Jidali

Jidali (Jiidali) is a town in the Sanaag region of Somalia.

Overview
Jidali is located north east of the provincial capital Erigavo.

The grave of Zubeyr Awal, the eponymous ancestor of the Habr Awal, is located in the town. The town is approximately 100 km east of the tomb of his grandfather Sheikh Ishaaq bin Ahmed, the founding father of the Isaaq clan family, whose tomb is located in the coastal town of Maydh.

History


Jidali was one of many temporary headquarters of the Dervish movement led by Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, to which him and his forces fled to after their defeat in Jidbali. The town is home to a fort used by the Dervishes to threaten the coast inhabited by the Warsangeli, a tribe friendly to the British. The Jidali fort was a cross-shaped fort of was also the first place in Africa to be bombed via aerial bombardment by a tally of four sorties of De Havilland DH-9's on 21 January 1920.

Siege of Jidali
In late April 1916, the Warsangeli under the orders of Mohamoud Ali Shire attacked the Dervish forces based at the Jidali fort, besieging them and looting their stock. With news of the assault having reached the Dervish of Cershida and Surut, reinforcements were sent to Jidali to repulse the attackers, where the Warsangeli were defeated and the Dervishes managed to recover their stock.

On the evening of Saturday the 6th, the Dervishes set out to punish the Warsangeli with a force composed of 2,000 Sa'ad Yunis and Uduruhmin Dervishes led by Ibrahim Boghol, a commander of the Adan Madoba sub-division of the Habr Je'lo clan, who swept down on the Warsangeli capital, Las Khorey. Ibrahim's forces captured the eastern portion of the town, killing many Warsangeli fighters. The force managed to surround the settlement and capture the only source of water, causing many to die of thirst. While Las Khorey was being besieged, the Warsangeli were able to secretly send a dhow to Aden to request help from the British Navy, and on May 10 Lancelot Turton commanding HMS Northbrook arrived at Las Khorey and commenced to shell Ibrahim and his forces with Lyddite explosives, forcing them to retreat to the mountains and thus ending the deadly siege.

Recent
In March 2024, the Somaliland Ministry of Agriculture provided farm equipment to farmers in Jidali.

Demographics
According to a book published in England in 1951, the town is inhabited by people from Naleye Ahmed, Ugadhyahan sub-subtribe of the numerous Mohamoud Garad, a which is a main branch of the Dhulbahante.

Michael Walls in the book Peace in Somaliland: an indigenous approach to state-building reports;

"Jiidali had long been a Habar jclo town, but the Habar Yoonis had occupied the area after the Dhulbahante retreat to Sool following the Damalahagare conflict. For this reason, the Dhulbahante were offended when the town was selected as the venue for the meeting and subsequently held a grudge against the Warsangeli for agreeing to meet"

Members of the Habr Awal clan frequent this town on pilgrimage to pay siyaro to the grave of their ancestor and forefather Zubeyr Awal.