Founded: 1978 by several army officers, it was the first of several opposition groups dedicated to ousting the authoritarian regime of Mohamed Siad Barre.[1]
The SSDF also propped up and trained the SNM. Both SSDF and SNM leaders met in Ethiopia’s capital in September 1987 to unite and devise a plan to topple Siad Barre’s regime but they failed to agree on a common strategy.
Leaders: General Ahmed Ali, Mohammed Said Samatar "Gacaliye", Ahmed Sheikh Ali Ahmed "Burale", Dr. Ali Nur, General Mohammed Hashi Gaani, General Ahmed Warsame Col Barre Hiiraale, Gen Omar Hagi Massale, Col. Abdirizak Issak Bihi.
Area of Operations: Southern and Central Somalia; occasional forays to outskirts of Mogadishu and neighboring Regions.
Isaaq tribe members had founded the movement in 1981 as emigres to London with the express purpose of overthrowing the Barre regime. They eventually moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and gained the support of the Ethiopian government.::
On January 2, 1982, operating near Berbera, the group attacked Mandera Prison to free political prisoners while simultaneously raiding Cadaadle armory.
Between 1985 and 1987, the SNM conducted many attacks on government facilities and troops based out of camps in Ethiopia.
By 1988, the SNM moved out of their camps in Ethiopia and began operating in northern Somali republic, the area now known as Somaliland.[2] They even temporarily occupied the provincial capitals of Burao and Hargeysa.
They captured government Toyota Land Cruisers turned them into technicals by mounting 12.7mm and 14.5mm machineguns, 106mm recoilless rifles, and BM-21 rocket launchers. They also operated various antiaircraft guns, such as the ZU-23-2.
On January 26, 1991, the USC stormed the Presidential palace in Mogadishu, taking control of the capital and forcing Siad Barre into exile.
In November 1991, factionalism between Gen. Aidid and Ali Mahdi Mahammad caused a split in the USC. Mohamed Qanyare Afrah was chosen to be the Chairman of USC .
Somali Democràctic Movement (SDM)
Leaders:Maxamed Qanyare Afrah; M. Ali Dheere & (Leeqliqato); etc.
Area of Operations: Greater Banaader; Southern Somalia.:
Tribal Affiliation: Ajrn; Dgdi; Shkhl; Mrsll K. & Sxll K..::
The Isaaq and Dhulbahante -dominated northern region of Somalia declared its independence in 1991, but has not been recognized by any country or international organization as a sovereign nation.
Its constituents included Mohamed Aidid's breakaway United Somali Congress faction, the Somali Patriotic Movement, Southern Somali National Movement, and other southern factions. His son, Hussein Aidid, assumed leadership upon his death. The SNA became the core of the SRRC in 2001.::
Leaders: General Siad Barre, General Mohammed Said Samatar, General Mohammed Hashi Gaani, General Ahmed Ali,'Gacaliye', General Omar Hagi Masallah, Dr. Ali Nur Mukhtar, Ahmed Sheikh Ali " Buraale ". Col. Abdirizak Isak Bihi, Mohamud Sayid.
Loyalists to Siad Barre and Ahmed Ali, the remnants of his army forces founded the SNF militia after his ouster from office.
Their intent and goal was to recapture Mogadishu and reinstate the regime of Siad Barre, and to establish regional state in Middle Jubba, Gedo, Lower Jubba Regions.
Founded: prior to 1991 as a small liberation movement. "New" USF founded Summer 1991
The original USF joined with the SNM in the creation of the Republic of Somaliland.
The Issa clan is a Somali clan that spreads across northwest Somaliland and the nation of Djibouti. The "new" USF especially sought to represent the interests of the Djibouti-based Iise.
The "new" USP had no affiliation to the original group founded in the 1950s. The new group that bore their name were generally pro-Siad, but key participants in the Reconciliation Conference of the Elders at Borama in early 1993.
Those present at the 1993 Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia
The 1993 Informal Preparatory Meeting on National Reconciliation and the Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia saw the presence of no less than “15” separate factions.: including the offshoot SNA branches of USC and SPM. It was a plethora of acronyms: SAMO, SDA, SDM, SNA, SNDU, SNF, SNU, SPM, SPM-(SNA), SSDF, SSNM-(SNA), USC-(SNA), USC, USF, USP. Aidid's four SNA-aligned factions comprised a powerful bloc.::
The progressive tone of the proceedings was undercut by the actual lack of progress in the regions and on the streets of Mogadishu. In time, new factions emerged as the Somali Civil War entered a new phase: disintegration into independent and autonomous states.::
Created after the departure of the UN Missions (1995–Present)
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