The Benadiri are a southern coastal ethnic minority descended from ethnic Somalis as well as Arabs, Persians, Indians, and coastal Bantu peoples. Historically, they formed a successful nonpastoral mercantilist class and were instrumental in the spread of Islam in Somalia. Benadiri participated in nationalist politics at independence, forming their own political parties. Despite these auspicious roots, the Benadiri were severely disadvantaged during the civil war, in part because they did not form a militia to protect community interests and were subject to severe targeted violence and looting. Most fled as refugees to Kenya, though small populations remain and pay local militias for protection.
Sources:
Martin Hill, “No Redress: Somalia’s Forgotten Minorities,” Minority Rights Group International (2010), accessed February 18, 2014.