1961 revolt in Somalia

Coup d'état attempt 1961 revolt in Somalia the Cold War, conflicts in the Horn of Africa and the separatism in Somalia Somalia 300 Somalia 9.563056 44.0675 top 90 Hargeisa Somalia 9.527889 45.5345 right 90 Burao 10 December 1961 Hargeisa and Burao, northern Somalia (today Somaliland) Revolt/Coup defeated Flag of Somalia.svg Somali Republic Pro-Somaliland coup plotters Unknown Hassan KaydFaisal A. Roble 6 February 2023 SSC, Somaliland: How Somalia Fares in the Era of Sino-US Rivalry https://wardheernews.com/ssc-somaliland-how-somalia-fares-in-the-era-of-sino-us-rivalry/ Wadheer News 25 August 2025 Somali National Army garrisons of Hargeisa and Burao At least 23 junior officers Unknown 3 killed,Samatar Samatar 2005 116 all others arrested The 1961 revolt in Somalia was an unsuccessful revolt and coup d'état attempt in northern regions of the Somali Republic which took place in December 1961. The coup plotters, a group of northern junior officers, intended to restore the independence of the State of Somaliland. Background After the Trust Territory of Somaliland was unified with the State of Somaliland in 1960, it was discovered that the two polities had been unified under different Acts of Union. The newly unified Somali Republic's parliament promptly created a new Act of Union for all of Somalia, but this new Act was widely rejected in the former State of Somaliland. Regardless, the southern-dominated parliament ordered a referendum in the entire country to confirm the Act of Union. Much of the north's population boycotted the referendum, and just 100,000 northerners voted at all. Of these, over 60% of those were against the union under the new Act. The referendum still passed.Richards 2014 84 In addition, the Isaaq clan which dominated the north was traditionally hostile toward the Hawiye and Darod clans from the south that increasingly dominated politics in the entire republic. Northern support for the union consequently began to deteriorate.Lewis 1963 170 Unrest and opposition to the union further increased as southern politicians began taking up the majority of political positions in the newly unified Somali Republic. This led to fears that the former State of Somaliland could become a neglected outpost.Lyons Samatar 2010 12 In turn, many northern administrative officials and officers were moved to the south to defuse regional tensions.Lewis 1963 170 In addition to these tensions, there were also personal grievances among several officers of northern descent.Richards 2014 84–85 They felt that officers from the south who had been appointed as their superiors following the unification were poorly educated and unfit as commanders.Samatar Samatar 2005 116Nur Hussein M 21 February 2018 The Rebirth Of Somaliland (4): The 1961 Aborted Military Coup https://www.horndiplomat.com/2018/02/the-rebirth-of-somaliland-4-the-1961-aborted-military-coup/ Horn Diplomat 21 August 2025 July 2026 InternetArchiveBot Just before the Somali Republic's independence, many southern policemen had been promoted and appointed as ranking military officers. As a result, many southern commanders had "no military experience and training at all". In contrast, northern soldiers were not promoted in a large number before or after independence, even though several had graduated from military academies in Great Britain and Egypt. In general, it was suspected that the government preferred Italian-trained officers from the south over British-trained officers from the north.Kaplan 1969 388 A group of northern soldiers met with General Daud Abdulle Hirsi, head of the Somali National Army, and outlined these issues in 1960. However, their concerns were ignored. A group of at least 23According to researcher Hussein M Nur, there were 23 coup members overall. Yet 23 coup members were later put on trial,Kaplan 1969 388 even though three rebels were reportedly killed during the uprising.Samatar Samatar 2005 116 junior officers, including several who had been trained in Great Britain, eventually conspired to end the union between Somalia and Somaliland.Richards 2014 84–85Lewis 1963 170 They benefitted from the fact that the old northern colonial unit, the Somaliland Scouts, had remained relatively intact after the Somali unification. The coup plotters included Hassan Abdillahi Walanwal (alias "Hassan Kayd"), Abdillahi Mohamed Aden, Muhumed Abdillahi Robleh, Abdillahi Said Abby, Said Ali Ghir, Mohamed Mohamoud Said 'Bidihleh, Mohamed Abdirahman Haji Jama, Faisal Haji Jama Geddi, Hussein Ali Duale,Hansen Bradbury 2007 474 Abdillahi Abdi Farah 'Deyr', Daud Ali Yahye, Hussein Mohamed Bullaleh, Abdillahi Ahmed Kibar, Mohamed Warsame, Mohamed Mohamoud Raghe, Abdi Yusuf, Mohamed Sh Muse, Ahmed Haji Deria, Ali Harun, Said Oogle, Abdi Dhala Abdi, Abdikarim Ashur, and Abdi Ali Hussein. They belonged to various northern clans, being united by their common opposition to the existing power structures. Political analyst Faisal A. Roble described Hassan Kayd as the coup's main leader. The conspirators believed that they enjoyed the support of General Daud Abdulle Hirsi.Samatar Samatar 2005 116 Revolt thumb|left|alt=Photo of Daud Abdulle Hirsi|The coup plotters believed that they were supported by General Daud Abdulle Hirsi (pictured 1963), even though the latter fully backed the central government. The coup was launched ahead