This thesis suggests that Barre could betray his army in 1977 war.
https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bi...and Leader Survival in Somalia.pdf?sequence=1
"I argue that the Somali dictator, under the guise of Somali irredentism, initiated the Ogaden conflict firstly, to occupy the Somali National Army (SNA) and secondly, to later debilitate the elite group. The outcome of which was likely to coup-proof his regime and extend his political career. The Ogaden War was likely an attempt by the Somali leader to fight for his survival".
"I suggest that a possible motive behind the Ogaden War lay not in Somali irredentism but in coup-proofing, a strategy employed to weaken the military and diminish the leader’s risk of military coup"
https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bi...and Leader Survival in Somalia.pdf?sequence=1
"I argue that the Somali dictator, under the guise of Somali irredentism, initiated the Ogaden conflict firstly, to occupy the Somali National Army (SNA) and secondly, to later debilitate the elite group. The outcome of which was likely to coup-proof his regime and extend his political career. The Ogaden War was likely an attempt by the Somali leader to fight for his survival".
"I suggest that a possible motive behind the Ogaden War lay not in Somali irredentism but in coup-proofing, a strategy employed to weaken the military and diminish the leader’s risk of military coup"