ABSTRACT
Runaway slaves, known on the coast as watoro, survived by shifting loyalties or locations, altering appearances, and acting new roles. Thickest of skin were the Gosha of southern Somalia, who founded communities in the 1830s that survived into the twentieth century. Gosha's early history, however, reads more like a suicidal tale than a success story. Somali expansion ultimately embroiled the watoro in the slave trade. The Muhammad Zubeir (Ogaden) and Tunni, who traded slaves before the war, led the campaigns against the Oromo and benefitted from the sudden burst in the export of Oromo slaves and cattle along the northern coast. The Gosha watoroacted as intermediaries between the Muhammad Zubeir and the Tunni of Barawa. Slave raiding dispersed settled populations and ignited a scramble for security. Refugees from the Shimba hills and the surrounding areas fled Mbaruk's men and moved into the Mombasa hinterland. Mbaruk employed runaway slaves, and his capital was defended by armed watoro.
