Murusade

The Murusade (Somali: Murursade, Mursal; Arabic: مرسذه ,مرسل), commonly referred to as Mursal, are a Somali sub-clan belonging to the Karanle branch of the larger Hawiye clan family. They are primarily located in central Somalia, particularly in the regions of Galgaduud, Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle, and the Banaadir. Traditionally, the Mursal were nomadic pastoralists, coastal dwellers, merchants, and farmers. Historically regarded as an affluent and influential clan, they are recognized as among the earliest inhabitants of Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia.

The Murusade (Somali: Murursade, Mursal; Arabic: مرسذه ,مرسل), commonly referred to as Mursal, are a Somali sub-clan belonging to the Karanle branch of the larger Hawiye clan family. They are primarily located in central Somalia, particularly in the regions of Galgaduud, Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle, and the Banaadir. Traditionally, the Mursal were nomadic pastoralists, coastal dwellers, merchants, and farmers. Historically regarded as an affluent and influential clan, they are recognized as among the earliest inhabitants of Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia. ===Somali Rebellion (1986-1991)=== Following the Ogaden war in 1977, the popularity of Somalia's president Mohammed Siad Barre began to diminish, leading to widespread discontent among his generals which resulted in an attempted coup d'état on April 10, 1978, led by Colonel Mohamed Osman Irro and 16 other men including one Murusade. In an attempt to retain his authority, Barre's administration started to exhibit increasingly totalitarian tendencies. Initially, the Murusade clan showed support for Barre's government due to the privileges they enjoyed, enabling their businesses to flourish and making the clan wealthier. The Murusade clan was described as privileged during this period. The Murusade clan had a significant influence in key economic sectors, with a near monopoly over the country's fourth largest export. However, towards the end of the 1980s, the relationship between the Murusade clan and Barre deteriorated due to heightened totalitarian violence by Barre's regime against the Somali people. At this critical juncture, Barre, apprehensive of a potential uprising from the Murusade clan, resorted to issuing threats in order to maintain control over them. "the Murusade and the Majeerteen clan members, ambitious as they were, deemed a danger to the security and safety of Siad Barre and had to be dispersed once and for all." Barre had started with targeting wealthy Murusade businessmen operating in Kenya right under the nose of President Daniel Arap Moi, a then-friend of Barre, who wished to see his Somali rivals extradited or deported, causing some businessmen to relocate to Uganda or hide in the countryside of Northeastern Kenya and back into Somalia or Ethiopia. "Harassment and deportations of Somali businessmen had been occurring months before the screening, particularly targeting the Habr Gedir and Murusade clans of the Hawiye clan family as well as the Isaaq and Harti clan families. Businessmen were targeted for a number of reasons. As the screening continued, it became a tool for rivals seeking to settle disputes; there were rumours that the screening ended in part because it was threatening those close to the Kenyan Somali politicians in the office of the President." Another incident took place in July 1989, wherein Barre dispatched notable Murusade businessmen to Hargeisa to witness the devastation he had inflicted upon its residents, serving as a thinly disguised warning to deter the Murusade from further challenging his authority. "In Mogadishu, the regime did not spare Isaaqs. On 15 July 1989, 47 Isaaq civilians in Mogadishu were taken from their homes to Jazira Beach west of the city and were summarily executed. 159 The execution was reportedly well- planned. For instance, after the regime's genocidal act against the Isaaq people Barre sent leading Hawiye businessmen to Hargeisa to observe its destruction, thereafter, reminding the Abgal and Murusade traders that Mogadishu was their goof [private land] and armed opposition against his regime meant that he was ready to destroy Mogadishu as well." Despite the threats, by the late 1980s, the Murusade clan altered their position and aligned with the opposition. Ali Mohammed Osoble, known as Ali Wardhigley, a member of the Murusade clan, former commissioner MP for Mogadishu and the only anti-Barre figure in Somalia since the first day of the October Revolution to not work under his auspices, Wardhigleh served on the committees of SODAF, SSDF and was later appointee of the Vice-Chairman of the SNM from 1984 to 1987. Subsequently, he founded the United Somali Congress in Rome on January 7, 1989, in response to severe actions taken against the Hawiye clan by the government of Mohamed Siad Barre. In 1989 at the house of Ali Geedi Shadoor, a former member of the last civilian parliament, the USC deliberated and reached an agreement to divide power among the Hawiye clans. The Murusade were to be responsible for foreign affairs. Between 1989 until his eventual ouster in 1991, President Barre initiated extensive crackdowns and used force against the Hawiye in their regions in Southern and Central Somalia.

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