1969 Somali Coup D'état
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The 1969 Somali coup d'état was a bloodless military takeover of the
Somali Republic The Somali Republic (; ; ) was formed by the union of the Trust Territory of Somaliland (formerly Italian Somaliland) and the State of Somaliland (formerly British Somaliland). A government was formed by Abdullahi Issa Mohamud and Muhammad ...
on 21 October 1969, led by Somali National Army officers of the Supreme Revolutionary Council under General
Siad Barre Mohammed Siad Barre (, Osmanya script: , ''Muhammad Ziād Barīy''; 6 October 1919 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali military officer, politician, and revolutionary who served as the third president of Somalia from 21 October 1969 to 26 Janu ...
. After the assassination of President
Abdirashid Shermarke Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke (, ) (8 June 1919 – 15 October 1969), was the first Prime Minister of Somalia from 12 July 1960 to 14 June 1964 and the second President of Somalia from 6 July 1967, until his assassination on October 15, 1969.
in Las Anod, the Somali National Army under Barre's command stormed Mogadishu, seized key government buildings, and demanded the resignation of the country's leaders. The coup deposed acting President Sheikh Mukhtar Hussein and Prime Minister Mohammad Egal, ushering in a 21-year military rule under Barre and the establishment of an authoritarian government that lasted until 1991. The coup arose from the political tensions and highly contested parliamentary elections of March 1969. It was the first successful coup, following a failed attempt in 1961. With the establishment of Supreme Revolutionary Council rule, the Somali Republic was replaced by the socialist
Somali Democratic Republic The Somali Democratic Republic (; , ; ) was a socialist state in Somalia that existed from 1969 to 1991. Established in October 1969, the Somali Democratic Republic emerged following a 1969 Somali coup d'état, coup d'état led by Major General ...
, which governed until its collapse in 1991.


Background

Somalia became independent in 1960, creating the
Somali Republic The Somali Republic (; ; ) was formed by the union of the Trust Territory of Somaliland (formerly Italian Somaliland) and the State of Somaliland (formerly British Somaliland). A government was formed by Abdullahi Issa Mohamud and Muhammad ...
from former
Italian Somaliland Italian Somaliland (; ; ) was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia, which was ruled in the 19th century by the Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate in the north, and by the Hiraab Imamate and ...
and former
British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate (), was a protectorate of the United Kingdom in modern Somaliland. It was bordered by Italian Somalia, French Somali Coast and Ethiopian Empire, Abyssinia (Italian Ethiopia from 1936 ...
. The first leaders of the new republic were President Aden Abdullah Osman Daar who served as head of state and Prime Minister Abdirashid Sharmarke of the
Somali Youth League The Somali Youth League (SYL, , Arabic: رابطة الشباب الصومالي, or ''Lega Somala della Gioventù''), initially known as the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was the first political party in Somalia. It played a key role in the nati ...
. Because Somalia was composed of two recently unified territories, the country was divided in many aspects such as taxation, policing, legal systems, and administration, however these differences were largely resolved in a 1961 referendum on a new constitution which saw more than 90% of voters approve the document. The constitution which merged Italian and British colonial institutions established a parliamentary democracy and was intended to create a single national identity. Despite the ratification of a new constitution, Somalia remained deeply divided among ethnic, political, and clan lines. In 1961, a rebellion by British trained junior army officers in northern Somalia took place however it was quelled, resulting in one officer being killed. The country's first legislative elections were held in 1964, and the
Somali Youth League The Somali Youth League (SYL, , Arabic: رابطة الشباب الصومالي, or ''Lega Somala della Gioventù''), initially known as the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was the first political party in Somalia. It played a key role in the nati ...
won 69 out of 123 seats in the National Assembly. The rest of the seats in the parliament were split between 11 parties. In 1967,
Abdirashid Ali Shermarke Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke (, ) (8 June 1919 – 15 October 1969), was the first Prime Minister of Somalia from 12 July 1960 to 14 June 1964 and the second President of Somalia from 6 July 1967, until his assassination on October 15, 1969.
, the Italian educated prime minister and member of the
Somali Youth League The Somali Youth League (SYL, , Arabic: رابطة الشباب الصومالي, or ''Lega Somala della Gioventù''), initially known as the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was the first political party in Somalia. It played a key role in the nati ...
(SYL), was elected as president of Somalia. In March 1969 another legislative election was held with 64 parties in the running with the SYL being the only political party to have candidates in every election district. The number of political parties was typical of Somalia due to the wide array of differing clans and ethnic groups and the fact that the prerequisite to running was simply clan sponsorship or the support of 500 voters. The election was highly contentious and saw the Somali Youth League gain an even greater majority in the parliament. Allegations of
electoral fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share o ...
and corruption were rampant and more than 25 people were killed in election-related violence. A general perception grew among Somalis that the SYL was becoming increasingly authoritarian in its rule. This view was compounded by the newly formed government under Prime Minister Egal largely ignoring allegations of fraud and corruption. Major General
Siad Barre Mohammed Siad Barre (, Osmanya script: , ''Muhammad Ziād Barīy''; 6 October 1919 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali military officer, politician, and revolutionary who served as the third president of Somalia from 21 October 1969 to 26 Janu ...
, a former Italian colonial police officer and member of the
Darod The Darod (, ) is a Somali clan. The forefather of this clan is Sheikh Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, more commonly known as Darod. The clan primarily settles the apex of the Horn of Africa and its peripheries, the Somali hinterlands adjacent ...
clan, was the commander of the Somali army, and an ardent
Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...
and
nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
. He emerged as the leader of the Supreme Revolutionary Council, a group of Somali military and police officers ranging in rank from major general to captain.


