Common
Slavery in Somalia
Slavery in Somalia existed as a part of the Indian Ocean and Red Sea slave trades. Habesha and Oromo peoples were enslaved and sold to foreign traders from the Middle-East and beyond, while those retained in Somalia were commonly kept as domestic servants and concubines. Enslaved women and children formed a significantly higher share than men. Ethiopian Christians were among the most popular enslaved people traded by Somali merchants. Later in the 19th century, to meet the demand for menial labor, Bantu slaves began to be exported from Zanzibar and were sold in large numbers to Somali customers. In Somali society, slaves were viewed as a source of wealth and a mark of status. According to Harold Nelson, slaves constituted the most important commodity in Somali trading networks. Somalis kept slaves for agricultural labor and herding as well as concubinage.
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