية أرض البنط الصومالية), is a F ...

, a Federal Member State of

. The region is partially controlled by both polities.

Territorial dispute

Sool is disputed by Somaliland and

. The former basis its claim on the British Somaliland protectorate borders, and the later on the territory inhabited by the

Harti Harti ( so, Harti, ar, هرتي), meaning "strong man", is a Somali clan family that is part of the Darod clan. The major sub-clans include the Majeerteen, Dhulbahante, Warsangali, Tinle, Maganlabe and Dishiishe, while other minor sub-clans ...

clan that established the state in 1998.

Khatumo State Khatumo State ( so, Khaatumo; ar, ولاية خاتمة, translit=wilāyat khātimah), officially the Khatumo State of Somalia ( so, Dowlad Goboleedka Khaatumo ee Soomaaliya), was a successor to the SSC Movement. Centred on the Sool, Sanaag re ...

and its predecessor

SSC Movement SSC or HMB-SSC ( so, Haggaanka Mideynta iyo Badbaadinta Gobolada SSC ee Soomalia, Unity and Salvation Authority of the SSC regions of Somalia) or HBM-SSC ( so, Hoggaanka Badbaadada iyo Mideynta SSC) was the name of the self-proclaimed autonomous g ...

which rejected both claims also made attempts to establish a separate administration in the region. In 2003, Puntland sent troops to

under the pretext of conflict mediation and occupied it outright. Somaliland and Puntland were in conflict west of Las Anod. In 2007, Somaliland took military control of Las Anod. Somaliland and Puntland were in conflict near Tukaraq. In 2018, the Somaliland army captured Tukaraq. In April 2019, the Somaliland army took control of

Taleh Taleh ( so, Taleex, ar, تليح) is a historical town in the eastern Sool region of Somaliland. As of September 2015, both Puntland and Somaliland had nominal influence or control in Taleh and it's vicinity. The town served as the capital ...

. In May 2022 Somaliland captured Bo'ame, the last town in the region outside of Somaliland control. Due to the prolonged conflict between Somaliland and Puntland, many Dhulbahante and Warsangeli living in the region do not recognize the Sool region and eastern Sanaag, as either Somaliland or Puntland.

History

From 1944 to 1974, the Sool region was formerly Las Anod district. It was one of three districts under British protection. The other two districts were the Burao and hargeysa districts. In 1974 most Sool was part of the larger

Nugaal Nugaal is an intermittent river that runs along the Nugaal Valley. It begins several miles to the west of Sool, and ends at Eyl where the outlet flows into the Indian Ocean. It evaporates at the onset of the hagaa, the Somali dry season. Due to ...

region, with its capital at

Garowe Garowe ( so, Garoowe, ar, غَاْرَّوْؤَيَ,

. It was established as a separate region in 1984 with its capital at

Demographics

The Sool region is almost exclusively inhabited by

Dhulbahante The Dhulbahante ( so, Dhulbahante, ar, دلبةنتئ) is a Somali clan family, part of the Harti clan which itself belongs to the largest Somali clan-family — the Darod. They are the traditional inhabitants of the physiographic Nugaal in its ...

. Michael Walls reports:

"The residents of Sool overwhelmingly hail from a single clan grouping in the form of the Dhulbahante .. Sool boasts a degree of kinship homogeneity that is rare even in the Somali Horn".

The

Habr Je'lo The Habr Je'lo ( so, Habar Jeclo, ar, هبر جعلو , Full Name: ''Mūsa ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad,'' historically known as the Habr Toljaala ( so, Habar Toljeclo) is a major sub-tribe of the wider Isaaq family. Its members form ...

clan of the

Isaaq The Isaaq (also Isaq, Ishaak, Isaac) ( so, Reer Sheekh Isxaaq, ar, بني إسحاق, Banī Isḥāq) is a Somali clan. It is one of the major Somali clans in the Horn of Africa, with a large and densely populated traditional territory. Pe ...

clan-family make up the vast majority of the population in western Sool, including the region's second largest town

Aynaba Aynaba, also spelt Ainabo, Ainaba or Aynabo ( so, Caynaba, ) is a major town in western Sool region of Somaliland as well as the administrative seat of the Aynaba District. Aynaba is known for its watering wells and for its good and abundant fresh ...

, as well as the wider Aynaba District. The

Habr Yunis The Habar Yoonis ( ar, هبر يونس , Full Name: '' Said ibn Al-Qādhī Ismā'īl ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad bin Muḥammad bin al-Ḥusayn al-Hāshimīy'' ) alternatively spelled as Habr Yunis is a major clan part of the sub-clan ...

sub-division of the

Garhajis The Garhajis ( so, Garxajis, ar, غرحجس , Full Name: ''Al-Qādhī Ismā'īl ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad bin Muḥammad bin'' ''al-Ḥusayn al-Hāshimīy'') historically known as the Habar Gerhajis () is a major clan of the wider Is ...

also inhabit the western parts of Hudun and

districts in northern Sool. The

sub-division of the

Darod clan primarily inhabits the

, eastern Hudun and Las Anod districts in eastern Sool. The Fiqishini sub-clan of the

Habar Gidir The Habar Gidir (Somali: Habar Gidir, Arabic: هبر جدير) is a major subclan of the Hawiye. The clan has produced many prominent Somali figures, including the first Prime Minister of Somalia Abdullahi Issa Mohamud and Somalia's fifth Presid ...

Hawiye The Hawiye ( so, Hawiye, ar, بنو هوية, it, Hauija) is the largest Somali clan family. Members of this clan traditionally inhabit central and southern Somalia, Somaliland, Ethiopia (Somali, Harar, Oromia and Afar regions) and the Nort ...

integrated into Baho Nugaaled Dhulbahante, inhabit the area around Adhi'adeye.

Districts

The Sool region consists of 4 districts.

Map

Somaliland-Sool Region.svg

References

External links

Administrative map of Sool
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sool, Somalia Regions of Somaliland