Siad Barre
3rd President of Somalia
In office October 21, 1969 – January 26, 1991
Preceded by	Abdirashid Ali Shermarke
Succeeded by	Ali Mahdi Muhammad
Born	1919 Shilabo, Hararghe
Died	January 2, 1995 Lagos, Nigeria
Nationality	Somali
Political party	Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party
Spouse	Khadija Maalin and Dalyad Haji Hashi[1]
Religion	Islam

Mohamed Siad Barre (Somali: Maxamed Siyaad Barre) (1919 – January 2, 1995) was the Head of State of Somalia from 1969 to 1991. Prior to his presidency he was an army commander under the democratic government of Somalia which had been in place since independence in June 1960. During his rule, he styled himself Jaalle Siyaad (Comrade Siad). Siad Barre propaganda portrait File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This page contains a list of the Presidents of Somalia. ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was President of Somalia from June 10, 1967 until October 15, 1969. ... Ali Mahdi Muhammad (born 1938) was president of Somalia from January (when Mohammed Farah Aidid removed the then president Mohamed Siad Barre) to November of 1991, but was not able in that time to exert control over the country. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ethiopia. ... Shilavo (also spelled Scilave, Shelabo, ShÄ«labÄ“, Shilabe, and Shilabo) is a village of the Ethiopian part of the Ogaden. ... Hararghe, sometimes spelled Harerge, was a province in the eastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital in Harar. ... is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nigeria. ... Alternate uses: Lagos (disambiguation) Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria and, with its population of 13. ... XHKS flag XHKS poster XHKS poster XHKS poster Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (in Somali: Xisbiga Hantiwadaagga Kacaanka Soomaaliyeed or XHKS), the governing political party in Somalia 1976-1991. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Head of state or Chief of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state. ...

Early life

Barre was born into the Marehan clan near Shilabo, Ethiopia, although he later claimed to have been born in Garbahaarreey in order to qualify for the Italian colonial police force.^[2] Before he joined the police force, Barre had been an orphaned shepherd. He had no formal education, but attended some military courses in Italy. He became the Vice Commander of Somalia's Army when the country gained independence from Italy in 1960. Barre became an advocate of Soviet style Marxist government after spending time with Soviet officers in joint training exercises in the early 1960s. The Marehan (Somali: Mareexaan) (Arabic :مريحان, Ahmed bin Abdirahman bin Ismail bin Ibrahim al Jaberti), a Somali clan, is one of the major Darod subclans and part of the Sade clan family . ... Shilavo (also spelled Scilave, Shelabo, ShÄ«labÄ“, Shilabe, and Shilabo) is a village of the Ethiopian part of the Ogaden. ... Garbahaarey is the capital of Gedo, the second largest and second most populated region (gobolka) of Somalia. ... Soviet redirects here. ...

Head of state

In 1969, during the power vacuum following the assassination of President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, the military staged a coup on October 21, 1969 (the day after Shermarke's funeral), and took over. Barre was to rule for the next twenty-two years. He established a pervasive personality cult, assuming titles such as macallinka (teacher), aabaha aqoonta (father of knowledge),^[3] and Guulwaadde (Victorious Leader).^[4] Large posters of him, many of which can still be seen today, were common in the capital Mogadishu during his regime. Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was President of Somalia from June 10, 1967 until October 15, 1969. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho, popularly Xamar; Arabic: ; Italian: ), is the largest city in Somalia, and its capital. ...

One of the earliest deeds of his regime was to introduce the Somali language as the education delivery language. All education in government schools had to be conducted in Somali. This was necessary as there was a growing rift between those who spoke the colonial languages, and those that did not. Many of the high ranking positions in the government were given to those people that spoke either Italian or English. To keep everyone on an even playing field, the Somali language was finally written down. The Latin alphabet was selected as the means for writing the language. The establishment of the Somali language as a national language, created a new confidence in the masses. In 1972, the second anniversary of the military government, all government employees were ordered to learn to write and read Af Soomaali within six months. The Somali language (Af Soomaali) is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

Siad Barre also championed the concept of a Greater Somalia, which intended to unite all ethnic Somalis in one nation state. Thus he aimed to incorporating Djibouti, the Somali region of Kenya and most importantly the Ogaden, which was part of Ethiopia but was inhabited by ethnic Somalis, into the Somalian state. Flag of Somalia, the five edges of the star are said to symbolize the five parts of Greater Somalia Greater Somalia refers to those regions in the Horn of Africa in which ethnic Somalis live. ... Regional flag Ogaden (pronounced and often spelled Ogadēn, Somali: ) is a part of the Somali Region in Ethiopia. ...

The Somali national army invaded the Ogaden and was at first very successful, capturing most of the Ogaden. This first phase was ended by the Soviet Union's sudden shift of support to Ethiopia, followed by almost the entire communist world siding with Ethiopia. The Soviets began to distribute aid, weapons, and training to the Ethiopians, and also brought in Cubans to assist the Ethiopian regime. Ultimately Somali troops were pushed out of Ethiopia.

Control of Somalia was of great interest to the Soviet Union and the United States due to its strategic location at the entrance to the Red Sea. After the Soviets abandoned Barre, he subsequently expelled all Soviet advisors, tore up his friendship treaty with the Soviet Union, and switched his allegiance to the West. The United States stepped in, and until 1989 was a strong supporter of the Barre government, providing approximately US$100 million per year in economic and military aid. Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... The term Western world, the West or the Occident (Latin occidens -sunset, -west, as distinct from the Orient) [1] can have multiple meanings dependent on its context (e. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ...

