50 Years Ago Today.......

[Calaf]

Fifty years ago today in Somalia, Mohammed Siad Barre’s military coup ended Somalia’s brief democratic period, which paved the way for civil war when the regime eventually collapsed. His contested legacy divides Somalis to this day.

Just a week earlier the incumbent President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, had been assassinated in what some historians believe was an act encouraged by the Soviet Union. And just the day before Prime Minister Muhammad Egal was distributing money which he’d plundered from the Somali Central Bank among corrupt politicians. He would find himself placed under house arrest the next day, on October 21, by a group of rogue soldiers, whilst his accomplices were driven past rapturous crowds to a presidential retreat in Afgoi where they would be detained with other MPs.

The government was informed that it had been dissolved by the military. “You are nothing,” one of the guards told them.

Mohammed Siad Barre during an anniversary parade of the coup in October 1977 (Photo by Jean Claude FRANCOLON/Gamma-Rapho). (Getty Images)
The public enthusiastically welcomed the coup d’état, and only several days later would it become known that Siad Barre, commander of the Somali armed forces, masterminded the operation which ended Somalia’s short-lived and hopeful but troubled democratic era.

Adan Shire Lo, an MP who was arrested, was the brother-in-law of Barre’s wife. Upon learning about the coup, Adan’s wife visited former president Aden Abdulle Osman, who lost the 1967 election, and told him “this is the beginning of the end of Somalia”. Her words were prophetic.

This was one of the defining moments in Somalia’s post-independence history, with Siad Barre - arguably the country's most influential leader - using authoritarian methods to develop the country, before a series of challenges exacerbated by his heavy-handed approach to governance turned Somalia into what contemporary observers often say is a “failed state” after his regime fell.

His shadow still hangs over Somali politics to this day, dividing the victims of his crimes from those who look back nostalgically at their lives in a much more peaceful Somalia.


https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/socialist-somalia-the-legacy-of-barre-s-military-regime-30735

 

[Calaf]

Barre’s Socialist era

Born in the early 20th Century in Italian Somaliland, Siad Barre was in many ways a product of the colonialism he later rebelled against. He joined the Italian Carabinieri and even served in a campaign for Italy against Ethiopia. When Somalia fell under British Military Administration, he continued his rise to the highest office a Somali could hold as police inspector. When Somalia became independent and the Police Force of Somalia turned into the new republic’s army, he eventually rose to the top of the Somali armed forces, following the death of former commander General Daud Abdulle Hersi in Moscow, before overthrowing the government in 1969.

On October 24, in his first speech after the coup, Siad Barre would set a new tone for the country.

“Intervention by the armed forces was inevitable,” he said. “I would like to ask all Somalis to come out and build their nation, a strong nation, to use all their efforts, energy, wealth and brains in developing their country,” he continued.

“The imperialists, who always want to see people in hunger, disease and ignorance, will oppose us in order that we may beg them… let us join hands in crushing the enemy of our land.”

By November 1, he would suspend the constitution, dissolve parliament, ban political parties and abolish the Supreme Court. Without a hint of irony, the country was later renamed the Somali Democratic Republic, and the conspirators founded the Supreme Revolutionary Council.

Mohammed Abdulrahman, who would later work in the Ministry of Livestock, was a secondary school student when the coup happened and recalls the event vividly. “We were all jubilant,” he said. “Students went outside running in the streets, we were throwing our books. I remember that day, it was a really special day, and we had huge hopes of what was to come, and in the coming eight years a lot was achieved.”

He added: “That was the turning point for Somalis, people were fed up of the old corrupt and tribalistic government which claimed to represent us. At the time, the government was so bad that we didn’t think about the consequences.”

Smallpox posters all over the streets of Mogadishu offering a reward of 200 Somali Shillings or $30 to anyone reporting a smallpox case. (Getty Images)
Barre immediately began mobilising Somali society with the Jupiterian powers he had concentrated in the government’s executive branch, with the hope of building a socialist society. Hantiwadaag, literally ‘sharing of wealth’ in Somali, or socialism, was to soon be the new ideology. Somalis were also ordered to call each other ‘jalle’, the Somali equivalent for comrade. Barre would take the title Guulwade, or Victorious Leader, as he began working to create a cult of personality.