Coup

On 15 October 1969, President Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, only Somalia's second president of the postcolonial era, was shot dead by his bodyguard using an automatic rifle as he stepped out of a car in the northern city of
Las Anod Las Anod (; ) is the administrative capital of the Sool region, currently controlled by Khatumo State forces aligned with Somalia. Territorial dispute The city is disputed by Puntland and Somaliland. The former bases its claim due to the kins ...
.; Mohamed Haji Ingiriis (2017) ''Who Assassinated the Somali President in October 1969? The Cold War, the Clan Connection, or the Coup d’État, African Security,'' 10:2, 131-154, DOI: 10.1080/19392206.2017.1305861. He was succeeded by interim President Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein. The coup was set in motion the day after Sharmarke's funeral. The coup d'état took place during the early morning hours of 21 October 1969. Troops of the Somali National Armed Forces supported by tanks and commanded by various members of the Supreme Revolutionary Council sealed off several strategic sites in
Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...
, including the parliament building, information ministry, Radio Mogadishu, police headquarters, and the mansion of Prime Minister Egal. Major government officials were abducted and imprisoned. Several former senior Somali politicians were rounded up during the coup as well, among them former President Aden Adde and former Prime Minister Abdirizak Haji Hussein. Both were placed in detention and were not released until 1973. Prime Minister Egal too was imprisoned, but in
solitary confinement Solitary confinement (also shortened to solitary) is a form of imprisonment in which an incarcerated person lives in a single Prison cell, cell with little or no contact with other people. It is a punitive tool used within the prison system to ...
. Despite the seizure of police buildings in the coup, the police did not resist the military and even cooperated with them.
Jama Ali Korshel Jama Ali Korshel (, ) was a Somali people, Somali Military of Somalia, army General officer, Major General who served as Head of the Somali Police Force. He was the Vice President of Somalia and VP of the Supreme Revolutionary Council (Somalia), ...
, the head of the Somali Police Force was appointed vice chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Council. After military forces seized Radio Mogadishu, the station began broadcasting
martial music Martial music or military music is a specific genre of music intended for use in military settings performed by professional soldiers called field musicians. Much of the military music has been composed to announce military events as with bu ...
as a way of conveying the motives of the coup leaders, including the song "Either doomsday death or victory of life," which invoked images of several wild animals such as lions and horses. In his first speech on the radio during the coup, Barre condemned the "corruption" of the old regime and disparaged the oppression of the educated. He also explained that although the government he had overthrown was inept and corrupt not all of its members were criminals, perhaps acknowledging that he had been a part of the very system he had just overthrown. Barre's Supreme Revolutionary Council dissolved the parliament and the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
, and suspended the
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...
. In 1970, one year after the coup, Siad Barre declared Somalia to be a
socialist state A socialist state, socialist republic, or socialist country is a sovereign state constitutionally dedicated to the establishment of socialism. This article is about states that refer to themselves as socialist states, and not specifically ...
and set upon the 'Somalization' of the country, essentially a grand scheme to diminish clan loyalties and create a 'dutiful Somali' country.


