In the aftermath of the
Ogaden debacle, a group of disgruntled army officers attempted a coup d'état against the regime in April 1978. Their leader was Colonel Mahammad Shaykh Usmaan, a member of the
Majeerteen clan, which resides mostly in northeastern
Somalia. The coup failed and seventeen alleged ringleaders, including Usmaan, were summarily executed. All but one of the executed were of the
Majeerteen clan. One of the plotters, Lieutenant Colonel
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmedescaped to Ethiopia and founded an anti-Siad Barre organization initially called the Somali Salvation Front (SSF; later the
Somali Salvation Democratic Front, SSDF).
The Red Berets systematically smashed the small reservoirs in the area around Galcaio so as to deny water to the
Umar Mahamuud Majeerteen sub-clans and their herds. In May and June 1979, more than 2,000 Umar Mahamuud, the
Majeerteen sub-clan of Colonel Ahmad, died of thirst in the waterless area northeast of Galcaio, Garoowe, and Jerriiban. In Galcaio, members of the Victory Pioneers, the urban militia known for harassing civilians, raped large numbers of
Majeerteen women. In addition, the clan lost an estimated 50,000 camels, 10,000 cattle, and 100,000 sheep and goats.