19th century During the early to mid-19th century, Aynaba was the headquarters of the Soocane military faction led by the famous poet and military leader
Kite Fiqi.
Dervish movement The town was one of many temporary local centers that the
Dervish movement operated from, led by the
Mad Mullah's second in command
Haji Sudi of the
Adan Madoba subclan of the
Habr Je'lo. The town was also the sight of clashes between the movement's Sufi tariqa, the
Salihiyya and its rival, the
Qadiriyya in 1955.
Guba series Following a string of
Habr Je'lo victories over the
Dhulbahante after the collapse of the Dervish movement, in which they had captured many wells and reduced their opponents to a pitiful state, including expelling them from Aynaba and the wider Aynaba district,
Salaan Carrabey composed a boastful poem dedicated to Aynaba called
Haadaaqsi.
Conquest of Aynaba The
Isaaq clan expanded into traditional
Dhulbahante territory to the east. This expansion was led primarily by the
Habr Je’lo subclan. The clan boundary between the Habr Je'lo and the Dhulbahante during the 19th century was traditionally in
Laba Garday, a pass in the
Buurdhaab mountain chain situated between
War Idaad and
Wadamago. The Dhulbahante had previously inhabited just east of Burao. The Habr Je'lo took advantage of the Dhulbahante's weakness after the defeat of the Dervish movement to conquer much of their important wells and grazing grounds. The Habr Je'lo subsequently expanded into and beyond the Saraar plain and the Ain Valley (which includes Aynaba), pushing the Dhulbahante southwards towards the
Haud: One of the most significant military and territorial gains was the Habr Je'lo conquest of the strategic town of Aynaba during a tribal war between the Habr Je'lo and the Dhulbahante in 1954–55. At the start of the 20th century Aynaba and its surroundings were inhabited by the Dhulbahante, who controlled the important wells there, which was seized by the Habr Je'lo alongside the town itself. The immediate cause of the war was camel rustling in Erigavo District (today Sanaag region) perpetrated by the famous Dhulbahante warrior, Ali Guun. The camel rustling perpetrated by Ali Guun was however a bloody affair, which precipitated an all-out tribal conflict between the two clans. The death of Ali Guun in Ban 'Ade, a plain between
Garadag and
Hudun turned the tide against the Dhulbahante, with the actual war later on being fought in an area further south of
Las Anod.
Drought Between 1974 and 1975, a major drought referred to as the
Abaartii Dabadheer ("The Lingering Drought") occurred in modern-day Somaliland and the neighbouring northern
Puntland region of Somalia. The
Soviet Union, which at the time maintained strategic relations with the
Siad Barre government, airlifted some 90,000 people from the devastated regions of Aynaba and the towns of
Beer and
Hobyo. New small settlements referred to as
Danwadaagaha ("Collective Settlements") were then created in
Jubbada Hoose (Lower Jubba) and
Jubbada Dhexe (Middle Jubba) regions. The transplanted families were also introduced to farming and fishing techniques, a change from their traditional pastoralist lifestyle of livestock herding. == Oil exploration ==