Somalia's Violent Background:

[The-Screw]

In my efforts to understand more clearly how Somalia's current state of hopelessness came to be, I've been dedicating most of my time reading books and researching Its past. I almost wish I had not read this though, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_Rev ... 86-1992%29 talk about a history of violence, my God.

[sadeboi]

adigune ma bilowdey???

Wikipedia is not a good place to start. And all of that is quite garbage, you can look back to old posts were people debated about this, you would have a better understanding of this dude.

[The-Screw]

waxbo ma bilaabin sxb, I'm just saying, regardless of who was at fault, Somalia has a history of violence far worst than people think, making any type of peace efforts extremely hard.

[sadeboi]

Warsame101 clearly explains:


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Many people have forwarded this question without receiving a satisfactory reply despite the fact that the chain events of the Somali History sufficiently provide an answer for this question.

In 1977, The Somali National Army and the WSLF (Western Somali Liberation Front), went to war in an aim to dislodge the Somali Region from the colonial Ethiopian power. Upon capturing up to 90% of its territory, the Soviets intervened by switching allegiance from Somalia to Ethiopia which lead to the mass-expulsion of the Soviets from Somalia soil. After Ethiopia received an enormous help in military hardware (totalling over 1 billion dollars) and foreign troops from the Soviets and its allies (Cuba), the coalition started launching a massive attack that pushed the Somali National Army back to the Somali borders. Even though this was a staggering defeat, the spirit of the Somali people remained roused.

A group of a clan-based militia with a lust for power were the current interim president of Somalia (Abdulahi Yusuf) was part of, decided to stage a coup at a time where the country was at its crossroads with the loss of the Somali Region. Even though they had failed to successfully perform the coup, it was fiercely condemned by the Somali population and was portrayed as an attempt to take advantage at a time of national crisis. Prominent Somali poets rushed to their pens and started devising poems rebuking this clan-based coup.

Some of the culprits behind the failed coup were charged with treason and subsequently executed, as witnessed by the Mogadishu residents whilst others fled to Addis Abba, Ethiopia, thereby creating a clan-based rebel group named SSDF with Abdulahi Yusuf as its head. This was an attempt to over-throw the current regime and reverse the situation of Somalia to the days of neo-colonialism where all the political power was concentrated to a small clan.

In 1982, the rebel group SSDF supported by a 10,000 strong Ethiopian force aided by tanks, artillery and jet fighter aircraft invaded Somalia and briefly captured the Somali border towns of Galdogob and Balanbale with the aim to drive inland to the towns of Galkayo and Beledweyn. Somali inhabitants of these border towns were ruthlessly massacred. Consequently, a national emergency was declared by President Mohamed Siad Barre and the Somali National Army, aided by jet fighter aircrafts were sent there to dislodge the Somali towns from the grip of the Ethiopian invasion force. Simultaneously, large rallies were held by the Somali population to condemn this treachery invasion.[8] Even though, the rebel group with its Ethiopian allies were pushed back, the move opened eyes to the slightest disgruntled Somali individual that with the help of foreign power, he will have the ability to over-throw the current national regime.

In the early 1980’s, the narcotic plant (khat) was banned and Mohamed Siad’s Finance Minister, Abdulahi Ahmed Addow, closed down the Berbera trade which at that time enjoyed a tax-free exportation, on what he claimed were fiscal grounds. This lead to the rise of the clan-based SNM rebel group who by showing their dissatisfaction with this move by the Finance Minister, decided to start taking arms against the Somali government.[9] In accordance with the first clan-based rebel group, they started asking for Ethiopian help. Ethiopia, satisfied by this started arming and training them. President Mohamed Siad Barre started issuing calls for them to come to the tables and leave the refuge of the Ethiopian government whose solely aim was to destabilize Somalia. The rebel groups rejected this plea and started conducting hit-and-run tactics on civilian and military positions in a bid to destabilize Somalia.

The rebel groups decided to wage propaganda wars to lure more clan kinsmen to their groups and bring the outlawed tribalism back to its stages of inception. In 1986, the President was injured in a car accident where he was immediately flown to Saudi Arabia and remained in a coma for several months. During this brief incident, Somalia’s stability started detoriating and the rebel groups took advantage of this crisis by issuing false statements that the President had died.

After the President returned to his country, he was advised to take it easy and only permit his presidential duties to public appearances and minor duties. He spent most of the time-sleeping whilst his vice-president Mohamed Ali Samatar assumed power in his absence.

By 1986, the SSDF was already dissolved, as there was a disagreement with the rebel group and the Ethiopian Army about whether the Somali border towns of Balanballe and Galdogob belonged to Ethiopia or Somalia. The head of the rebel group was jailed and its members decided to join the Somali government as a bid to provide reconciliation. It was a move welcomed by the President as he started calling other rebel groups to come to the table and talk.

