View source for Mogadishu riots of July 1989

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Mogadishu Riots of 1989
| location = [[Mogadishu]], Somalia
| date = 14 July 1989
| partof = [[Somali Rebellion]]
| image = Mogadishu.jpg
| caption = Mogadishu in the 1980's
| native_name = Jimcaha Madoow (Black Friday)
| fatalities = Approx. 400 civilians killed
| injuries = Approx. 1,000+ civilians injured<ref>{{cite news|title=Somalia Executes 46 After Rioting|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/22/world/somalia-executes-46-after-rioting.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=22 July 1989|first=|last=}}</ref>
| victims =
| perpetrators = [[Siad Barre]] regime
| notes =
}}
The '''Mogadishu riots of July 1989''' ([[Somali language|Somali]]: ''Jimcaha Madoow'', <small>[[Literal translation|lit.]] </small>'''<nowiki/>'Black Friday'''') were a series of violent events that took place in the capital city of Somalia on 14 and 15 July 1989. A significant event in modern [[History of Somalia|Somali history]], the riot and killings that followed were the first serious violence [[Mogadishu]] had seen and preluded the approaching [[Somali Civil War]]. The event was sparked by the assassination of [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] Bishop of Mogadishu [[Salvatore Colombo]] and the subsequent arrest of several Muslim religious leaders by the [[Supreme Revolutionary Council (Somalia)|Barre regime]].
According to [[human rights group]]s and independent sources, the violence, which was overwhelmingly carried out by government forces, resulted in approximately 400 killed and over 1,000 injured. The Somali government, however, denied these reports and claimed that only 23 people died and 59 were injured. In the aftermath of the riots, around 2,000 people were arrested and 46 men from the [[Isaaq]] clan were [[Summary execution|summarily executed]] by the military outside Mogadishu in an event now known as the [[Jazeera Beach]] Massacre.
The explosion of violence in the capital led to international condemnation towards the Barre regime, withdrawals of foreign support and inflamed anti government sentiments.
== Assassination of Archbishop Colombo and arrest of Sheikhs ==
=== 9 July assassination of Archbishop Colombo ===
[[Salvatore Colombo|Pietro Salvatore Colombo]] was an Italian [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] who served as the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Mogadiscio|Bishop of Mogadishu]] and had lived in Somalia since 1948. Colombo was well regarded by both the Catholic community and the [[Muslims|Muslim]] Somali population.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=23 August 2006 |title=Aid to the Church in Need – Religious Freedom in the Majority Islamic Countries. 1998 Report |url=https://alleanzacattolica.org/acs/acs_english/report_98/somalia.htm |access-date=2023-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823135507/https://alleanzacattolica.org/acs/acs_english/report_98/somalia.htm |archive-date=23 August 2006 }}</ref> He was closely linked with many of the cities [[imam]]s and was highly respected for efforts to distribute food aid to the needy.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |date=19 Jul 1989 |title=Military Imposes 'Terror' in Capital |journal=Daily Report: Sub-Saharan Africa |publisher=[[Foreign Broadcast Information Service]] |volume=89 |issue=138 |pages=6}}</ref>
On 9 July 1989 he was assassinated in Mogadishu by a shooter. While the identity of the killer has never been determined, the Barre regime would immediately lay the blame on [[Islamic fundamentalism|Islamic fundamentalists]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Yuusuf |first=Muuse |title=Genesis of the civil war in Somalia : the impact of foreign military intervention on the conflict |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-7556-2712-7 |edition= |location=London [England] |oclc=1238133342}}</ref> Following the killing President Barre would announce a five million Somali [[Somali shilling|shilling]] reward for the arrest of the assassin.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |date=18 July 1989 |title=Envoy to London Cited on Unrest in Mogadishu |journal=Daily Report: Sub-Saharan Africa |publisher=[[Foreign Broadcast Information Service]] |volume=89 |issue=143}}</ref> The regimes claims was widely called into question by [[Christians|Christian]] groups, human rights organizations and Somali citizens at the time.