Somba people

The Somba are a major ethnic group inhabiting primarily north-eastern Benin. The name is a generic term for the Betammaribe and related peoples, who make up about one-twelfth of Benin’s population. They are especially found in towns such as Nikki and Kandi that were once Bariba kingdoms and in Parakou in mid-eastern Benin. However there is also a significant population of Somba in northwest Benin in the Atacora region in cities such as Natitingou and a number of villages. Many Somba in the northwest have migrated to the east. In Parakou the Guema market was founded by a Somba tribe who migrated from Atacora, and it specializes in beef and pork and local millet beer known as choukachou. They are mainly known as the Ditamari.

See also

• Tata Somba