By 1988, President Mohamed Siad engaged in a peace treaty with Ethiopia whereby both countries would cease support for insurgent groups seeking to overthrow the respective governments in Ethiopia and Somalia. The SNM rebel group were homeless and decided to launch a full-scale attack on the northern cities Hargeisa and Burao which lead to the exodus of thousands of Somali civilians to the neighbouring Ethiopia. After they captured the two towns, they decided to engage in a retaliatory attack whereby they started executing members belonging to the family group of the late President. The Somali National Army retaliated by shelling the cities after receiving a direct order from the Vice President, Mohamed Ali Samatar. On the aftermath, where the shelling of both the SNM and Somali National Army ceased on the city, 5,000 Somalis perished and the city was re-captured by the Somali National Army. Saddened by this, the president urged the rebel groups to lay down arms and come to the peace tables as violence is not the answer to peace. Unfortunately, these calls fell deaf on ears as more clan-based rebel groups started emerging.

By 1990, the USC which was a major clan-based rebel group, advanced towards the capital of Somalia bringing mayhem and destruction. The city was shelled from the outskirts by the USC, a mass-exodus was ignited and hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled. Foreigners were evacuated as stores and public buildings were looted. Militias consisted of drug-crazed youngsters emerged as they started targeting the fleeing civilians. Mohamed Siad Barre, speaking from the presidential palace made numerous proposals for a cease-fire, including an offer to resign but the USC rejected them all. He was forced to leave the city he once built. [10]

Now, 17-years-later after the departure of the last Somali leader, Somalia has witnessed the holocaust of over 1 million Somalis perpetrated by warlords, the destruction of Somali’s cities, mass-looting, and the invention of roadblocks, anarchy, mass-rapes, and wide-spread ignorance. Over 14 unsuccessful peace-conferences were staged and tribalism that the late Mohamed Siad Barre sought to eradicate was at its peak.

Yet, 17-years-later, some Somalis still blame this man who modernized and built the then modern State of Somalia. The Golden Age of Somalia flourished under his rule. The same man who educated Somalis and put it on the world map. The same man who for the first time united the people as a nation. The former Ethiopian ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam, who was President Mohamed Siad Barre’s contempary, committed hideous atrocities and genocide, yet after his disposal, Ethiopia, a nation with a population exceeding 70 million people and more than 70 ethnic-groups managed to reconcile after his departure. Why? Because the Ethiopian coup was justified as Mengistu Haile Mariam was someone that was rightfully despised by all Ethiopians collectively for his human-right injustices.

Yet, President Mohamed Siad Barre who has been falsely accused by the rebel groups for massacres that he did not commit proves that the rebel-groups were looking for a false pretext to overthrow him. Yes, he committed mistakes as he admitted in his last interview, with the wording:

"I am only a human, which unfortunately was my mistake. The English have a saying when you perform little, you make a few mistakes, when you do not perform at all, you make no mistakes."[11]

And rightly he was, the amount of accomplishments that he achieved for Somalia was due his hard-working nature whereby it led to committing a few mistakes. If the rebel groups had the people at heart, they would have accepted his proposal of resignation and to cease destruction and genocide. But by lust for power, they arrogantly rejected his call and remained determined on the destruction of Somalia.

How is it possible that the rebel groups and warlords can accuse the late president for hideous atrocities whilst they have committed far worse atrocities that amounted to a full-fledged holocaust?

The SNM during its brief capture of the Northern cities until 1991 bombed, and strafed villages in Awdal and the neighbouring regions. Entire non-SNM clans were targeted by this rebel groups which led to the massacre of thousands of peaceful Somalis who had nothing with the conflict. The USC were responsible for the man-made famine in the Bay and Bakool regions where over 500,000 Somalis perished. Over 100,000 Somalis died during the inter-USC conflict between Ali Mahdi and Mohamed Aidid, not to mention the ethnic cleansing that was put into effect by the USC leader after the late President left the capital city.

The chaos and holocaust that followed after President Mohamed Siad Barre’s departure is testament to the fact he was the one who saved the country from the neo-colonialist era and that he was the one who held the country together. Now, 17-years-later, most Somalis are finally realising the importance of his rule and are desperately longing for his return. This makes him the most wrongfully vilified person in the Somali History

[The-Screw]

Understood. Thank You Sire, I was well aware of AY's background, believe me, I knew from the beginning of his scuffles with the Barre regime. Siad barre, God rest his soul, was the father of Somalia. there is no debating over that. now, on to my research.

[Luq_Ganane]

Screw,

Wikipedia is FAR from a reputable source. Freelance fadhi ku dirir journalists can post whatever they want. This wikipedia thing is taken as the gospel on SNET.

[Alchemist]

When it comes to Somali history you have to filter everything you read.. Depending on the person who wrote the article you might be mislead so much and you wouldnt even know.. Every tribe has their own understand of the events which lead to the civil war but the truth lays somewhere in the middle, remember that always...