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The '''Dilla Massacre''', was a series of events that spanned from January 1991 to March 1991, perpetrated by members of the [[Somali National Movement]] (SNM) rebel group, against the [[Gadabuursi]] clan, particularly the [[Reer Nuur]] subclan.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.nl/books?id=_8D0gYZZVKEC&pg=PA136&dq=Rer+Nur+Dila+town&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiuxuGJ_u_TAhUBthoKHSsKAEwQ6AEIIzAA#v=onepage&q=Rer%20Nur%20Dila%20town&f=false|title=Voice and Power|last=Hayward|first=R. J.|last2=Lewis|first2=I. M.|date=2005-08-17|publisher=Routledge|year=|isbn=9781135751753|location=|page=136|language=en|quote=The major town of the Rer Mohamoud Nur, Dila, was thoroughly destroyed by the SNM and still lies in ruin, their rural and urban property has been almost entirely plundered by the SNM apparently to avenge the past fierce resistance put up by this group in particular, and the Rer Nur in general, who occupy the buffer zone between the Isaq and Gadabursi.}}</ref> The most violent episode was on February 4, 1991 in [[Dilla]], a town in [[Awdal]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UmoWAQAAIAAJ|title=Somaliland: Democratisation and Its Discontents|date=2003|publisher=International Crisis Group|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad8e24.html|title=Refworld {{!}} Somalia: Information 1) on the current situation of the Gadabursi in Somalia and in Somaliland, on the actions taken against them by other clans and on their current relationship with the Hawiye and the Issaq,|last=Refugees|first=United Nations High Commissioner for|date=|website=Refworld|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-05-21|quote=In February 1991, "ethnic cleansing" by the SNM took place in the Boroma region, the main Gadabursi town}}</ref>{{Infobox civilian attack|title=1991 Dilla Massacre|image=|caption=|location=[[Dilla]] and other places in [[Awdal]]|target=Civilians|date=January to March 1991|type=Shooting, Burning, Looting|fatalities=1000 +|assailants=[[Somali National Movement]]|motive=Anti Government, Clannist, Ethnic cleansing.}}
The '''Dilla Massacre''', was a series of events that spanned from January 1991 to March 1991, perpetrated by members of the [[Somali National Movement]] (SNM) rebel group, against the [[Gadabuursi]] clan, particularly the [[Reer Nuur]] subclan.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.nl/books?id=_8D0gYZZVKEC&pg=PA136&dq=Rer+Nur+Dila+town&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiuxuGJ_u_TAhUBthoKHSsKAEwQ6AEIIzAA#v=onepage&q=Rer%20Nur%20Dila%20town&f=false|title=Voice and Power|last=Hayward|first=R. J.|last2=Lewis|first2=I. M.|date=2005-08-17|publisher=Routledge|year=|isbn=9781135751753|location=|page=136|language=en|quote=The major town of the Rer Mohamoud Nur, Dila, was thoroughly destroyed by the SNM and still lies in ruin, their rural and urban property has been almost entirely plundered by the SNM apparently to avenge the past fierce resistance put up by this group in particular, and the Rer Nur in general, who occupy the buffer zone between the Isaq and Gadabursi.}}</ref> The most violent episode was on February 4, 1991 in [[Dilla]], a town in [[Awdal]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UmoWAQAAIAAJ|title=Somaliland: Democratisation and Its Discontents|date=2003|publisher=International Crisis Group|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad8e24.html|title=Refworld {{!}} Somalia: Information 1) on the current situation of the Gadabursi in Somalia and in Somaliland, on the actions taken against them by other clans and on their current relationship with the Hawiye and the Issaq,|last=Refugees|first=United Nations High Commissioner for|date=|website=Refworld|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-05-21|quote=In February 1991, "ethnic cleansing" by the SNM took place in the Boroma region, the main Gadabursi town}}</ref>{{Infobox civilian attack|title=1991 Dilla Massacre|image=|caption=|location=[[Dilla]] and other places in [[Awdal]]|target=Civilians|date=January to March 1991|type=Shooting, Burning, Looting|fatalities=1000 +|assailants=[[Somali National Movement]]|motive=Anti Government, Clannist, Ethnic cleansing.}}