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |title=Fieldwork under fire : contemporary studies of violence and survival |date=1995 |publisher=University of California Press |others=Carolyn Nordstrom, Antonius C. G. M. Robben |isbn=978-0-520-91571-8 |location=Berkeley |oclc=43476604}}</ref>''<ref name=":2" />'' There was widespread suspicion that [[Archbishop]] Colombo had in fact been assassinated by government forces, as he had been a vocally outspoken critic of the regime.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-07-09 |title=Il caso. "Troppi silenzi sull'omicidio del vescovo Colombo a Mogadiscio" |url=https://www.avvenire.it/attualita/pagine/morte-del-vescovo-colombo-troppi-silenzi-sul-suo-omicidio |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=www.avvenire.it |language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Somalia – Harrying of the Hawiye |url=http://countrystudies.us/somalia/31.htm |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=countrystudies.us}}</ref>''<ref name=":2" />'' The Somali government claimed that Archbishop Colombo had been killed by a lone gunman. [[Agence France-Presse]] reported that other sources asserted the [[assassination]] had been a professional hit carried out with a burst of [[machine gun]] fire from a [[Toyota Land Cruiser|Land Cruiser]].<ref name=":6" />
=== 13 July 1989 arrest of Sheikhs ===
Several days later on [[Eid al-Adha]] 13 July 1989, four prominent religious leaders (Sheikh Ali Ibrahim, Sheikh Ali Yusuf, Sheikh Abdurrahman Ali Suufi, and Sheikh Ahmed Gabeyre) were arrested by the government along with 18 other men.<ref>{{Cite news |last=LePeyronie |first=Didier |date=20 July 1989 |title=Dozens killed as Somalia sends troops to quash dissent |work=The Washington Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MrIIZWBzj7sC&dq=Ahmed+Gabereh&pg=RA24-PA12}}</ref>''<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=United States Joint Publications Research Service |url=http://archive.org/details/jprs-report_fbis-afr-89-135 |title=Unclassified-FBIS Daily Report – Africa Sub-Sahara |date=17 July 1989 |pages=3–8 |language=English}}</ref>'' This action is believed to have been a major catalyst for the violence that erupted in the city on 14 July. The decision to detain the Sheikhs sparked outrage among the [[Muslims|Muslim]] community and is believed to have contributed to the escalation of violence that followed.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Ap |date=22 July 1989 |title=SOMALIA EXECUTES 46 AFTER RIOTING |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/22/world/somalia-executes-46-after-rioting.html |access-date=2022-12-31 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Henry |first=Neil |date=19 February 1990 |title=MASSACRE IN SOMALIA SPURRED SHIFT IN U.S. POLICY |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/02/19/massacre-in-somalia-spurred-shift-in-us-policy/e12f4c33-d512-4835-9b4c-3f979ebccc45/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name=":1" />
The incident had reportedly been orchestrated by President [[Siad Barre]]s’ son, General [[Maslah Mohammed Siad Barre|Maslah Mohammed Barre]].<ref name=":6" />
== Mogadishu riot ==
=== 14 July 1989 Friday prayer massacre and riots ===
==== Sheikh Ali Suufi Mosque shooting ====
On the day following the arrests, during Friday prayers at the Sheikh Ali Suufi mosque in [[Hodan District]], an [[Imam]] named Abdirashid Ali Suufi delivered a sermon condemning the regime. In response, government troops surrounded the mosque midway through the address. Upon completing their prayers at around 1:00 pm, people began to exit the mosque to the sight of a large cordon of armed government forces.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=14 July 1989 |title='Intensive shooting', demonstrations |journal=Daily Report: Sub-Saharan Africa |publisher=[[Foreign Broadcast Information Service]] |volume=89 |issue=135 |pages=3}}</ref> Some in the crowd began shouting "[[Takbir|Allahu Akbar]]" (God is great) while walking down Maka al-Mukarama Street. Stones were thrown at security forces and the latter responded with heavy machine gunfire into the crowd.<ref name=":4" /> Though according to some sources, the troops had arrived to arrest the imam and had opened fire when members of the congregation resisted.<ref name=":5" /> Somali ambassador to the [[United Kingdom]], Ahmed Jama Abdallah, had claimed that the incident had begun with a peaceful demonstration from the mosque which had then escalated when many other citizens began joining the crowd and throwing stones. He further asserted that the incident had escalated into bloodshed because elements associated with "certain political movements" turned the demonstration violent, but noted that by no means were the agitators related to [[Islamic extremism]].<ref name=":7" />