When asked about the compatibility of Islam - the faith majority of Somalis adhere to - and socialism, Barre responded: “No chapter, not even a single word, in our Koran opposes scientific socialism. We say, ‘Where is the contradiction? The contradiction was created by man only.”

“There has to be a distinction made between the first few years and from 1976 onwards” Professor Abdi Ismail Samatar, author of Africa’s First Democrats tells TRT World. “The way they dealt with the droughts, that prevented a wide scale famine for example. The introduction of a written Somali language is still used today in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia, the award-winning literacy campaigns, healthcare improvements, universal education and better infrastructure. Those were the highlights, but there was always a creeping authoritarian trend in his rule.”

Modern Somali culture also really took off, says Professor Samatar, often with a strong anti-colonial and pan-African character with music hits like There’s a Bone in this Date and Together Reject Colonialism.

“They really mobilised the population with music, theatre, public relations and other things,” says Abdulrahman. “And we were proud of the role we played in supporting other African liberation movements in Zimbabwe, South Africa and elsewhere.”

Graffiti on the walls of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu denouncing Russo-Cuban intervention in the Ogaden War on the side of Ethiopia. The combined efforts of the Soviet Union and the Cuban army forced Somalia to retreat (Photo by Jean-Claude FRANCOLON / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images). (Getty Images)
This was consistent with the foreign policy of the Somali government in Africa, supporting, both materially and morally, independence movements across the continent, a policy largely shared with the Soviet Union, with which Somalia signed a treaty of friendship in July 1974.

“They saw us as ‘messengers of heaven’,” wrote Georgiy Ivanchenko, a Soviet author who visited the country.

“Around that time I was expecting to come to the UK, on scholarship, but that changed because Somalia began drifting away from the West,” says Mohammed Abdulrahman. “At the time Somalis loved Russia, we had a problem with the West because of the experience of colonisation, and what they were doing to other Africans.”

“Those years, until the Ethiopia war,”he says. “Were the best years, the golden era of Somalia.”

“When we lived in Mogadishu life was so different,” he recalls, showing me photos of the city in the 70s. “Every day was like a weekend in Somalia. We worked until midday and slept until the Asr, this was our siesta, and when we woke up we’d spend the evenings on the beach. We’d sit at Jazira and Lido play football, swim in the sea and drink tea until Maghrib.”

 

[Calaf]

The Ogaden War, the beginning of the end

The Soviet Union had heavily invested in the Somali National Army (SNA), building one of the most formidable militaries in Sub-Saharan Africa. By 1977, with Ethiopia in turmoil, and the balance of power decisively in Somalia’s favour, Barre launched a ground invasion of Ethiopia to wrestle the Ogaden, or Western Somalia as Somalis referred to it, from Ethiopian control. The invasion failed, dealing a serious blow both materially and politically to the military regime.

“That defeat in many ways de-legitimised the Barre regime’s right to govern,” says Professor Samatar. “I think it was a turning point in the sense that it exposed the bankruptcy of the regime in terms of public governance and management of the country.”

He adds: “By the early 80s you could see that the tension was thick in the air.“People weren’t so happy, and the regime was heavily in debt. Internal squabbles came out into the open, factionalism became rife and Barre’s government started to deteriorate and the creeping authoritarianism turned openly brutal.”

Without a committed superpower patron - as Barre’s enduring irredentist foreign policy failed to win him sufficient Western support - and an accident in 1986 which hospitalised him, the Barre regime resorted to violence to maintain its rule.

PHOTO 4: Graffiti on the walls of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu denouncing Russo-Cuban intervention in the Ogaden War on the side of Ethiopia. The combined efforts of the Soviet Union and the Cuban army forced Somalia to retreat (Photo by Jean-Claude FRANCOLON) (Getty Images)
“The car accident happened near my old home,” Abdulrahman tells TRT World. “And the road often became very slippery when it rains, so his car flipped and hurt him badly. When he returned he didn’t have full control anymore, but he and his officers started treating people very badly.”

