Dibatag inhabit semi-arid, dense to scattered bush, low- to medium-height thornbush savannah and plains with thicket/grassland mosaics. They prefer sandy to moderately gravelled, ferrous oxide rich red soils, characterized by numerous termite mounds (Wilhelmi 2013). Their altitudinal range is approximately 200 to 1,200 m (Yalden et al. 1984).

Ammodorcas clarkei (Dibatag) is endemic to the Ogaden region of south-east Ethiopia, and northern and central Somalia. In Ethiopia, Dibatag formerly occurred widely in the vast plains of the Ogaden but an extensive ground survey revealed that the species was now rare or absent in the northern Ogaden but still occured locally within a reasonably large area in the southern Ogaden, where it appears to be quite common in some localities (Wilhelmi 1997). In contrast to the northern Ogaden, which has a relatively high density of settlements and concentrations of armed pastoralists and their herds, the southern Ogaden has lower human densities and extensive areas where the natural flora and fauna appear to be largely intact. The species was seen and photographed in the north-central Ogaden in March 2016 (H. Pohlstrand, in litt.). Dibatag once occurred widely in central Somalia and on the Haud Plateau in the north. By the early 1980s it had disappeared from large parts of its former range but still occurred locally in reasonable numbers in parts of the central coastal hinterland. It seems to have disappeared from Somaliland (northern Somalia) a few decades ago (Mallon and Jama 2015). In Central Somalia, local people indicated that it was still present in the late 1980s, but no more recent information is available. This area has been affected by 30 years of civil and military conflict as well as drought and overgrazing and its status is widely considered to have deteriorated, along with that of other antelope species such as Nanger soemmerringii and Oryx beisa that are easier to monitor (Wilhelmi et al. 2006).

There are no protected areas within its range and no Dibatags are known to be held in captivity, except for a few confiscated individuals in Ethiopia. Therefore there is an urgent need to initiate conservation action in those parts of its range where this may be feasible (e.g., the southern Ogaden). Negative factors continue to impact on the species and its status is likely to deteriorate unless these can be mitigated. It is shy and alert and these attributes make it difficult to hunt. The species is very poorly studied and is a high conservation priority.