Thread by @LtKhalifa

THREAD 🧵: Analysing the military operations of the SNM and the human rights violations committed by the SNM

In the early 1980s shortly after the Ogaden war, an insurgency was waged by an Ethiopian backed rebel group named the SNM 🇪🇹

This thread will be one of the most detailed threads on the war between the government and the SNM that occurred during the early 1980s up to the fall of government.

Prelude: The SNM was founded by a Prominent Isaaq Christian named Abdi Dihoud he founded the SNM 1981 in London.

Abdi Dihoud was the cousin of Edna Adan, (former wife of the former prime minister Egal ) and a close associate of Michael Mariano, who was also a another prominent Isaaq Christian.

The motives of the SNM according to US 🇺🇸 remained unclear and unknown, some speculated that it was lack of political representation.

An Ethiopian Colonel named Moges Habtemariam invited 14 principal leaders of the SNM in Addis Ababa flown from London, United Kingdom.

Moges Habtemariam commanded the SNM and their leaders to attack and destabilise northern Somalia

Colonel Moges instructed the SNM to reinstate the British Somaliland colonial borders with the goal of seceding from Somalia. Ethiopia would promise to give the Haud reigon if the SNM were successful in their enterprises.

Key note 📝: Ethiopia has previously demonstrated ambitions to annex Northern Somalia, in 1964 Ethiopia concocted a secret plan to annex northern Somali named “operation Mabraq”

The SNM would begin with hit and run attacks across the Ethiopian- Somali border often ending up in small skirmishes.

General Hashi Gaani would be deployed to the North to counter the insurgency waged by the SNM, General Hashi Gani crushed the SNM and captured a famous former General named Abdullahi Askar who defected from the SNA.

In April 12 1983 on Somali National Army day, General Hashi Gaani would humiliate Abdullahi Askar by stripping him naked and presenting him bleeding in the national theatre in Hargeisa for everyone to see.

This action by Genreal Hashi Gaani sent out a clear message that the SNM was defeated.

On the 17th of October 1984 the SNM resumed attacks on the Somali-Ethio border, The SNM again were defeated, in this battle a senior commander of the SNM Mohamed Hashi Lixle was killed.

Mohamed Silyaano was distraught at the death of Hashi Lixle commenting with the following

“Now if Lixle is dead, we all have to be like Lixle”.

The Mountain battle: on the 5th of November 1984 the SNM attacked government forces, the SNM was again repulsed and defeated.

In this battle over 300 SNM soldiers were slaughtered in battle, many SNM officers even fled. The defeat left the SNM very demoralised.

1984 a tragic incident occurred when the SNM committed an combined attack with the Ethiopian army, the Ethiopian Air Force bombed a school in Borama killing students.

while the SNM infantry planted mine bombs against the civilian population in Borama approximately 80,000 people fled from Borama.

May Allah have mercy on those innocent students that died ❤️

Frustrated with the lack of success against the Somali Government and the clan nepotism among the SNM, members of the SNM particularly those hailing from Habar Yonis sub clan, threatened the SNM by defecting to Mogadishu

Between 1984 to 1986 the SNM were soundly defeated, many of the SNM returned back to Ethiopia where they were based.

1987 in February, the SNM attacked a refugee camp killing innocent women and children

The SNM also kidnapped 10 French refugee workers soley their to assist the refugees, the incident alerted Djibouti’s president Hassan Guled Aptidon.

The International community were shocked by these events, the United state’s officially labelled the SNM as a terrorist group. start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Res…

In February 1987 the SNM based in Ethiopia committed a major attack in an combined invasion along with the Ethiopian army in Bali Dhig ( Toghdeer )

Siad Barre dispatched his trusted General and son in law, Mohamed Hersi Morgan famously known as General Morgan.

General Morgan along with Somali national army decimated and defeated the combined SNM-Ethiopian invasion inflicting heavy casualties upon the SNM. The defeat at Bali Dhig materialised into infighting within the SNM.

