Sultan's Assistance

The two sultanates of Majerten and Sayid Mohamed ABdule Hassan were in the limelight, so it worked for the British in their effort to create havoc from possible tripartite unison of power sharing and common interest amongst the Harti tribes. In 1908, when the British air jets bombarded Jidali, Badhan and Taleh, it led to the Dervish dispersal into many areas, and it took long period for the Sayid to recoup his strength back. However, Sultan Mohamoud Ali Shire and his army within the British Protectorate claimed areas of Sanaag were severely angered by the decline of Dervishes even though he was not a big supporter of that movement. To show his concerns, he ordered his army to shoot a British ship that was landing on LasQorey port. According to I.M Lewis, in his book, "Modern History of Somalia", cites this brief incidence, "The Warsangeli clan within the British protectorate on the eastern coast who under their spirited leader Gerad Mohamoud Ali Shire had now decided to throw in their lot with the Dervishes and in Jan 1908, fired on a British dhow as it was landing on their coast. This incident has led to a hostile exchange of letters with the consul at Berbera and it was evident that the Dervishes would soon be on the March again."(Lewis, 55). Furthermore, his association with Mohamoud Ali Shire as brother in law gave him access to the Makhir Coast, a door to the Arabian peninsula to import firearms and ammunition. Therefore, Dervishes marched again and once again, their movement was on the limelight. The British hitherto got extremely anxious of the return of the Dervishes with vengeance. Moreover, his alliance with clans of Isaaq proved unsuccessful after signing treaty with them in 1885 (All the Dir clans, Isaq, Gudabirsi, and Cise). Now, the British run out of options and were impelled to collaborate with Italian Somaliland and the Majerten Sultanates for comprehensive incursion, which retreated the Dervishes from their main strongholds such as Taleh. Then, sporadic resistance of guerilla tactics ensued, and the fall of their empire was crystal clear from this point. However, Gerad Mohamoud Ali Shire's establishment of governance feared the British and mainly clans in Somalia. Some clans of Warsangeli also viewed the Sultan's government as cruel and corrupt. They declared independence from his dominions as well as commencing defiance to topple him. This internal conflict occurred amongst the Warsangeli clans during the struggle of the Dervishes for the expulsion of the British and Italy imperialists. The Sayid composed poem for this situation in an attempt to lure supporters to side with him. The poem follows like this:

1-Mar hadday kudoortan isku diirad ma ihin
2-Dabcigaygu maoggola nin ku dallaasa e
3-War sow deero iyo cawl adigukamadhigin?(refers to the internal conflict asa vaunt)
4-Iney se Kuududahayaan sow ma ba dareensanid?
5-Sow dukaammadoodi daarahaaga kuma guran?
6-Sow doonyahodii dukhan naar ahkamashidin

1-Our visionary are varied once they chose you
2-My nature is averse to those who contempt you
3-Didn't I turn you into gazelle and antelope (refers to deep internal conflict among Warsangeli clans)
4-Hast thou sense their fierce resentment
5-Hadn't you taken their stores into your houses (this line refers to the English)
6-Hadn't I shelled their ships into plumes of smoke

Historically, the Sultan killed many men of this clan Bihidoor ,(Subclan of Warsangeli) which later nurtured the internal defiance and hostility based on facts I gathered from the 1855 journal of Speke(an English traveler) and elders of Warsangeli tribe through cautious inquiries. They settle, nonetheless, in Xiingalol (Most populated city in Sanag) and the long Plateau of "Xadeed" in great number even majority than Adan Sicid clan who dwell on the mountains and are said to be a majority clan. Despite the lack of stability and the pursuit of imperialists to defeat what they perceived to be their enemies, The Sultan was secretly invited a conference in Yemen to discuss issues of solving their differences. After short session before the conference began, scores of armed infidels who took him into custody surrounded him. Later, he was tried without prosecution and defense on his case. The verdict was to deport him out of his native country for at least seven (7) years based on accusations for forming his own government. However, truth is that the British did not want to face the Sultan in a battle but fulfilled their mission in a tactics of malicious mischief.