Haroun, also called Fadhiweyn, and natively transliterated as Xarunta in Somali, was a government and headquarters of the Dervishes, headed by Faarax Mahmud Sugulle. According to Claude Edward Marjoribanks Dansey, the political officer in the British Somali Coast Protectorate consisted of 400 individuals. The capture of the haroun was regarded as conceivably resulting in the Sayyid's surrender. In the third expedition, major Paul Kenna was tasked "by every means" to find where the haroun is.
Background The Darawiish haroun was preceded by the Darawiish legal court tariqa (Somali: Maxkamadaha Darawiish) which existed among the Dhulbahante as early as 1895. "He acquired some notoriety by seditious preaching in Berbera in 1895, after which he returned to his tariga in Kob Faradod, in the Dolbahanta," according to the Official History of the operations in Somaliland 1901–1904. The legal court Darawiish tariqa according to Douglas Jardine, was primarily engaged in settling legal disputes. This early Darawiish court tariqa was also described as friendly to the British government:
he ... was regarded by the local Government as being on the side of law and order. From time to time he corresponded with the Vice-Consul at Berbera about tribal matters, and occasionally he would send down as prisoners to the Vice-Consular Court Somalis who had been guilty of criminal offences in the interior. Thus, he acquired very considerable influence over the tribesmen... In Darawiish nomenclature, a person learned in the rulings, legal codes and stipulations of this early Darawiish court, was referred to as a muqaddim, which roughly translates as arbitrator. The British newspaper Chester Courant, rehashing British intelligence reports, stated that the early Darawiish community existed as early as 1895 as a court of appeal community:
After his return from Mecca in 1895, he retired to Kob fardod, his place of residence and a village inhabited by Mullah's in the Dolbahanta country ... tribes electing to regard him as a court of appeal in their tribal disputes ... he strove to put down raiding.
Leadership The head of the Haroun presided over the Darawiish government, and oversaw commerce, domestic and foreign affairs, as well as other Darawiish-related oversight. The head of the haroun, i.e. the head of the dervish government has been described in various sources, with Farah Mahamud Sugulle described as the head of the haroun during the 1890s and 1900s decades:
1895 – 1910: Faarax Maxamud Sugulle; was the head of the haroun during the 1890s and 1900s decades. He is described as head of the Haroun in an article by The Times of London in March 1910: I am strengthening the Darud by the issue of over 200 rifles, and an attack on the Haroun under Omar Doreh, who is to take place of Farah Mahmud, is being organized As head of the haroun, it was the norm to consult the Head of Haroun, Faarax Maxamuud Sugulle, for any important matter requiring decisions within the Darawiish. For example, upon the first military defeat suffered by Darawiish at the battle of Jidbaale in 1904, despite the presence of qusuusi, Faarax Maxamuud Sugulle was typically singled out to provide deliberation. However out of humility, he would defer to the deputy Head of Haroun, Carab Illaawe:
Henry Francis Battersby, in his 1914 book on the Darawiish, described Farah Sugulleh as "one of the biggest men" in the Darawiish.
Successors Carab Illaawe; Illaawe was the person to whom Sugulle would refer to during decision making, as such making him deputy head of haroun. Proposal of March 1910 Omer Doreh; Omer Doreh was in March planned to take the place of Farah Mahamud Sugulle, however, before he could take Sugulle's place as head of the haroun, in that month both Doreh and Sugulle defected from the dervishes in the Anjeel incident described below.
Sugulle family
The son of Faarax Maxamuud Sugulle, Jama, lived through the final decade of Dervish resistance to colonialism, and would continue to be influential in the Dervish realm upon the independence of Somalia in 1960. For example, upon Somalia's independence Jama revived the Darawiish heritage by becoming the founder as well as head executive of the Somali Dervish unit, and he also was the overseer of the widely publicised coronation of Garaad Abdiqani in 1985. Since the advent of the federal era in Somalia, several police units modelled after the Somali Dervish unit created by Jama Sugulle have surfaced, including Galmudug Dervish, Hirshabelle Dervish, Jubaland Dervish etc. According to Claude Edward Marjoribanks Dansey, Barni Maxamuud Sugulle, the sister of Faarax Maxamuud Sugulle and fifth wife of the Sayid, was the commander of Indhabadan (lit. "Many Eyes"), a 600 member Darawiish division with 400 spearmen and 200 riflemen of which half was composed of Naleeye Axmed subclan of Ugaadhyahan Dhulbahante and the other half Qayaad Dhulbahante:
According to Richard Corfield, Sugulle family member Abbane Mohamud Sugulle was likewise a commander in the Darawiish, particularly, the base at Haysimo, which according to British officer Dansey, was a base held by Burcadde-Godwein administrative division. The name of Cabbane Sugulle is misspelled as Abaim Sugulleh; he commanded the Burcadde-Godwein base together with Askar Doreh:
The following Mullah's headman are reported in the Warsangli “karias” at Haisamo:—Asker Doreh, Mijjertein, and Abaim Mahomed Suggulleh, Dolbahanta Ba Ararsama. British intelligence reports further state that one of the Taargooye subdivisions was commanded by Badhiidh Sugulle.
History In this meeting several senior members of the Daraawiish called for sedition in one way or another. Individuals who took part in this conspiracy include:
Haaji Hasan 'Awl, Darwiish governor Abdalla Qoriyow, who was the Darwiish magistrate in Taleh Ahmad Fiqi, who was a Darwiish theologian Faarah Mahamuud Sugulle, who was head of the haroun and the wealthiest person in the Daraawiish 'Abdalla Shihiri, who was a Darwiish envoy Nur Hashi, who was a khusuusi Three plans were put forth, including (a) killing the Sayyid and replacing him with a new leader, (b) replacing him without killing him, and (c) deserting the Darwiish en masse. At the end, the third plan was carried out.
Notification The Sayyid was informed about the conspiracy by a man of the Jama Siyaad subclan called Shire Cumbaal, also spelled Shire Umbaal. The exact words spoken by Shire Cumbaal was:
Aftermath
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