of the plotters' schedule on 10 December 1961, as they suspected that their plans had been discovered by pro-government officers. When the coup plotters began their revolt, they wanted to take over major towns in Somaliland.Lyons Samatar 2010 12 Researcher Ken Menkhaus argued that the coup attempt had "no chance of success" from the start,Menkhaus 2017 28 as the coup plotters did not enjoy majority support among the northern population or the local troops.Samatar Samatar 2005 116 One group of junior officer under Lieutenant Mohamed Mohamoud Rage seized control of the radio station in Hargeisa, announcing their intentions and that they were supported by General Hirsi.Samatar Samatar 2005 116 Another group under Lieutenant Abdillahi Abdi Farah (Deyr) was posted at the central police station to secure it. The rebels managed to detain Colonel Mohamed Ainanshe and Colonel Abdillahi Yusuf who were among the chief commanders in Hargeisa. Initially, the rebels had planned to move the captured commanders to a secure location in the Gaanlibah mountains, but those responsible for guarding them -Lieutenant Abdillahi Said Abby and private Abdillahi Ali Hussein- instead kept the prisoners in a house in Hargeisa. Another group of coup plotters attempted arrest superior officers of southern origin in the town of Burao, but failed.Menkhaus 2017 27–28 The government in Mogadishu was surprised at the revolt but reacted quickly. General Hirsi declared via Radio Mogadishu that he was not involved in the revolt, whereupon non-commissioned officers of northern origin moved against the coup members in Hargeisa.Samatar Samatar 2005 116 Most of the Hargeisa garrison sought to free their captured commanders. Discovering the house where they were held, the loyalists engaged in a firefight with the rebels, killing two rebels and rescuing the prisoners. Hassan Kayd was wounded when soldiers shot at him next to the Birjeex Military HQ. The loyalists also retook Radio Hargeisa, killing one coup member there.Samatar Samatar 2005 116 The revolt was put down in a matter of hours.Kaplan 1969 388 All surviving coup members were arrested.Lyons Samatar 2010 12 Aftermath Though the revolt had not been supported by the northern population, the locals still sympathized with the coup members. The government was thus inclined to opt for a lenient treatment.Samatar Samatar 2005 116–117 The conspirators were put on trial, and the British judge acquitted them, reasoning that there existed no legitimate Act of Union. In consequence, the officers could not be sentenced based on the Act, while the entire southern presence in the north became legally questionable. The ruling's wider implications was generally ignored in Somalia at the time, but later became important for northerners who wanted to justify the separation of Somaliland from Somalia.Richards 2014 85 Regardless, the Somali government accepted the ruling and released the junior officers.Menkhaus 2017 28 In the decades after the unification, dissatisfaction about the perceived marginalization remained high in the north. Despite this, some members of Somaliland's political elite managed to gain high-ranking positions in the military and government.Hansen Bradbury 2007 463 Even some of the officers who had taken part in the 1961 revolt, such as Duale, rose to prominent positions.Hansen Bradbury 2007 474 This did not solve the tensions, and northern separatists eventually revolted in 1981, contributing to the Somali Rebellion. In 1991, Somaliland achieved de facto independence.Hansen Bradbury 2007 463–464 One of the original coup plotters, Hussein Ali Duale, became a leading Somaliland separatist politician.Hansen Bradbury 2007 474 Notes References Works cited Somaliland: A New Democracy in the Horn of Africa? Hansen Stig Jarle Bradbury Mark 2007 Review of African Political Economy 10.1080/03056240701672585 Routledge 113 34 461–476 154448170 10.1080/03056240701672585 free https://books.google.com/books?id=BFd7BAAAQBAJ Understanding Statebuilding: Traditional Governance and the Modern State in Somaliland Richards Rebecca 2014 Ashgate Surrey 9781472425898 en Kaplan Irving Area Handbook for Somalia. Volume 550, Issue 86 https://books.google.com/books?id=wnAsAAAAYAAJ May 1969 Washington, D.C. Lewis I. M. The Somali Republic since Independence The World Today 19 4 April 1963 167–174 40393489 https://books.google.com/books?id=Z-8MR42dZ9YC Somalia: State Collapse, Multilateral Intervention, and Strategies for Political Reconstruction Lyons Terrence Samatar Ahmed I. 2010 Brookings Institution Press 9780815720256 en Menkhaus Ken Calm between the storms? Patterns of political violence in Somalia, 1950–1980 Anderson David M. Rolandsen Øystein H. Politics and Violence in Eastern Africa: The Struggles of Emerging States Routledge London 2017 https://books.google.com/books?id=AGNQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA20 20–34 978-1-317-53952-0 Samatar Abdi Ismail Samatar Ahmed I. International Crisis Group Report on Somaliland: An Alternative Somali Response Bildhaan: International Journal of Somali Studies 5 2005 https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1048&context=bildhaan 107–124 Category:1961 in Somalia Category:1961 in Somaliland Category:1961 conflicts Category:1960s coups d'état Category:Political history of Somaliland Category:Coups d'état in Somalia