Revision as of 00:40, 10 March 2020

The Dilla Massacre, was a series of events that spanned from January 1991 to March 1991, perpetrated by members of the Somali National Movement (SNM) rebel group, against the Gadabuursi clan, particularly the Reer Nuur subclan.[1] The most violent episode was on February 4, 1991 in Dilla, a town in Awdal.[2][3]

1991 Dilla Massacre
LocationDilla and other places in Awdal
DateJanuary to March 1991
TargetCivilians
Attack type
Shooting, Burning, Looting
Deaths1000 +
AssailantsSomali National Movement
MotiveAnti Government, Clannist, Ethnic cleansing.

Background

During the Siad Barre era of Somalia, the northern region of Somalia was neglected in order to funnel development to Mogadishu. Northern residents were encouraged to venture down south for higher education and jobs, as opposed to the government developing the Northern region as well.[4] Siad Barre played on clan tension and division in order to solidify his rule in the North. He began fueling hostility between the Isaaq and Gadabuursi tribes in a series of land conflicts and redistribution, using the Divide and rule policy. Members of the Isaaq clan began to blame members of the Gadabursi clan for this, in a series of tension fueled by the regime.[5]

President Mengistu Haile Mariam of Ethiopia, provided support for the Somali National Movement ,for its attacks against Somalia.[6]

Ethiopian Support of the SNM

By the 1980s, members of the Isaaq tribe established a rebel group called the Somali National Movement (SNM), whose main residence and benefactor was Ethiopia, In order to topple the Siad Barre regime.[7] The group was supported and funded by the Ethiopian President of the time, Mengistu Haile Mariam, and received partial support by Muammar Gaddafi.[8][9] Ethiopia supported the SNM raids against the Somali government, and would send troops to support the SNM in multiple cross border raids against Somalia. Most of these raids would be within Gadabursi territory (The border tribe of Ethiopia and Somalia), fueling further conflict between the two groups.[10][11][6] Ethiopia supported their SNM allies, many of whom where high level Isaaq defectors from Somalia's Government.[12] In April 1988, Siad Barre and Mengistu, signed a peace treaty, in which they both agreed to stop supporting rebel movements in the other's territory. Siad Barre stopped supporting the Western Somali Liberation Front and Mengistu ended his help to the SSDF and SNM. Mengistu told the SNM to stop its military activities from Ethiopian territory.

Fearful of the consequences, the SNM decided to consolidate its rebel soldiers in northern Somalia and launch surprise military attacks against northern Somalia cities (in May 1988), leading to an all out civil war between the regime and the Northern areas of Somalia.[13][14] During the attack on the northern Somali cities, the SNM received further assistance from the Ethiopian military, with Mengistu blatantly neglecting the peace treaty through arming the SNM. The Ethiopians supported the SNM, by providing artillery and anti tank weapons during their attacks.[15] Mengistu continued to support the SNM and other Somali rebel groups, as late as November 1990.[16]

Attacks on the Awdal Region

During the SNM assault against the Somali government, a bulk of their activities were based on cross border raids into the Awdal region. The Awdal region, is considered a border territory between Ethiopia and Somalia, and is considered to be the primary residence of the Gadabursi tribe in Somalia. The SNM, to further their movement, embarked on a mining campaign of northern Somalia, especially the areas between the Djibouti and Ethiopian border (Awdal). These extensive mining campaigns have affected the Awdal region to this day.[17]

To further their attacks against the Somali National Army in the North, the SNM also installed car bombs into the vehicles of the Somali National Army. In the city of Borama, these multiple car bombs detonated and mass civilian casualties sparked panic within the city.[18] The cross border raids were seen as an assault against the Somali Republic , and in the 1980s, the Awdal people were resisting the SNM's Ethiopian backed excursions into their territory.[19] At the same time, the government attacked innocent Awdal residents, in response to the SNM aggression of the region .[20] In 1989, the Somali Government has reportedly bombed Hargeisa and Borama, further causing panic and fear among Awdal residents.[21] In early 1990, the SNM had then infiltrated Borama and killed 200 civilians and displaced and 5,000 people, further adding to the chaos of the region.[22]

