Yes I see we are similar, as Ciise. But it's not all rainbows, there has always been a clear distinction. Afar language is very alien to a Somali. We still consider each other to be seperate ethnicities and we never claim to be of similar lineages.
That's very different to the relationship with Samaroon who are seen as just other Dir Somali. There's a very big difference in that alone. Though I can admit culture, language & ethnicity gets very tangled. Gurgura are Dir and very close to Ciise. But they speak Oromo.
Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of Afar, larger than gurgura, speak af somali and have assimilated into Ciise society in Djibouti city.