Somali Salvation Democratic Front
Somali Salvation Democratic Front | |
---|---|
Jabhadda Badbaadinta Dimuqraadiyada Soomaaliya | |
Opponents | Somali Democratic Republic |
Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) (
Early history
On October 15, 1969, while paying a visit to the northern town of
In 1978, together with a group of officials mainly from his own Majeerteen (Darod) clan, Ahmed participated in a failed attempt to overthrow Barre's dictatorial administration.[7][2] Most of the people who had helped plot the coup were summarily executed, but Ahmed and several colonels managed to escape abroad.[7] Later that year, in neighboring Ethiopia, Ahmed formed a guerrilla movement called the Somali Salvation Front, which was subsequently renamed the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) in 1979. The SSDF was the first of several opposition groups dedicated to ousting Barre's regime by force.[2] The SSDF was originally a multi-clan organisation. The first SSDF chairman was Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, from the Majeerteen clan.
The SSDF formally incorporated in Aden, South Yemen in October 1981 through the merger of three groups, Somali Salvation Front, Somali Workers Party and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Somalia. An 11-member Central Committee was constituted, of which the SSF leaders held 7 seats. Some former CC members of the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party were part of the leadership of the new group. A military structure was built up, supported by Ethiopia and Libya.[8]
In the summer of 1982 SSDF forces took part in an
A conflict soon emerged between the former SSF and the more leftist members. The SSF clique wanted to maintain the domination of SSDF of Majeerteen and Darood clans. They made a deal with the
From 1983 onwards many leaders, belonging to the Darood clan, were bought over by Barre. Many SSDF fighters defected to the regime. By 1985 SSDF had ceased most of their military operations against the Siad Barre regime.
In 1986 an SSDF congress was held, which elected Dr. Hassan Ali Mire as chairman. He resigned in 1988, leaving a power vacuum in the organization. Musse Islan was elected leader by the SSDF Central Committee to hold the position until a Congress was convened.
In 1988 the governments of Somalia and Ethiopia made some agreements to cease hostilities. The Ethiopian government started closing SSDF camps, arresting its leaders and seizing weapons. The Ethiopian government also closed the SSDF radio station, Radio Halgan, which had been broadcasting since 1981.
In 1988 SSDF guerrillas started taking control over the western districts of
Post-1991
After the fall of the Barre regime, the SSDF (based largely in northeastern Somalia) was divided in two factions. One was led by General Mohamed Abshir Muse (chairman), who at the time was based in Saudi Arabia, and the other was led by Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (deputy chairman). The general secretary was Mohamed Abshir Waldo.
A congress was held in August 1994. Former Prime Minister of Somalia, Abdirizak Haji Hussein, was offered the chairmanship of the SSDF by a group of clan leaders, but declined.[11]
Over the next several years, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed would emerge as the pre-eminent leader in northeastern Somalia. In 1992, he marshalled forces to successfully expel an Islamist extremist group linked to Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya that had taken over Bosaso, a prominent port city and the commercial capital of the northeastern part of the country.[11]
Puntland
In 1998, a homegrown constitutional conference was held in
After serving two terms as President of Puntland, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was elected in 2004 as President of the
References
- ISBN 9781462053940.
- ^ a b c d Nina J. Fitzgerald, Somalia: issues, history, and bibliography, (Nova Publishers: 2002), p.25.
- ^ Bongartz, Maria (1991). The Civil War in Somalia: Its Genesis and Dynamics. Nordiska Afrikainstitutet.
- ISBN 978-3-030-19886-2.
- ISBN 978-0-7556-2711-0.
- ^ Moshe Y. Sachs, Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, (Worldmark Press: 1988), p.290
- ^ a b c d New People Media Centre (Nairobi, Kenya), New people, Issues 94-105, (New People Media Centre: Comboni Missionaries, 2005).
- ISBN 9781569020739.
- ^ "madhibaan.org". Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ The Peace Process in Somalia
- ^ a b Gérard Prunier. "Somalia: Civil War, intervention and withdrawal 1990–1995 (July 1995), p. 6" (PDF). Writenet Country Papers, UK. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2006.
- ^ Somalia: Puntland's Experience in Peace-building and State-building
- ^ Proceedings of the Conference on African Conflicts: Their Management, Resolution and Post-conflict Reconstruction, Held at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, 13-15 December 2000. Development Policy Management Forum (DPMF). 2001.
- ^ ":: Xinhuanet - English ::". Archived from the original on November 21, 2004. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-313-37858-4.