After the United Somali Congress's assault on Mogadishu, in January 1991, the civilians of the Northern part of Somalia, lost all communications and support from the federal government, leaving them stranded against the rebel forces. In 1991 the Somali government collapsed, leaving northern citizens, not allied with rebel groups, in a defenseless position. At this point, the Gadabursi refused to fight for the tyrannical Siad Barre government, but rather to protect their state against rebels.[23]

Map of the Awdal region in Somalia

Massacre

Between January and March 1991, the SNM enacted various killings against members of the Gadabursi tribe and anyone they deemed as supporters of Siad Barre.[24] A wholesale killing of anyone deemed "Anti SNM" was established. At this point, (From January to March 1991), the SNM's militia were out of control, Gadabursi people travelling in their cars on the national highway were burned and looted.[25][26] Heavy SNM artillery had bombarded Dilla, also women and children and innocent civilians were killed for being Gadabursi.[27][28][29] The SNM orchestrated the destruction of the town of Dilla, and the looting of Borama, the capital city of Awdal region.[30] Thousands of Gadabursi lives were lost in the attacks against the Awdal region, and the town of Dilla was destroyed and burned. The tribal groupings of the north reported a combined SNM and Ethiopian attack on Borama.[31]The SNM assaulted, pillaged, and occupied Borama, the capital of the Awdal region, causing about 80,000 people to flee to Ethiopia.[32][33][34]

R.J Hayward and I.M. Lewis (2005) both state that Dilla was destroyed and plundered by the SNM as an act of revenge on the Reer Nuur subclan of the Gadabuursi:

"The major town of the Rer Mohamoud Nur, Dila, was thoroughly destroyed by the SNM and still lies in ruin, their rural and urban property has been almost entirely plundered by the SNM apparently to avenge the past fierce resistance put up by this group in particular and the Rer Nur in general, who occupy the buffer zone between the Isaq and Gadabursi."[35]

Continued armed conflict occurred In February 1991, "ethnic cleansing" by the SNM took place in the Boroma region, the main Gadabursi town [36] The Gadabursi town of Dilla was also partially destroyed by the SNM (Ibid.). Later, fighting broke out in the Gadabursi town at the end of March 1992, spreading to Berbera two days later (Horn of Africa Bulletin Mar. 1992)

Aftermath

The town of Dilla was thoroughly and systematically destroyed by the SNM, and lied in ruins after the assault. Dilla civilians rural and urban property, were entirely plundered and looted by the SNM , apparently to avenge the past fierce resistance put up by the Reer Nuur, a sub clan of the Gadabursi. The Reer Nuur traditionally served as the buffer between the Gadabursi and the Isaaq.[37] The assault against the Reer Nuur and other Gadabursi, by the SNM, was described as a way of "settling old scores".[38] It was reported that the SNM were not after Siad Barre in the late 80s, but rather were against the Gadabursi.[39] The SNM, after the mass killings, was then occupying Borama and the surrounding areas by force.[40] During and after the occupation, thousands of Gadabursi fled into Ethiopia into the Tog Wajaale and Awbare refugee camps for safety.[41]