Despite his condition, he was nominated by his party for the presidency - the country’s sole legal political entity - and won an uncontested election which gave him seven more unstable years.

This was exacerbated by Ethiopian support for rebel groups across the country which led Barre to hire mercenaries to bombard major cities like Hargeisa and Burao, causing thousands of civilian casualties. Eventually, clan-based rebel groups overcame his regime after he flip-flopped on promised elections.

The capital Mogadishu fell into the hands of warlords with much of the south descending into anarchy, whilst the Somali National Movement consolidated its gains over time and eventually seceded, declaring the rebirth of the Republic of Somaliland.

The legacy of his period remains contested among Somalis, many of whom remain caught between nostalgia in a country which has been without a central government for almost as long as it has had one, and those who were victims of the Barre regime’s crimes.

Another person who spoke on the condition of anonymity, whose father was part of the Somali Youth League that was overthrown by Barre, said: “We didn’t have a lot those days and the crimes were unforgivable. Some of my family members died, but much like me, people often say we had a country which though troubled was ours. The regime needed to end, but we all hoped things would go differently after 1991.”

Another person I spoke to said: “The problem with dictators is that they destroy everything they build.” He recalled being imprisoned as a child during a protest against Barre’s repressive policies against religious people who dissented against some of his social reforms, which sidelined religious views of inheritance and dress.

“Some say overthrowing him the way we did was a price worth paying. I have sympathy with that view, but there are still a lot of people who look around almost three decades on and aren’t convinced. It has become hard to make the case that things are better now.”

 

[Calaf]

https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/socialist-somalia-the-legacy-of-barre-s-military-regime-30735

https://www.laluce.news/2019/10/21/...niere-siad-barre-prende-il-potere-in-somalia/
(In Italian - About 21 October 1969)

 

[Molotoff]

Just tell me this, how did he manage to piss off the Russians? What did he do?

I simply cant grasp this. He had the support of the Russians in the Ogaden campaign and suddenly they switched to support ethiopia?

 

[Calaf]

AUN to Major General Mohamed Siad Barre, The Lion Of Africa!

Also AUN to the Other decreased Presidents of Somalia such as H.E Commander Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Founder of Modern Day Puntland,
H.E Father of the Nation, Aden Abdulle Osman Daar
H.E Abdirashid Shermarke

And Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein - Acting President

 

[Calaf]

Just tell me this, how did he manage to piss off the Russians? What did he do?

I simply cant grasp this. He had the support of the Russians in the Ogaden campaign and suddenly they switched to support ethiopia?

His continuous refusal to desist actions, even with Russia offering meditation!
Also the Derg came into power, and They too was socialist. Russia had stopped backing Somalia in 77 after Siad Barre refused to meditate and they backed Ethiopia which helped them win. If Derg never came, Ogadan would be under Somalia rule today!

 

[Starscream]

Why do people lie?

Fifty years ago today in Somalia, Mohammed Siad Barre’s military coup ended Somalia’s brief democratic period, which paved the way for civil war when the regime eventually collapsed. His contested legacy divides Somalis to this day.

This is not true in 1969 after the assassination politicians started fighting over control they were gearing up for a civil war this is detailed by the cia report from that period.
Civil war gonna happen he only delayed it 20 years.
The usual blame siyaad Barre for everthing.

 

[FBIsomalia]

Why do people lie?

This is not true in 1969 after the assassination politicians started fighting over control they were gearing up for a civil war this is detailed by the cia report from that period.
Civil war gonna happen he only delayed it 20 years.
The usual blame siyaad Barre for everthing.

Yeah like bombing your cities!.

