Thread by @westtoeastt

The ethnic cleansing of the Isaaq people began as early as 1974 to 1975 when drought conditions enabled the Somalian government to relocate Isaaqs to southern Somalia.

Less than three years later that same government resettled the majority of Ogadeni refugees from Ethiopia into Somaliland (northwest), particularly the Hargeisa region, with additional camps scattered in remote areas. This puzzled international observers who questioned why refugee settlements were appearing in such isolated parts of Somaliland (northwest).

Most Somalian and international funding was funneled toward Somaliland (northwest) and by 1984 the United States government recognized that this was less a humanitarian refugee project than a deliberate settlement project.

In 1974 to 1975 Isaaqs were moved out and by 1977 to 1978 Ogadeni refugees were moved in, an unmistakable act of ethnic cleansing carried out under the cover of international aid.

The same region that was emptied of isaaqs only three years prior was flooded with Ethiopian refugees

The definition of ethnic cleansing

The document below shows the Somalian government’s disturbing fixation on the Isaaq clan, portraying them not as civilians but as enemies aligned with “terrorists,” and repeatedly seeking to discredit their suffering. Instead of acknowledging the atrocities committed against Isaaq communities, such as the mass killing of civilians, destruction of cities like Hargeisa and Burao, and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands, it reframes the victims as perpetrators and claims their flight was due to economic motives or political manipulation. This deliberate inversion of reality is not only false but sickening, as it strips the Isaaq of their humanity, justifies their extermination, and attempts to mask a campaign of systematic violence and ethnic cleansing that meets the definition of genocide. By blaming an entire people for the crimes committed against them, the government’s rhetoric in this document exemplifies the very mindset that enabled such atrocities to occur.

The United States and the United Nations both complained about the refugees becoming armed combatants and humanitarian aid being used to expel and annihilate the local Isaaq population

Within ten years the ogadeni refugees from 1977-1978 were used against their Isaaq hosts

By 1988 Somalian government officials were more worried about their reputation than the armed conflict and the mass death. They were concerned about the humanitarian aid used to fuel their genocidal was against the Isaaq population

By 1989 confidential discussions between the Somalian Marxist dictatorial regime and the UNHCR was leaked to the Washington post highlighting that the Somalians were using UN aid meant for ogadeni “refugees” was instead being illegally used to boost its war effort

The Somalian regime begged for humantarian aid to use for its war effort much like the Somalians use aid to fuel conflict in sool and now looking to do so in awdal

The war against the Isaaq population has not ended

120,000 isaaqs were moved in 1975 to the southern end of Somalia

400,000 Ogadenis were moved into the heart of Somaliland in 1977