References

  1. ^ Hayward, R. J.; Lewis, I. M. (2005-08-17). Voice and Power. Routledge. p. 136. ISBN 9781135751753. The major town of the Rer Mohamoud Nur, Dila, was thoroughly destroyed by the SNM and still lies in ruin, their rural and urban property has been almost entirely plundered by the SNM apparently to avenge the past fierce resistance put up by this group in particular, and the Rer Nur in general, who occupy the buffer zone between the Isaq and Gadabursi.
  2. ^ Somaliland: Democratisation and Its Discontents. International Crisis Group. 2003.
  3. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Somalia: Information 1) on the current situation of the Gadabursi in Somalia and in Somaliland, on the actions taken against them by other clans and on their current relationship with the Hawiye and the Issaq,". Refworld. Retrieved 2019-05-21. In February 1991, "ethnic cleansing" by the SNM took place in the Boroma region, the main Gadabursi town
  4. ^ Appiah, Anthony; Gates, Henry Louis (2005). Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195223293.
  5. ^ Toggia, Pietro; Lauderdale, Pat (2017-03-02). Crisis and Terror in the Horn of Africa: Autopsy of Democracy, Human Rights and Freedom. Routledge. ISBN 9781351947442.
  6. ^ a b Collective Punishment. Human Rights Watch. p. 19. Another key development in the region in the early 1980s was the formation of the Somali National Movement (SNM), which drew support from the Isaaq clan in northern Somalia. The SNM obtained support from Mengistu's government to fight Siad Barre and the WSLF
  7. ^ New African, Issues 280-291. the University of Virginia: IC Magazines Limited. 1991. p. 31.
  8. ^ Stanton, Martin (2009-03-12). Somalia on $5 a Day: A Soldier's Story. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307546999. A low-level guerrilla war continued on the border with Ethiopia between the Ethiopian-backed Somali National Movement
  9. ^ Bridges, Peter (2000). Safirka: An American Envoy. Kent State University Press. ISBN 9780873386586. Siad Barre had antagonized the largest group of clans in the north, the Isaqs, and many of their men had gone over the border to join the largely Isaq Somali National Movement, or SNM. The Ethiopians, and the Libyans as well, were giving the SNM their support.
  10. ^ Africa Confidential. Indiana University: Miramoor Publications Limited. 1987. p. 10. It was this SNM offensive which led to the February clash when an Ethiopian battalion, backing up the SNM, crossed the border and assaulted Somali troops.
  11. ^ Colaresi, Michael P. (2005). Scare Tactics: The Politics of International Rivalry. Syracuse University Press. p. 79. ISBN 9780815630661.
  12. ^ Reno, William (2011-06-13). Warfare in Independent Africa. Cambridge University Press. p. 154. ISBN 9781139498654.
  13. ^ Ciment, James; Hill, Kenneth L.; MacMichael, David; Skutsch, Carl (1999). Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II: Palestine-Zimbabwe. Sharpe Reference.
  14. ^ Pegg, Scott (1998-01-01). International Society and the de Facto State. Ashgate. ISBN 9781840144789.
  15. ^ Ingiriis, Mohamed Haji (2016-04-01). The Suicidal State in Somalia: The Rise and Fall of the Siad Barre Regime, 1969–1991. UPA. p. 201. ISBN 9780761867203. The Mengistu Support of the SNM was not something ambiguous. Even when they went to full combat, the Ethiopians supported them with artillery and anti tank weapons. This information is corroborated by foreign witnesses.
  16. ^ Ingiriis, Mohamed Haji (2016-04-01). The Suicidal State in Somalia: The Rise and Fall of the Siad Barre Regime, 1969–1991. UPA. p. 201. ISBN 9780761867203. However, the Mengistu regime retained supporting the other Somali armed opposition groups well as late as November 1990.
  17. ^ Kumnova, Valon (1 September 2016). HALO Humanitarian Mine Action and Cluster Ammunition activities 2016-2020 Annual Report Somaliland/Somalia. United Kingdom: The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  18. ^ Service, British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring (1987). Summary of World Broadcasts: Non-Arab Africa. Eight soldiers were killed in two trucks belonging to the regime's army which were blown up by SNM at Borama.
  19. ^ Bakonyi, Jutta (September 2011). Land ohne Staat: Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft im Krieg am Beispiel Somalias (in German). Campus Verlag. ISBN 9783593395289.
  20. ^ Impact International. Northwestern University: News & Media. 1987. p. 44. The regime embarked on this course at the beginning of March against the innocent people living in and around Gabiley, Dila, Togwajaale, Bur Madow, Ceel Bardaale and Gambar.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  21. ^ Affairs, United States Department of State Bureau of African (1989). AF Press Clips. p. 13.
