The Digil & Mifle are a Somali clan, composed of two major sub-clans, the Digil and the Mifle. The clan is also known as the Rahanwein clan. It is one of the four major Somali clans in the horn of Africa region.

The Digil sub-clan consists mainly of farmers and coastal people, while the Mifle consists mainly of nomadic pastoralists.

Language and Location

According to the Rahanweini, the Somalis are linguistically grouped into Mai Terreh & Maxaa Tiri (Linguistically). The Mai Terreh (or Mai-Mai or Maay) speakers are the Digil & Mifle (or Rahanwein Clan) while the Maxaa Tiri (or Mahaa Tiri) speakers are frrom other clans (the Dir, Daarood and Hawiye clans).

The Digil & Mifle are concentrated mainly in southern Somalia including Mogadishu and Upper Juba (Gedo, Bay, Bakool, Lower Shabelle and most parts of Middle Juba regions of Somalia). They are also traditionally found in neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia but not in neighbouring Djibouti to the north.

Clan Structure

The DIGIL & MIFLE CLAN (RAHANWEIN, RAHANWEYN) consists of the following sub-clans:

MIFLE

1. Sideed

DIGIL

1. Dabarre
2. Garre
3. Jiido
4. Bagadi
5. Shan Caleemo
6. Geledi
7. Formerly, the Ajuuraan who left after 2000 to stand alone as a small "minority" clan.)

OTHER SUB-CLANS

BOQOL HORE

1. Qomaal +
2. Disow +
3. Eemit +
4. Yallalle +

BOQOL DHEXE (Dhehe)

1. Leysaan +
2. Macalin Weyne
3. Waanjaal
4. Jiroon
5. Reer Dumaal
6. Garwaale
7. Asharaf Sarmaan

BOQOL DAMBE

1. Hariin +
2. Haraw +
3. Eelay
4. Heledi

+ Collectively form the Aw Hinjinle (Hinjiile) sub-clan.

SAGAAL

1. Hadame
2. Luwai
3. Gelidle
4. Jilible
5. Yantaar
6. Hubeer
7. Gasaar Gude
8. Goobaweyn
9. Eyle (see below)
10. Formerly, the Cawrmale, who left after year 2000 to rejoin the Daarood specially Harti / Warsangeli.)

(The Eyle also claim to be a Non Rahanwein Somali minor clan. Eyle claim to be either Rahanweini or Jareer Weyne 'Bantu' person depending on with whom they reside.)

Each Sub-clan of the Rahanwein whether Sideed, Sagaal or Digil has 5 Gamaas (Sects). For example the five gamaa of the Qoomaal of the Boqol Hore are: Dhisiraad; Reer Aw Mashube Reer Towba; Reer Macalin; & Idimoole and traditionally one of these five is the Gamaas Hore (first sect). Traditionally, in the case of the Qoomaal it is the Dhisiraad that is the Gamaas Hore.

History

Rahanweini oral history tells about the Ajuuraan and how forces led by the Gelidi of the Rahanwein and the Moobleen of the Hawiye defeated the Ajuuraan Sultanate of Mogadishu around 1600s. After that the Ajuuraan settled among the Rahanwein & the Hawiye and some of them went on to settle in Ethiopia & Kenya. as a result today large numbers of the Ajuuraan are found within the Rahanwein and a smaller number within the Hawiye. Therefore, an Ajuuraan person can and do claim to be either a Rahanweini or a Hawiye depending on with whom they reside. They also stand a separate minor Somali clan. Some members of the Ajuuraan that remained in Mogadishu define themselves as being of the Reer Hamar (Benadiri).

A man called Hill (HIIL) is said to have been a son Aqil Binn Abu Dhalib, a Queish tribe member of Arabia & an uncle of Prophet Mohamed. He is said to be the father of all Somalis.