On the international front, Siad Barre played an important role in 17 October and 18 October 1977 when a PFLP group hijacked Lufthansa flight 181 to Mogadishu, Somalia, holding 86 hostages. West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and Barre negotiated a deal to allow a GSG-9 anti-terrorist unit into Mogadishu to free the hostages. is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Luftansa headquarters in Cologne, Germany. ... West Germany was the informal but almost universally used name for the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 until 1990, during which years the Federal Republic did not yet include East Germany. ... Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (born December 23, 1918) is a German Social Democratic politician. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Barre's government was plagued with various clan-based rebel groups. In the north of the country, the Isaaq clan was discontented with the fact that they were sidelined. The Isaaq clan developed a rebel group named the SNM, who were supported morally and financially by Ethiopia. In order to combat these rebels, there were many raids against the north. Also in the north, there was a rebel group called the SSDF, which was led by Abdullahi Yusuf. Clan based militias, particularly Majerten and Hawiye started a campaign of immense proportions of killings, rape and torture in the northern and middle regions of Somalia. In the late 1980s, rival factional groups began to make substantial territorial gains, especially in the northern Somaliland region. These rebels received aid from Ethiopia in hopes of overthrowing the Somali government. By 1991, the situation in Mogadishu was very dire. The rebels, led by warlord Aidid and his rebel group, the USC attacked Mogadishu. Aidid fought against government foces, and Barre was finally overthrown on the evening of 26 January 1991. He was succeeded by Ali Mahdi Muhammad, another warlord of the Hawiye clan until November 1991, but Ali Mahdi's government never managed to exert political or military control over most of the country as by then, Somalia was thrown into chaos. Ali Mahdi and Aideed's personal militia and clans fought against each other, both vying for President. SNM is a three-character combination that may refer to: Sacred Name Movement SNM Chat Society of Nuclear Medicine Somali National Movement Special nuclear material Sant Nirankari Mission Categories: | ... The Swedish Chess Computer Association Svenska schackdatorföreningen in Swedish (SSDF), is an organization that tests computer chess software by playing chess programs against another and producing a rating list. ... Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (Somali: Cabdulaahi Yuusuf Axmed) (born December 15, 1934 in Galkayo, Puntland, Somalia) is the transitional Kenya on October 10, 2004, and sworn in on October 14, 2004. ... Motto لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله  (Arabic) Lā ilāhā illā-llāhu; muhammadun rasÅ«lu-llāhi  (transliteration) There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah And also : Justice, Peace, Freedom, Democracy and Success for All Anthem Saamo ku waar Capital Hargeisa (1941-1960) (1991-present) Official languages Somali and... Mohamed Farrah Aidid USASOC Photo Date of birth 1934 Place of birth Somalia, Africa Date of death August 1, 1996 (gunshot wounds) Place of death Somalia Occupation Military intelligence Military education Trained in Rome and Moscow. ... The United Somali Congress is a politico-military organization in Somalia based around the Habr Gidr clan (itself part of the larger Hawiye clan). ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Ali Mahdi Muhammad (born 1938) was president of Somalia from January (when Mohammed Farah Aidid removed the then president Mohamed Siad Barre) to November of 1991, but was not able in that time to exert control over the country. ...

Death

After leaving Mogadishu in January 1991, Barre temporarily remained in the southwestern region of the country controlled by his son-in-law Mohammed Said Hersi. He twice attempted to retake Mogadishu, but in May 1991, he was overwhelmed by General Muhammed Farrah Aidid's army, and went into exile. He initially moved to Nairobi, but opposition groups there protested his presence and support by the Kenyan government, so he moved to Nigeria only two weeks later. He died on January 2, 1995 in Lagos, Nigeria from a heart attack and his remains were buried in Garbahaarreey state of Gedo Somalia. As of 2007, Somalia has had no real national leader nor any effective national government since Siad Barre was deposed. General Mohammed Said (or Siad) Hersi Morgan was the son-in-law of Siad Barre and minister of defense of Somalia, responsible for the 1988 bombing of Hargeisa and Burao, two cities now in the self-declared state of Somaliland. ... General Mohamed Farrah Aidid (Somali: Maxamed Faarax Caydiid) (December 15, 1934 – August 1, 1996) was a Somali leader of the Habr Gidr subclan (itself part of the larger Hawiye clan). ... Nairobi (pronounced ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. ... is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Alternate uses: Lagos (disambiguation) Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria and, with its population of 13. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Since the fall of the Siad Barre government, no less than 13 attempts were made to help establish a sound government in Somalia. But no substantial gains were made on any of those peace conferences. The first one was held in Djibouti.

Quotes

"In our Revolution we believe that we have broken the chain of a consumer economy based on imports, and we are free to decide our destiny. And in order to realize the interests of the Somali people, their achievement of a better life, the full development of their potentialities and the fulfillment of their aspirations, we solemnly declare Somalia to be a Socialist State."
- Siad Barre proclaims Somalia a socialist state, October 20, 1970^[5] The term socialist state (or socialist republic, or workers state) can carry one of several different (but related) meanings: Strictly speaking, any real or hypothetical state organized along the principles of socialism may be called a socialist state. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

"When I came to Mogadishu...[t]here was one road built by the Italians. If you try to force me to stand down, I will leave the city as I found it. I came to power with a gun; only the gun can make me go."^[6]

Notes

1. ^ Obituary: Siad Barre
2. ^ David D. Laitin and Said S. Samatar, Somalia: Nation in Search of a State (Boulder: Westview Press 1987), p. 79
3. ^ Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi, Culture and Customs of Somalia, p. 34
4. ^ Somalia: A Country Study, "Siad Barre and Scientific Socialism"
5. ^ Somalia: A Country Study, "Scientific Socialism, 1970-1975"
6. ^ Abdullahi, p. 41