📄🇺🇸: The CIA reacted to the Battle of Bali Dhig with the following:

“The SNM took heavy casualties in a combined assault with Ethiopian forces on the Somali garrison at Balli Digh in February 1987 We believe SNM recruitment suffered significantly after the demoralizing defeat at Balli Digh”

“Factional squabbling also has probably discouraged potential recruits. In some cases, the internecine fighting has led to assassination attempts by rival leaders, according to US Embassy reporting”.

The factional squabbling in the SNM as mentioned in the CIA document manifested into the SNM purging it’s own members.

In 1987 the SNM began purging its members particularly those that hailed from the Habar Yunis and Habar Jeclo sub clans, the SNM suspected them of working with Siad Barre.

More infighting within the SNM ensued after the Bali Dhig defeat, members of the SNM who were anti silaanyo clashed with pro Silanyo members, a total of 90 SNM fighters were killed in the fighting.

Human rights abuses were also committed in the Bali Dhig, combined Ethiopian-SNM attacked 6 Somali refugee camps mostly holding women and children 300 fatalities were recorded.

In May 1988 the SNM launched one of its biggest attacks on Hargeisa and Burco, capturing both cities and assassinating key government officials that worked for the NSS

While the SNM occupied Hargeisa they committed serious human rights violations by attacking 9 refugees camps and killing over 200 Somali refugees mostly being women and children.

These events provoked Siad barre to unleashing his full wrath on the SNM by bombarding Hargeisa and Burco.

The bombardments proved to be successful in driving out the SNM, by early July the Somali national army recaptured Hargeisa and Burco, the SNM fled back to Ethiopia after the bombardments.

Aftermath of Hargeisa & Burco bombings 💣🛩

After the bombings of Hargeisa and Burco, Siad Barre commissioned the two cities infrastructure to be rebuilt, $630,000 was donated to repair Hargeisa water supply system including 10 water tanks.

The US donated another $1 million
for a hospital to be built in Burco to help those affected, more serious injuries were treated Mogadishu.

In May 1989 the SNM staged a suprise attack on Erigavo however government repulsed the SNM resulting in the SNM retreating.

At this point many of Isaaqs were not supportive of the SNM especially the Isaaq clan leaders many them believed that the SNM plunged the north into chaos, while SNM leaders were living comfortably away from the chaos

The Isaaq elders stated the following

“Local traditional Isaaq chiefs allegedly,the chiefs accused the SNM leadership, especially the intellectuals in particular Mohammed Silanyo, of having plunged the North into desolation and chaos, while they themselves were living comfortably abroad without being able to offer any
alternative to the Barre regime.”

In order to win over the people, the SNM bribed random elders to manipulate the dissatisfied Isaaqs into their side.

Soon by 1990 the situation in the south was escalating with USC militia men storming through the south marching towards the capital Mogadishu.

The war effort in the North began deteriorating as USC militia men cut supplies reaching the north, soon the SNA soldiers began starving to death

However despite the SNA starving to death, the SNM failed to capture the North, In February 1991 a month after Siad barre’s fall, the SNM captured hargeisa and other towns.

The SNM committed a full scale assault on Borama.

After the collapse of the Government, the SNM began turning on each other essentially cannibalising themselves.

Abdirahman Ali Tuur tried to disarm the SNM in order to consolidate authority however many of the Habar Awal and Habar Jeclo felt that the Habar yonis would be politically dominant.

Habar Jeclo, Habar Awal and Eidgalla formed a coalition and clashed against the Habar Yunis.

Abdirahman Ali Tuur fled the North to Mogadishu and revamped himself as a unionist politician along with Aideed.

THE END 🧵

I would like to thank my friend @JabuutiGeneral for helping me with some of these documents if your are interested in modern somali history please give my friend a follow.

For more regarding this topic, check out my thread on debunking the “Isaaq Genocide” thread below 👇

Thank you

@JabuutiGeneral @UnrollHelper