 

[Tukraq]

starting of the fall, from a beautiful first democracy of Africa to a horrible losing soviet failure case, like all soviet countries failed, lessons learned democracy and capitalism>>>> communist dictatorship, this was the day we picked the losing side and was our end

 

[DR OSMAN]

Damn the spot is way to fair for kacaan kids. They would never allow anyone to talk on somnet besides kacaan where-as the nation disregards kacaan history and only speaks about SYL MONUMENTS, CIVILIAN ERA GOVT PRESIDENTS 1960-69. LOL 9 years is only the halal period according to Somalis. This is the truth, now kacaan kids are trying to revisionist history so the kids are taught at school but it won't happen. He will always be referred to as the DICTATOR and that name sends a bad chill to Somalis and general world, he was branded hahahaahha. I love branding sxb. Abbo Siyad songs was his attempt to brand himself like the father mao of china, the chinese wud sing to him also, that's where he learned his commy nonsense. Siyad wanted the state to be HIM not the institutions let alone the region which he hated the most, very centric power focused only a few ppl making the decisions, the rest were WORKERS like my father SHAQAALE BUU AHAA, he even said I love siyad but we didn't MAKE DECISIONS, he told us what to do and we just did it. It was a dictatorship

 

[DR OSMAN]

@Calaf I tried to insult siyad in front of my father and he says 'how dare u' he was the greatest statesman we ever had. So I will let u go on there, cause it's true I am divided by my father who won't allow a bad word said about him, it's usually my hawiye relatives who say he went into 'nigerian toilet' or stole 'bank money' and my dad said 'I know maslax maxamed siyad barre' he asked me for 100 dollars when I was in Nairobi for the Somali conference of Abdillahi Yusuf how can he steal a bank and have no properties or investments my dad says to hawiye caqli xumadina. My dad is good friend with shirdoon not the one who was prime minister lakin his brother waa gob weeye darod aminsan cuz he knows the civil war we are in he said, but not farah shirdoon he is controlled by his cayr wife my dad said.

So he is staunch SIYADIST but his now a Federalists and will not ever return to Hamar, it's not because of Sade, it's because of the people who are there in hamar and the bloody history left a bad taste in his mouth for the city plus alot of his hamar friends are dead in the 4 month war, so he has no-one to talk to except MORYANS or anyone who he can TRULY RESPECT and remember their honesty and Somalinimo. My dad said there is no point talking to galgaduud tribalist you don't learn anything about nation state building or anything which is the key issue at stake. He said i love my clan but I need a state in order to grow my clan and there is some ppl in that south who arent ready for any govt cuz they only agree to no govt and being warlords or civil war and insurgencies when there is govt, it's basically futile.

 

[Dues Ex Machina]

@Calaf I tried to insult siyad in front of my father and he says 'how dare u' he was the greatest statesman we ever had. So I will let u go on there, cause it's true

Unfortunately I believe you're suffering from a severe case of Sadephobia.
Your father seems to be a wise man you should learn to champion his beliefs.

 

[DR OSMAN]

Unfortunately I believe you're suffering from a severe case of Sadephobia.
Your father seems to be a wise man you should learn to champion his beliefs.

He only champions because he said the whole nation was built by siyad. Our language, army, institutions, courts, roads, hospitals, infrastructure. Our students got scholarships to DECENT COUNTRIES IN AMERICA AND EUROPE NOT ETHIOPIA OR SUDAN KKKK. He said if I insult him, everything I have is because of HIM. He is only honoring him due to paying his respects dee nothing more. But he doesn't discount the fact that you poisoned general daud ABGAAL and did a coup and got named General, when u were not a general material, the role was supposed to go to LIQLIQATO. You don't admit any of your faults which is why the MJ beat u in politics, we admit our faults and the westerner knows we are 'reasonable' and 'factual' because what's wrong with admitting your faults, if you don't then they assume logically you trying to say your PERFECT which is emperically impossible mathatmatically hence they dismiss you as 'agenda driven' not 'factual' and your clan continues to suffer losses then they look mj case and mj prepare their data, mistakes, other clan mistakes, where they want to head. WHITE MAN IS LIKE THIS LOOK PLAUSIBLE AGAINST MEASUREMENTS ITS FLUCATUATING NOT PERFECTION. Trust me being honest is best or u don't get anywhere in this strict world of 'evidence based thinking'. They always test what u say against 'mere logic, data, numbers or any other method to ensure accuracy'. They will never take your word or media posts as true, they may consider 'part evidence' but it always be backed up by HARD SCIENCES and other techniques to ensure it's bullet proof, even a singal deviation can mean they report it's not 100% reliable fact.

