The 12 Koofi, more commonly known as Reer Marka, are a Somali confederation of clans inhabiting the city of Merca and other southern coastal towns of Somalia.Reer Marka, also known as 12 Koofi are confederation of clans part of the larger confederacy Benadiri based in the southern port town of Marka.
Members of this group of clans can also be found all over southern Somalia, especially coastal towns such as: Mogadishu, Baraawe, Kismayo, Gendershe, Dhanaane, Jilib, Marka and Jaziira.
Reer Marka or the 12 Koofi speak a very unique dialect of the Somali language even though Lamberti[who?]
According to Hassan Osman Ahmed's "La Citta' di Marka, I Biimaal e il Dominio Sulla Costa Somala" book 12 Koofi are split into 2 groups lixda gibil cad (Somali: 6 lightskin) and lixda gibil madow (Somali: 6 darkskin).
[3] These Groups are: According to a more recent paper sent to the Federal Government of Somalia the list elders came from 16 different clans[4] and are as follow: