Coup d'etat Abdirashid Shermarke, the 2nd president of Somalia, was assassinated outside the municipal headquarters of
Las Anod in Northern Somalia on 15 October 1969. Shermarke had been visiting drought-stricken areas in the northeast when the assassin, Said Yusuf Ismail, shot and killed him.
Henry Kissinger, then
United States National Security Advisor, concluded that the assassin acted independently. Shermarke had been elected in 1964 with support from the Soviet Union and other communist states during his campaign. On 21 October 1969, at 3:00 a.m., Siad Barre,
Jama Ali Korshel,
Salaad Gabeyre Kediye,
Mohamed Ainanshe Guled, and the military
overthrew the parliamentary government of the existing
Somali Republic. One of the primary causes of the coup was widespread corruption and mishandling of public funds between the Office of the Prime Minister and the National Assembly; consequently, many members of the police and armed forces became disillusioned with the government. The assassin of former President Abdirashid Shermarke Ismail was tried, tortured, and executed by the
Supreme Revolutionary Council. Notably, Ismail shared the same clan background as President Shermarke.
Early years In 1970, one year after the coup, Siad Barre declared Somalia to be a
communist state and set upon the 'Somalization' of the country, a scheme to diminish clan loyalties and create a 'dutiful Somali' country. The
Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC), which came to power following President Shermarke's assassination, was led by Lieutenant General
Salaad Gabeyre Kediye and Chief of Police
Jama Ali Korshel. Kediye held the official title of "Father of the Revolution" with Barre as the head of the SRC. The SRC arrested members of the former civilian government, banned political parties, dissolved the National Assembly, and suspended the constitution.
Literacy campaign The Somali revolutionary army initiated large-scale public works programs in 1972, and implemented an urban and rural literacy campaign, significantly increasing the literacy rate from 5% pre-campaign to 55% by the mid-1970s. However, exact pre-campaign rates are disputed by scholars as reports were unlikely to include literacy attained through religious education. In 1975 the Somali ministry of education was awarded a UNESCO prize. Former US ambassador to Somalia praised Somali literacy efforts:UNESCO reportedly examined this and found that when Somalis closed down the schools for two years and sent everybody to the field with chalk and blackboards and radio receivers, that they did, in a period of five years, go from a 12-16% literacy rate to an 86% literacy rate. The Somalis that I know, having been back four times since retirement, and having the privilege of traveling anywhere in the country, would say it certainly is well over 50%. Exactly how high it is, I have no way of judging. But I think it is one of the most remarkable achievements of any country in Africa.In addition to a
nationalization program for industry and land, the new regime's foreign policy emphasized Somalia's traditional and religious ties with the
Arab world, leading to its eventual membership in the
Arab League (AL) in 1974. That same year, Barre also served as
chairperson of the
Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor of the
African Union (AU). Somalia also initially adhered to a populist
communist philosophy. Consequently, Barre's regime lent support to various anti-colonial movements, including the rebellion in the
Republic of South Africa (RSA) against that country's then-ruling
apartheid government. As chairman of the
Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1974, a rotating seat, Barre invited the
African National Congress (ANC) as an equal member and gave them a platform to have their voices heard. Barre's government also trained South African guerillas and gave them access to military hardware and naval assets. On July 1976, Barre’s SRC disbanded and established the
Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP) as a one-party government based on
scientific socialism and Somali-Islamic principles. Barre retained his position as party head. The SRSP aimed to reconcile the official state ideology with the official state religion, emphasizing
Islamic principles of social progress, equality, and justice. The government argued that these principles formed the core of
scientific socialism, along with a focus on
self-sufficiency, public participation, popular control, and direct ownership of the
means of production. While the SRSP encouraged limited private investment, the administration's overall direction was proclaimed as
socialist. Barre was also the only head of state to attend
Mozambique's independence celebrations. Along with the
Soviet Union and
Cuba, Barre also sent martial reinforcements to assist the government of
Samora Machel against
Rhodesian and
Portuguese forces. Rhodesian guerrillas in
Maputo at the time "bragged to Portuguese correspondents that Somali tanks will be used in future operations against
Ian Smith’s forces. In their struggle against the Rhodesians,
Zambia appealed to other African countries for military support. On 27 June 1977, President
Kenneth David Kaunda speaking to a crowd of Zambians in
Lusaka announced that Somalia's armed forces were prepared to aid his country against the
Rhodesians.