 

[DR OSMAN]

U can easily dismiss 1000 clans in Somalia by just pointing at the fact of no being self critical, this means you are perfect and god, and noone can be such thing in the world, you will be teamed just as competitive clan and not a clan seeking real solution unless of course we see fluctations of mistakes in your clan since everyone has to make mistakes in the world or your ALLAH

 

[Calaf]

@Calaf I tried to insult siyad in front of my father and he says 'how dare u' he was the greatest statesman we ever had. So I will let u go on there, cause it's true I am divided by my father who won't allow a bad word said about him, it's usually my hawiye relatives who say he went into 'nigerian toilet' or stole 'bank money' and my dad said 'I know maslax maxamed siyad barre' he asked me for 100 dollars when I was in Nairobi for the Somali conference of Abdillahi Yusuf how can he steal a bank and have no properties or investments my dad says to hawiye caqli xumadina. My dad is good friend with shirdoon not the one who was prime minister lakin his brother waa gob weeye darod aminsan cuz he knows the civil war we are in he said, but not farah shirdoon he is controlled by his cayr wife my dad said.

So he is staunch SIYADIST but his now a Federalists and will not ever return to Hamar, it's not because of Sade, it's because of the people who are there in hamar and the bloody history left a bad taste in his mouth for the city plus alot of his hamar friends are dead in the 4 month war, so he has no-one to talk to except MORYANS or anyone who he can TRULY RESPECT and remember their honesty and Somalinimo. My dad said there is no point talking to galgaduud tribalist you don't learn anything about nation state building or anything which is the key issue at stake. He said i love my clan but I need a state in order to grow my clan and there is some ppl in that south who arent ready for any govt cuz they only agree to no govt and being warlords or civil war and insurgencies when there is govt, it's basically futile.

I would not even dare insult Major General Jallae Mohamed Siad Barre
@DR OSMAN, I come from a background who adores MSB for his heroism. They only thing that people Criterise is his 77 attempt. Everybody knew it would be our downfall, even when soviets attempted to negotiate, he refused!

Why do people lie?

This is not true in 1969 after the assassination politicians started fighting over control they were gearing up for a civil war this is detailed by the cia report from that period.
Civil war gonna happen he only delayed it 20 years.
The usual blame siyaad Barre for everthing.

I believe TRT is biased. They are in kahoots with Turkish government and talk within its Foreign Policy's. 50 Years ago, we were on tract to success. After 77........

 

[DR OSMAN]

I would not even dare insult Major General Jallae Mohamed Siad Barre
@DR OSMAN, I come from a background who adores MSB for his heroism. They only thing that people Criterise is his 77 attempt. Everybody knew it would be our downfall, even when soviets attempted to negotiate, he refused!


I believe TRT is biased. They are in kahoots with Turkish government and talk within its Foreign Policy's. 50 Years ago, we were on tract to success. After 77........

Like I said I am neutral about siyad, i don't even wanna talk about him. Some love him Some hate him. I can see why on both sides. He ended in ZERO in my book, some praise him, some abuse him, that's half and half which means outcome is big fat zero. Good points he did he built the nation infrastructure, army, currency, foreign policy, and ensured our students got scholarship to well regarded universities to develop academic elites.

