Thread by @YahyeSL

The Jasiira massacre in Mogadishu on the 17th of July 1989 was part of the #IsaaqGenocide

A Thread

1/22. This witness statement came from the only survivor Omar Muse. It pays tribute to the 56 innocent lives lost that day to a state sponsored genocide. رحمهم الله

#Somaliland

2/22. Mr Muse said “It was the middle of the night when #Somalia’s army knocked on our door to identify people from S/land, especially people from the isaq tribe. They have threaten to break the door unless we open the door. The door was opened by a gentleman named A/risaq Aidid”

3/22. “I hid in a toilet whilst the army ransacked the house and woke everyone. I glanced to see what is going on and I made a noise which brought the attention of the army to myself. The army ordered me to come outside where they were holding all the household members”

4/22. “Our household contained 5 males, 4 females, a child and an elderly gentleman which the army left behind along with the females as he could not walk. The army took us to a place not far from the house where they were holding other people who were identified as Isaaq”

5/22. “People gathered were made to sit down in rows on the floor and put their heads on their knees. Majority of them were topless and were surrounded in all directions. There were 2 vehicles, an army truck and smaller Toyota vehicle known as ‘barawn’ with a mounted machine gun”

6/22. “Whilst the army were gathering people, they carried out indiscriminate beatings where people were punched and kicked. The army general requested the people to be counted and the total number was 57. Everyone was loaded into the lorry and it headed north of the Mogadishu”

7/22. “The lorry headed out of the city and started to drive on a rough and uneven road. There was a boy who I thought was about 17yo with a broken arm crying and an elderly gentlemen who was about 80 years old. The elderly gentleman said to me, we will be executed I believe”

8/22. “When the elderly gentleman said that, people started to make noises and ask themselves questions. The 17 years old boy with the broken arm cried uncontrollably due to the fear of being killed and also being amongst people he does not recognise”

9/22. “The lorry and machine gun mounted car stopped on a beach and the general asked everyone descend. I was one of the last 5 to descend from the lorry. The army was saying open ‘the jail’s door’ to make people believe that were were being taken into jail so no one would run”

10/22. “Everyone stood on a landscape overlooking the beach and the general ordered everyone to go down to the beach and stand there. We were divided into smaller groups of 5. At this point, each one of us realised we will be executed on the spot and there is nothing we could do”

11/22. “The number of army personnel and the number of people being executed were almost the same in number. The army so rounded us and prepared their weapons and people started shouting/crying. The second in command spoke to the army general and said, everyone is here now”

12/22. “The General said, start shooting, why are you waiting. People started to beg asking to be sparred, however the army started shooting at everyone and sprayed billets aimlessly. Bodies started to fall and I was hit at the back. I was in a rubble of bodies soaked in blood”

13/22. “After a while, the army came around to check with aim of executing anyone who survived. There were people who were alive and they were shot on the spot to make sure they do not survive. The army general ordered all the dead bodies to be gathered and buried in the sand”

14/22. “I was seriously injured but alive when army started to drag me by the leg. The officer who was dragging me noticed that I was still alive but he run out of ammunition. He informed his superior who said, he is probably dead, you don’t know what dead body feels like”

15/22 “They started to bury me in the sand amongst the dead bodies but luckily, I have found a spot to breath from as the land was uneven. After the army left, I run to the sea to wash myself still wearing the blood soaked clothes. The distance from the beach to the city was 30km

16/22. “I started my Journey whilst severely injured to walk the 30km to the city around 6am and luckily reached the city around 12noon. I have eventually reached our house and people started to ask if I have been released and the whereabouts of the other people who were taken”

17/22. “News reached the whole neighbourhood where people were taken from. People surrounded our house asking for answers. I have told them that I am the sole survivor and I don’t think anyone else survived. Mothers and relatives were weeping and were asking about individuals”

18/22. “As news travels fast, I didn’t want the army to come back and execute me so I went into a hiding. I resided in a hotel named Cagaaran and I found a friend of mine named Abdi Khalif Dhagawel who took me to a house where I was treated for my billet wounds and remained there

19/22“A man named Mohamed Shagaxle found out where I was and on the second visit, he came with an army general and few people I knew to interview me about the incident. When I told my story, the General said if this story turned out to be a lie, I will put 5 bullet in your chest”

20/22. “7 of us including the general took a land cruiser and I showed them where the people were massacred. The general suggested that we should take this matter to Said Barre (the president), however a man named Mohamed Mohamud (pilot) went against this idea for safety reasons”

21/22. “It was decided that we should seek assistance from an army general named ina salaben dhafle. I saw a lot of army personnel so I freaked out and run back to the house. They came to the house and took me to the presidential palace where I was interviewed about the massacre”

22/22. “I was given a dedicated investigator who has spent a lot of time with me to find out about the massacre. I eventually realised justice will not be served and I escaped to Bali-gubadle. Whilst I was there, I have contacted Amnesty Interntaional and shared my experience”

The sole survivor Omar Muse’s personal story.

There was another Survivor who run away on the night from the beach named Mohamed Ahmed Ismail “Dheereye”. Unfortunately he passed away in 2014. Allah yarhamu.

Below videos is testimony from other people from Somaliland who were rounded up that night.

The army general who was named by the survivors

@threadreaderapp unroll

Easy to read option > PDF

https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1495178054028738561