Sultan Awad Deria (; 1830–1892) was a Somali ruler and the 4th Sultan of the Habr Yunis during the late nineteenth century.
Biography Awad was among the youngest sons of Sultan Diiriye who had a total of eighteen sons from five wives. Awad along with three other sons were born to the Sultan's wife, Ebla, and are collectively known as the Bah Ebla.A General survey of the Somaliland Protectorate 1944-1950, p.137
Civil war
After the death of Sultan Hersi Aman, the Baha Diiriye and Baha Makahil sections of the Sugulle dynasty vied for the Sultanship, which divided the Habr Yunis clan into two factions, one faction led by Guled Haji crowned Awad of the Baha Diiriye and the other Nur Ahmed Aman.British Somaliland by Drake Brockman, pp.79 - 821912 Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography 1885, Volume 7, p.627 The two Sultans engaged in a lengthy war and divided the Sultanate's territory, where Awad ruled the Sultanate from his chosen capital of Burao.The Academy: a weekly review of literature, science, and art. Volume 35, 1889, p.126 Frank Linsly James visited Sultan Awad at Burao in 1884 and witnessed the dissenting situation between the two Sultans. Describing the political situation in the region, he writes: It appeared the great Habr Gerhajis tribe was divided into two rival factions, the one owning allegiance to Sultan Owd, the other to his cousin, Sultan Noor. Between these two the country was about evenly divided, and the border-line was an everlasting scene of wars and rumours of wars, cattle raids, and attempted murders.The Unknown Horn of Africa: An Exploration From Berbera to the Leopard River, 1888 The Haber-Gerhajis tribe had formerly been under one Sultan and were very powerful, making frequent raids into Ogadayn, but on his death, two cousins, Awad and Nur, divided the country between them.Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography, 1885, Volume 7, p.627 Awad was killed after a decade long war, allowing Nur to establish himself at Burao and rule over the entirety of the Habr Yunis. The Baha Diiriye still did not concede defeat and would eventually choose Awad's nephew, Madar, as their successor following Nur's death.Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 21, p.161
See also Somali aristocratic and court titles
References