What he did wrong was how he got to general spot after daud died(mysteriously) as liqliqato shouldve been named according to my father. As for the wars he did, my dad doesn't criticize him on that, any nation has to defend his border from enemies inside or outside, so he doesn't buy into mudug genocide and hargeisa genocide stories. They started the war over nothing but seeking power and they went using militant options cuz they knew siyad was a militant also not negiotator. He responded and dealt with it to keep the nation intact. He also hates sade cowardice for leaving battlefield and not escorting siyad out of mogadishu when siyad was shocked to see it was morgan and majertens escorting him and he saw no b22n, my dad said ur clan hate each otheri isma cawintan, u lack huge cultural principles and just seek kursi but dont die for your leader if he is losing the war in hamar. Bah dubays knew we were gonna lose the war in garowe when abdilllahi came invading with reer mahads in jama ali jama 2001 pl civil war, so we ensured we didnt abadon jama ali jama @Jablibax can verify this hadad been iga moodid, we escorted him out and said listen its suicide to fight but you wont die on the streets of garowe like BAKHTI. MJ PROTECT THEIR LEADERS SXB NOT RUN FROM THEM LIKE SADE. Bah dubays boy says i will donate more hands and legs and body parts to the ciidaan, we love to die for the nation and puntland, its our TARIKH for god sakes who else will die for it?

 

[Calaf]

Like I said I am neutral about siyad, i don't even wanna talk about him. Some love him Some hate him. I can see why on both sides. He ended in ZERO in my book, some praise him, some abuse him, that's half and half which means outcome is big fat zero. Good points he did he built the nation infrastructure, army, currency, foreign policy, and ensured our students got scholarship to well regarded universities to develop academic elites.

What he did wrong was how he got to general spot after daud died(mysteriously) as liqliqato shouldve been named according to my father. As for the wars he did, my dad doesn't criticize him on that, any nation has to defend his border from enemies inside or outside, so he doesn't buy into mudug genocide and hargeisa genocide stories. They started the war over nothing but seeking power and they went using militant options cuz they knew siyad was a militant also not negiotator. He responded and dealt with it to keep the nation intact. He also hates sade cowardice for leaving battlefield and not escorting siyad out of mogadishu when siyad was shocked to see it was morgan and majertens escorting him and he saw no b22n, my dad said ur clan hate each otheri sma cawintan

General Daud, AUN was a man revered by ever Somali man, before and today
He died a Sudden Death. Simple
Siad Barre worked for the People and got kick out by the people. Simple
His legacy from Day 1 was one of a mixed one. In My Opinion, 77 is what dammed us and the Dubai - Like behavior we had at that time!
Now, No more of this siad did this to my family and that.
Even Hargaisa is loosening up, in my opinion. No more, "Your a Mx and you caused this to us and look what your uncle Barre did to us"! Now this shows it had a change of heart!

 

[DR OSMAN]

General Daud, AUN was a man revered by ever Somali man, before and today
He died a Sudden Death. Simple
Siad Barre worked for the People and got kick out by the people. Simple
His legacy from Day 1 was one of a mixed one. In My Opinion, 77 is what dammed us and the Dubai - Like behavior we had at that time!
Now, No more of this siad did this to my family and that.
Even Hargaisa is loosening up, in my opinion. No more, "Your a Mx and you caused this to us and look what your uncle Barre did to us"! Now this shows it had a change of heart!

According to my father at the time people assumed he was doing a 'durbaan qaran' over ogadeniya not because he really cared, just so he can keep us busy on an enemy while he can continue his government intact as he knew opposition will rise up if their not busy on national duties. WUU NAGU CABAYE SI UU KURSIGASI UU SI HAYSTO ACCORDING TO OLD MAJERTEN. That's their view anyways, I have to respect it as an event like siyad barre intentions can be translated with many opinions not just one opinion ma garatay.

If I make political move today, you guys will all come running in having your differing views why I made that policy decision, Majerten were assured you took the power by force, noone wanted u sxb you were b22n runti, umada idin ma rabin, but I guess it worked now they love u huh as u brain washed them with abbo siyad branding and the hawiye era helped u a-lot since you are the last abbo they remember. I am vicious majertenist sxb u can sell that shit to koonfurta but not me ok

 

[Ras]

Pre kacaan era was just as dysfunctional as today's Xamar.

The embellished stories we make up to feel better about our past is an achievement by itself.

We need to start from a blank canvas and stop worshiping revisionist fairy tales.