Somali Air Force pilots stood on standby to fly Zambian
MiGs in case of a war. Despite these relations, however, Barre's administration was also one of the few governments on the continent that maintained regular and extensive contacts with
South Africa's apartheid regime. The Somali government would grow increasingly closer with the Republic of South Africa (RSA) during the 1980s, as it progressively abandoned its initial communist philosophy. After fallout from the unsuccessful Ogaden War campaign, Mogadishu sought new allies and approached
Pretoria for assistance. Barre viewed the South African government as a potential partner on account of the RSA's own military struggle against communist forces. A South African delegation was subsequently hosted in Somalia's capital in May 1984, where the Somali Defense Minister declared that "RSA and Somalia have the same aggressors". Sharing of military intelligence characterized the two administrations' relationship. The South African government also hoped to secure a position as an armaments supplier for the Somali military, with a view toward using Somalia as an entree into the
Middle Eastern weapons market.
Ogaden War friendship and later partnership with the United States enabled Somalia to build the largest
mechanised army on the continent. On 13 July 1977, the
Ogaden War against
Ethiopia erupted when Barre's government aimed to annex the predominantly Somali-inhabited
Ogaden region into a Pan-Somali
Greater Somalia. This conflict was part of a broader
Somali National Army (SNA) initiative to unify all Somali territories, known as Soomaaliweyn. The
USSR, finding itself initially supplying both sides of the war, attempted to mediate a ceasefire. When their efforts failed, all aid to Siad Barre's regime was halted, while arms shipments to Ethiopia were increased citing disapproval of the Somali incursion. Soviet military aid (second in magnitude only to the October 1973 gigantic resupplying of Syrian forces during the
Yom Kippur War) and advisors flooded into Ethiopia along with around 15,000
Cuban combat troops. Other communist countries offered assistance: the
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen offered military assistance and
North Korea helped train a "People's Militia";
East Germany likewise offered training, engineering and support troops. As the scale of communist assistance became clear in November 1977, Somalia broke diplomatic relations with the
Eastern Bloc (with the exception of
Romania) and expelled all Soviet citizens from the country. . In the first week of the war, the
Somali National Army achieved swift victories over Ethiopian forces, overpowering its military hardware and technological capabilities, as was the case in the
Battle of Jijiga in mid-September 1977. This initial success surprised many American military observers who maintained an officially neutral stance. Southern and central
Ogaden were quickly captured by the SNA as it continued its advance, making it as far as
Sidamo and
Bale. By September 1977, Somalia controlled 90% of the Ogaden region, capturing some strategic cities like
Jijiga and putting heavy pressure on others like
Dire Dawa, the latter of which harbored a key airbase and rail route to the
Red Sea. By 17 August, elements of the Somali army had reached the outskirts of the strategic city of
Dire Dawa in an effort to sabotage Ethiopia's war efforts by striking at its crop exports and critical equipment imports. The SNA advanced with two motorized brigades, one tank battalion and one BM battery towards the city against Ethiopian forces consisting of the Ethiopian Second Militia Division, the 201 Nebelbal battalion, 781 battalion of the 78th Brigade, the 4th Mechanized Company, and a tank platoon possessing two tanks. Following the siege of
Harar the Soviets launched a large intervention force, made up of 20,000 Cuban troops and several thousand Soviet advisers supporting Ethiopia's communist
Derg regime. On 15 March 1978, a
ceasefire was negotiated, bringing an end to the war. This shift in Soviet support prompted the Barre government to seek new allies, eventually turning to the United States, which had been courting Somalia to counter to Soviet influence. Ultimately, Somalia's initial alliance with the Soviet Union and subsequent partnership with the United States enabled it to build the largest army in Africa.