The mosque reported to be heavily damaged by government forces.<ref name=":5" />
==== Riot begins ====
News of the shooting at Sheikh Ali Suufi mosque would lead to riots breaking out throughout Mogadishu. After hours of fighting, these would be ultimately suppressed by government at the cost of hundreds of civilian casualties. In a bid to halt the escalating violence a [[curfew]] was imposed on the capital at 5pm and troops promptly shot those who broke it, killing many. As a result, clashes between citizens and government troops escalated further. The rioting was the worst disturbance Mogadishu had experienced and was a precursor to the major fighting that occurred in 1991.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1 February 1990 |title=Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1989 |url=https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/1309167.html |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=US Department of State |language=}}</ref> [[Agence France-Presse]] would report that witnesses had seen two children being essentially decapitated by machine gun fire from military forces. It was further reported that the curfew had been used by government forces to collect the bodies of those killed during the main violence. When relatives of the deceased had attempted to collect recover the bodies, the Red Berets had them [[Summary execution|summarily executed]].<ref name=":6" />
=== Government raids and detentions ===
Witnesses claimed that soldiers searched homes all over the city during the night of the riots, detaining men, committing rape, and [[Looting|plundering]]. Almost 2,000 people were detained during these searches.''<ref name=":2" />'' Consistent gunfire was reported to be heard throughout the night, only becoming sporadic in the afternoon of the next day.''<ref name=":5" />'' President [[Siad Barre]] would address the nation on radio about the violence that same afternoon:
''Mogadishu Domestic Service in Somali 1713 GMT 15 July 1989:''<ref>{{Cite journal |first= |date=15 Jul 1989 |title=President Urges Armed Forces' Restraint |journal=Daily Report: Sub-Saharan Africa |publisher=[[Foreign Broadcast Information Service]] |volume=89 |issue=135 |pages=6}}</ref><blockquote>"In the name of God, the compassionate and merciful: Comrades, yesterday there was a problem. Some people died in riots. We pray for their souls to rest in peace and for their relatives to be patient. We hope that inasmuch as the events were confined to a small area, there will be no more problems. Meanwhile the Somali people should remain vigilant and not allow themselves to be worried by such insignificant noises...Stay out of this problem in a pure, stable patriotic and Islamic manner. Officers of the Armed Forces and security forces must guard against harming the innocent. I repeat: All culprits must be taken to court and innocent people left alone. I hope everything is as it should and that the situation cools down."</blockquote>
== The Jazeera Beach Massacre ==
{{Main|Isaaq genocide}}
The [[Jazeera Beach]] Massacre, was a mass execution that took place on 15 July 1989, the day after the main violence. According to eyewitness accounts, government troops known as the Red Berets rounded up approximately 48 [[Isaaq]] men at random and drove them in trucks to Jazeera Beach, located 20 miles south of Mogadishu. The Red Berets ordered the handcuffed prisoners into a sandy [[Canyon|gorge]] and fired point blank into them. A young [[Isaaq]] man who survived the executions by pretending to be dead and later escaping to the neighboring country of [[Djibouti]] was the sole survivor of the massacre. The massacre was a highly publicized and controversial event that further fueled tensions in Somalia and contributed to the onset of the [[Somali Civil War]].<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" />
== Casualties ==