Aftermath

The 25-member Supreme Revolutionary Council, in essence a
military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...
, took over all the duties of the state after the coup, including the presidency, National Assembly, and
Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...
. The country was renamed the
Somali Democratic Republic The Somali Democratic Republic (; , ; ) was a socialist state in Somalia that existed from 1969 to 1991. Established in October 1969, the Somali Democratic Republic emerged following a 1969 Somali coup d'état, coup d'état led by Major General ...
and a political purge took place; political parties were banned, former Prime Minister Egal and several other politicians were sentenced to lengthy prison sentences, and dissidents were persecuted. A power struggle in the ranks of the SRC, took place with Siad Barre eventually rising to become Somalia's leader. Salaad Gabeyre Kediye, who had been called the "Father of the Revolution", and Abdulkadir Dheel, a high-ranking army colonel were executed in public by
firing squad Firing may refer to: * Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination * Firemaking, the act of starting a fire * Burning; see combustion * Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms * Execution by firing squad, a method of ...
in 1972. Barre, called the "Victorious Leader", began leading the country in the direction of
scientific socialism Scientific socialism in Marxism is the application of historical materialism to the development of socialism, as not just a practical and achievable outcome of historical processes, but the only possible outcome. It contrasts with utopian social ...
and sought to create a shared national identity in Somalia by decreasing the role and influence of the country's various clans.
Nomads Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, Nomadic pastoralism, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and Merchant, trader nomads. In the twentieth century, ...
were resettled into agricultural communes, a large literacy campaign was undertaken, women were granted more rights, and the
Latin script The Latin script, also known as the Roman script, is a writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae in Magna Graecia. The Gree ...
was officially adopted for use in the
Somali language Somali is an Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic languages, Cushitic branch, primarily spoken by the Somalis, Somali people, native to Greater Somalia. It is an official language in Somalia, Somaliland, and Ethio ...
. Military spending increased with the help of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
which provided large volumes of equipment and trainers, and soon Somalia possessed one of the most powerful military forces in
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. Barre cultivated a
cult of personality A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader,Cas Mudde, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create ...
throughout his 21 years of rule, seeking inspiration from his idols,
Kim Il-sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first supreme leader from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. Afterwards, he was ...
and
Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...
.The SRC was dissolved in 1976 and Barre became increasingly
totalitarian Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public sph ...
with human rights abuses becoming endemic in Somalia. The
United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
wrote in 2001, "the 21-year regime of Siyad Barre had one of the worst human rights records in Africa," with the Barre regime persecuting and torturing suspected political dissidents for decades.


Allegations of Soviet involvement

Though no official evidence has been presented to support this theory, suspicions of Soviet involvement in the coup have been widespread since the takeover was carried out in 1969. At the time, postcolonial Somalia had been receiving large volumes of military support from the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
including vehicles, small arms, and technical assistance in the form of advisers. In addition, thousands of Somali military officers had been sent to the Soviet Union for training in the country's military academies and the Soviet Union maintained a sizable naval base in the country. However, after the coup the Soviets remained wary of the new regime and seemed unsure of the junta's preferred political direction. It is known that the KGB's station in Mogadishu was notified in advance of the coup and some of the plotters were Soviet informants. Salaad Gabeyre Kediye, one of the coup's main architects who was executed in 1972, was a KGB informant codenamed "OPERATOR", according to documents from the
Mitrokhin Archive The Mitrokhin Archive refers to a collection of handwritten notes about secret KGB operations spanning the period between the 1930s and 1980s made by KGB archivist Vasili Mitrokhin which he shared with British intelligence in the early 1990s. Mitr ...
and the writings of Cambridge historian Christopher Andrew.Andrew, Christopher M.; Vasili Mitrokhin (2005). The world was going our way: the KGB and the battle for the Third World. Basic Books. (Pg. 448)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1969 Somali coup d'etat Military coups in Somalia Coup-based civil wars 1960s coups d'état and coup attempts Coup attempt Conflicts in 1969 October 1969 in Africa Siad Barre Communist revolutions Military history of Mogadishu