The inhabitants of the Ali Sabieh region belong mainly to the people of Issa Somali clan.

In 1963 during the first Somali-Ethiopian war a terrible massacre was perpetrated by the Ethiopian soldiers in Aysha, mainly populated by Issa Somali.

In 1977: during the Ogaden War between Somalia and Ethiopia, a second wave of populations fleeing hostilities took refuge in Ali Sabieh.

[6] The local commercial sector is centered on construction (cement) and storage of goods in transit to Ethiopia.

The western half of the region is part of the coastal plain and has an exceedingly hot, humid and arid climate.

Activities oriented towards animal production (goat and dromedary farming) and agriculture in irrigated perimeters characterize the economy of the region.

The proximity of the Ethiopian border, the railway activities linking Djibouti to Ethiopia, the storage of goods in transit to Ethiopia and the use of building materials (Ali Sabieh Cement) have made the city of Ali Sabieh a place for exchanges of cross flows.

This is where all civil servants and other agents work in the decentralized departments of ministries, in public institutions.

Most of the small business units (shops, grocery stores, taxis and internetcafes) are located in the city of Ali Sabieh.