4 Alb. Govt. L. Rev. 325 (2011)
Michael J. Carroll
In 1969, nine years after gaining its independence from a long
history of colonial rule, the Somali Republic faced a serious
internal threat. With the support of officers from the Somali
National Army, Major General Mohamed Siad Barre led a
socialist coup overthrowing the civilian leadership in Somalia.
Following the successful coup, a new governing body called the
Supreme Revolutionary Council ("SRC") (composed of the Army
officers who helped stage the coup) appointed Siad Barre
President of a new Democratic Republic of Somalia. The SRC
began their governance by banning political parties, suspending
the constitution, and eradicating the National Assembly. Over
the next two decades, domestic opposition to Siad Barre‘s
authoritarian regime increased. Between 1980 and 1990, in an
attempt to quell opposition forces, the Somali military
"intensified [its] political repression, using jailings, torture, and
summary executions of dissidents and collective punishment of
clans thought to have engaged in organized resistance."