Coup attempt around the year 1970. On 9 April 1978 a coup was attempted against the Somali government of President
Siad Barre. The United States
Central Intelligence Agency estimated that the coup, led by former Colonel
Mohamed Osman Irro, alongside him Lieutenant Colonel
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed who both served in the Ogaden war, involved around 24 officers, 2,000 soldiers, and 65 tanks. Gunfire broke out in the city of
Afgooye, south of the capital
Mogadishu, small arms fire and explosions were heard on the outskirts of the capital. The coup was originally planned to start in
Hargeisa, a city in northern Somalia, but Barre likely knew of the attempt in advance and was able to disrupt the coup before it launched, as well as position forces loyal to himself in the capital. The attempted coup was unsuccessful; 17 alleged ringleaders, including Osman, were
summarily executed by
firing squad, and Abdullahi Yusuf fled to the neighboring country of Ethiopia, which was considered an enemy by the Somali government. Barre used the coup as justification to
purge certain members belonging to the same clan as the men involved in the coup from government and military positions.
Aftermath After fleeing Somalia Abdullahi Yusuf and his men would find an armed anti-Siad Barre militia backed by the
Derg regime in Ethiopia, 'created, organized, trained and financed by Ethiopia'. Initially called the Somali Salvation Front (SSF; later the
Somali Salvation Democratic Front, SSDF), which would soon oppose the Somali government. Barre blamed the coup attempt on the
Eastern Bloc, namely the
Soviet Union and
Cuba, countries that supported Ethiopia in the Ogaden War, he labeled them "new imperialists".
1982 Ethiopian–Somali Border War Between June and August 1982, the Ethiopian military, supported by hundreds of SSDF rebels led by
Abdullahi Yusuf invaded central
Somalia. After a SNA force infiltrated the
Ogaden, it joined up with the WSLF and attacked an Ethiopian army unit outside
Shilabo, about 150 kilometers northwest of
Beledweyne.
Ethiopia retaliated by launching an operation against
Somalia. soldier stands between two captured Ethiopian
BTR-60 armored carriers that were disabled in battle. On 30 June 1982, Ethiopian army units, together with SSDF guerrillas, struck at several points along Ethiopia's southern border with Somalia, the operation initially aimed to advance all the way to the
Somali coastline and ultimately
overthrow the Barre regime. This ended in a stalemate at the border towns of
Galdogob and
Balanbale about 50 kilometers northwest of
Galcaio. Further Ethiopian attacks were repulsed by the SNA even after Ethiopia aligned with the SSDF rebels who had the larger army with approximately 10,000 to 15,000 Ethiopian troops, equipped with Soviet-supplied MIG fighters and
T-55 tanks and were accompanied by 2,000 to 5,000
Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) rebels, who were similarly armed with tanks and received support from Ethiopian artillery and air forces. These accomplishments paired with Barre's own political efforts created an upsurge in domestic support for him during the war.
Collapse In 1979, a new constitution was introduced, leading to elections for a People's Assembly. Despite this, Barre's Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP) continued to maintain control. reached its peak during the
Isaaq genocide (1987–1989) in response to the attacks against the Somali government by militant groups during the
1970 Zeila uprising (led by
Mohamed Farah Dalmar Yusuf, subsequent key member of the SNM) and later bombings within the city of
Hargeisa by the
Somali National Movement (SNM) a militant rebel organization backed by Ethiopia of predominantly Isaaq supporters. Civilian death estimates range from 50,000 to 200,000. Groups opposed to Barre’s regime predominantly supported by Ethiopia, emerged across the country and mounting tensions led to the breakout of the
Somali Civil War. Among these militia groups were the
Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF), the
Somali National Movement (SNM), and the
Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), alongside non-violent political opposition such as the
Somali Democratic Movement (SDM), the
Somali Democratic Alliance (SDA) and the Somali Manifesto Group (SMG). On 26 January 1991, Barre was
ousted from power leaving behind a
power vacuum between opposition groups in its wake. == New constitution ==