  22. ^ Balthasar, Dominik (September 2012). STATE-MAKING IN SOMALIA AND SOMALILAND Understanding War, Nationalism and State Trajectories as Processes of Institutional and Socio Cognitive Standardization. The London School of Economics and Political Science. p. 137. Citation 370 states: In early August 1990, for example, the SNM infiltrated the Gadabursi town of Boroma, which resulted in 200 dead and 5,000 displaced persons (Compagnon 1990:266; Interview 141) and also attacked the Warsangeli settlement of Hadaftimo in eastern Sanaag, which produced further streams of refugees (Bradbury 2008:78). See also the incidences in the settlements of Dilla, Aynabo, and Erigavo. For a detailed study on the war's effect on settlement patterns in Erigavo, see Yusuf (2010).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  23. ^ Legum, Colin (1992). Africa Contemporary Record: Annual Survey and Documents. Africa Research Limited.
  24. ^ Africa Events. Dar es Salaam Limited. 1989.
  25. ^ "The Killings of Borama and Dilla of 1991".
  26. ^ Somaliland: Democratisation and Its Discontents. International Crisis Group. 2003.
  27. ^ Walls, Michael; Mohammed, Koss; Ali, Mohamud Omar (2007-12-31). "Peace in Somaliland: An Indigenous Approach to State-building". Africa Portal. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  28. ^ "The second bigest crime and Genocide happen recently in Somaliland". Awdalpress.com. 2011-12-14. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  29. ^ "Somali Diaspora Mark 27th Anniversary Of Borama And Awdal Citizens Massacre In Northern Somaliland". Mareeg.com. 2019-02-05. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  30. ^ Keating, Michael; Waldman, Matt (2019-01-01). War and Peace in Somalia: National Grievances, Local Conflict and Al-Shabaab. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190058012.
  31. ^ Africa Review. The University of Michigan: World of Information. 1992. p. 184. Tribes of the north reported a combined SNM-Ethiopian attack on Borama, the provincial capital of Awdal region in north-west Somalia.
  32. ^ Legum, Colin (1995). Africa Contemporary Record: Annual Survey and Documents. Africa Research Limited.
  33. ^ London (2012-02-04). "4th February is the Anniversary of Genocide in Dilla and Borama by SNM by Suleiman Abdi Dugsiye". Codka, shacabka, SSC, wararkii ugu dambeeyey. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  34. ^ Africa Contemporary Record: Annual Survey and Documents. Africana Publishing Company. 1998. pp. Page B-376. ISBN 9780841905610. In the northwest, the SNM assaulted and pillaged Borama, causing about 80,000 people to flee to Ethiopia.
  35. ^ Hayward, R. J.; Lewis, I. M. (2005-08-17). Voice and Power. Routledge. p. 136. ISBN 9781135751753. The major town of the Rer Mohamoud Nur, Dila, was thoroughly destroyed by the SNM and still lies in ruin, their rural and urban property has been almost entirely plundered by the SNM apparently to avenge the past fierce resistance put up by this group in particular and the Rer Nur in general, who occupy the buffer zone between the Isaq and Gadabursi.
  36. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Somalia: Information 1) on the current situation of the Gadabursi in Somalia and in Somaliland, on the actions taken against them by other clans and on their current relationship with the Hawiye and the Issaq, 2) on areas controlled by any affiliated clan, 3) on their ability to carry on trade, 4) on whether they hire soldiers, and 5) on whether they sell arms". Refworld. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
  37. ^ Hayward, R. J.; Lewis, I. M. (2005-08-17). Voice and Power. Routledge. ISBN 9781135751753.
  38. ^ Renders, Marleen (2012-01-20). Consider Somaliland: State-Building with Traditional Leaders and Institutions. BRILL. ISBN 9789004218482. Under the SNM flag, they attacked non-Isaaq in order to settle local scores about issues such as access to water etc.
  39. ^ Africa Events. Dar es Salaam Limited. 1989. p. 47. The civil war raging on in the north is between the SNM Isaks against the Gadabursi in the northwest regions.
  40. ^ Galipo, Adele (2018-11-09). Return Migration and Nation Building in Africa: Reframing the Somali Diaspora. Routledge. ISBN 9780429957130.
  41. ^ Kapteijns, Lidwien (2012-12-18). Clan Cleansing in Somalia: The Ruinous Legacy of 1991. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 9780812207583.

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