User:Ruralgreek/Gurreh District

Gurreh District [current Mandera County] derives its name after the indigenous and predominant Garre tribe. .The Gurreh District is situated in Kenya's northeast. It shares boundaries with Wajir County to the southwest, Federal Republic of Somalia to the east, and Ethiopia to the north. The county is located between longitudes 390 47' East and 410 4.8' East, and latitudes 20 11' North and 40 17' North. It encompasses 25,991.5 km2 in size.

Overview
The name Gurreh District  was given by Sir Vincent Glenday, Chief Shaba Alio and the prominent elder, Aw Gababa Alio in 1900. Gurreh District was created by the military administration. Administration of Gurreh from Moyale prevailed from 1912 to 1923. Moyale station was established in 1907 to supervise the frontier between the Protectorate and Abyssinia. In 1910, it became headquarters both for its district and the Northern Frontier District. Gurreh substation was established during the military control of the area, but with the return of civil administration and reinstitution of civilian control in 1926, Gurreh District was administered as separate district. It merged with Moyale from 1929 until 1941, with Gurreh functioning as a sub-district. Though evacuated in 1940, Gurreh re -acquired district status upon its reoccupation in 1941.

History
Both Garre and Ajuran claim to have lived in their present locations in Gurreh district and northern part of Wajir District prior to the sixteen century expansion of the oromo people. The Rendile, Gabra and Sakuye a are believed to have split from the original Garre and Ajuran during a long trek journey.or  'Kedi guur' (migration-migration). .

Pre-Colonial Period
The Gurreh District had a long history of battles for dominance. The first conflict was between the Borana people from Ethiopia and the Garre from Somalia. The Garre leaders had their headquarters near the ancient trading city of Luuq. The fighting broke out at a place called Dadacha Warrab, as the Garre attempted to defeat the Borana who were entrenched in settlements around Korome and Rhamu hills, narrow gorges provided good defense lines. Many fighters on both sides died. The Borana forces were pushed to new defense bases at Rhamu & Ashabito and El Wak wells, but were ultimately defeated and the Garre claimed victory and their ancient land.

Murulle & Deegodia
The Murule people, under their leader Adan Hirsi, came from hiraan region of Somalia and settled in the Gedo region. They requested friendship with the Garre, but their request was rejected. The Garre eventually allowed the Murule and Degodia to settle in Gurreh District, but tensions rose as the two communities grew. The Degodia and Murule soon changed their tune and rebelled against the Quranyow, leading to the Colka Caalin (Civil war). The war resulted in the defeat of the Degodia and Murule, and they fled to Ado in Ethiopia. The Murule were later granted grazing rights in Rhamu by Sayid Ali after paying him a "shaben" of 100 camels and giving 100 girls in marriage to the Garre, while the Degodia migrated to Wajir district in 1913 and while those who decided to stay in the Gurreh district and paid camels to the Garre for access to grazing domains.

Colonial Period
According to the Kenyan National Archive, Mandera was made the District Headquarters in 1910 and was the capital of the Northern Frontier District until it was moved to Meru in 1919. At the time, only the Garre tribe lived in the area. In 1924, a public baraza was held to settle the boundary dispute between Mandera (Gurreh District) and Wajir District. This mutual demarcation line separated the two communities, with Gurreh District stretching from Boloble to the Italian Somaliland boundary. .

Interclan clashes
The relationship between the Garre community and its neighbors in the Gurreh District is complicated by territorial issues and historical rivalries. The Garre believe they have grazing rights throughout the district, but the government has established exclusive areas for each tribe, leading to tension with the Murulle and Degodia. The Degodia's agreement to pay taxes to the British after WW2 gave them good relations with the British granting them grazing rights over certain Ashabito and Banisa, which added to the difficulties between them and the Garre. The pre-colonial rivalry between the Garre and other clans is crucial to understanding the current inter-clan disputes in the district. The Garre view themselves as superior and the first Somali group to arrive in Mandera, and believe their claims to larger areas of the district have not changed.

Geography
The Gurreh District is located in the northeastern region of Kenya, bordering Somalia to the east and Ethiopia to the north. The county covers an area of approximately 25,797 square kilometers and is one of the largest counties in Kenya.

The county's terrain is generally flat and consists of dry grasslands, shrubs, and acacia trees. The county lies within the larger arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) of Kenya, which are characterized by low rainfall and harsh weather conditions. The Dawa River, which flows along the border between Kenya and Somalia, is one of the main sources of water in the area.

The district is also home to several wildlife species, including the reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich, and lesser kudu. The county is also part of the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) conservation area, which aims to promote wildlife conservation and community development.

Climate
The climate in Gurreh District ( Mandera county) is classified as arid and semi-arid, with very little rainfall throughout the year. The area is located near the equator, which means that the temperature remains relatively constant throughout the year. The average annual temperature in the District is around 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit), with temperatures sometimes rising as high as 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) during the hottest months. The district typically experiences two rainy seasons, with the short rains occurring between October and December and the long rains between March and May.The average annual rainfall is approximately 250mm