Biyomaal

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Main article: Somali clan

The Biyomaal (Somali: Biimaal) is a Somali clan that forms part of the Dir and live along the coastline of the southern part of Somalia.

The Biyomaal of Merca fought against the Italian colonial rulers of Italian Somaliland in a twenty-year war known as the Biyamaal Revolt, in which the Dir assassinated several Italian governors. During the Biyamaal Revolt several prominent leaders were killed and their memorial monuments can still be found in Merca in the Shabeellaha Hoose region.

The Biyomaal were one of the self-governing clans of 17th century and they had a Sultanate that governed the coastal area of the Shabeellaha Hoose region.

During the last decades of Somali Civil War (1988 - current), Biyomaal were one of the unarmed clans in Southern Somalia but have retained their influence in the policy of the failed state.

[edit] Notable figures

• Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail, deputy prime minister and foreign minister in the transitional government of Somalia