The Bursuuk were one of the Somali clans that fought on the left flank of Imam
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi's army during the
Ethiopian-Adal War. According to
Antoine d'Abbadie, he notes that the Barentu Oromo had occupied
Dakkar from the Bursuuk which they have integrated in their mythology. The Bursuuk are considered one of the native Dir tribes of Harar. During the
Egyptian occupation of
Harar, the Bursuuk resisted the Egyptian colonizers and fought many battles against them. During the Egyptian retreat from Harar, they burned many Barsuuk villages. In retaliation, the Bursuuk attacked the retreating Egyptian troops, and looted caravans of the
Habr Awal clan.
Richard Burton described the Bursuuk as one of "
the Somalis of the mountains" who derive themselves from the Dir. During 1854 that they were at war with three different clans or tribes: the Girhi, the Berteri and the Gallas (who are known today as
Oromos). ==References==