Africa Watch, a human rights organization, reported that approximately 400 individuals were killed and over 1,000 were injured during the events, but many were hesitant to seek medical treatment due to fear of arrest. The government stated that only 23 individuals were killed and 59 were injured, blaming the violence on "troublemakers" and further dismissed reports of around 400 deaths as sensational propaganda.''<ref name=":2" />''
The [[Somali National Movement]] (SNM) would accuse the government of killing approximately 1,500 and injuring over 2,500 in the violence.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=17 July 1989 |title=SNM claims 1500 killed |journal=Daily Report: Sub-Saharan Africa |publisher=[[Foreign Broadcast Information Service]] |volume=89 |issue=136 |pages=2 |via=[[Readex]]}}</ref>
== Aftermath ==
On 24 July 1989 the Ministry of Information publicly announced on radio that the situation in Mogadishu had returned to normal.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=24 July 1989 |title=Disturbances Ended, Situation Now 'Normal' |journal=Daily Report: Sub-Saharan Africa |publisher=[[Foreign Broadcast Information Service]] |volume=89 |issue=141 |pages=5}}</ref> Following the eruption of violence, Italians living in Somalia began an exodus from the country.<ref name=":7" />
=== International fallout ===
The July massacres had significant consequences for the Barre regime and its foreign relations with the United States, which had previously been its principal source of financial and military support. Human rights organizations condemned the violence and accused the U.S. of complicity. In response, the Bush administration withdrew its request for more than $20 million in emergency economic support for the Somali government and began distancing itself from President [[Siad Barre]]. The size of the [[Embassy of the United States, Mogadishu|American embassy in Somalia]] was also significantly reduced, going from 189 to 85 employees.<ref name=":3" />
=== Repercussions and complicity of Siad Barre ===
No one in the Somali government was ever prosecuted in connection with the killing of Archbishop Colombo, or with either the Mogadishu or [[Jazeera Beach]] massacres. It is widely believed that the Red Berets, a unit of around 5,000 troops led by the son of President Siad Barre, were responsible for the majority of the killings. Despite this, many analysts have agreed that it was unlikely that President Barre himself directly ordered the attacks and that the violence instead highlighted the lack of control over his military forces.<ref name=":3" />
=== Intensification of opposition towards the regime ===
The July 1989 [[massacre]]s played a significant role in inflaming [[Somali Rebellion|rebellion]] against the Somali government. In response to the killings, a group of civilian politicians, intellectuals, businessmen, and religious leaders representing a large coalition of Somali clans formed the ''[[Council for National Reconciliation and Salvation]]'' (CNRS). The goal of the council was to peacefully introduce [[Democratization|democratic reforms]] and call for [[Siad Barre]] to peacefully relinquish power, the establishment of an [[Provisional government|interim government]] consisting of representatives from opposition movements, and a timetable for [[Multi-party system|multiparty elections]]. While the CNRS received support from countries such as [[Egypt]] and Italy, efforts ultimately proved unsuccessful due to a lack of willingness to negotiate on the part of the Siad Barre regime.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 June 2022 |title=Somalia – Politics of Reconciliation |url=http://countrystudies.us/somalia/74.htm |access-date=2023-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626105308/http://countrystudies.us/somalia/74.htm |archive-date=26 June 2022 }}</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:1989 in Somalia]]
[[Category:Riots and civil disorder in Africa]]
[[Category:War crimes in the Somali Civil War]]
[[Category:1989 riots]]
[[Category:20th century in Mogadishu]]
[[Category:Mass murder in Mogadishu]]
[[Category:Massacres in 1989]]
[[Category:20th-century mass murder in Africa]]
[[Category:Massacres in Somalia]]
[[Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 1989]]
[[Category:July 1989 events in Africa]]
[[Category:Mosque massacres in Asia]]
[[Category:Mosque shootings]]
[[Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in Mogadishu]]
[[Category:1989 mass shootings]]
[[Category:Mass shootings in Somalia]]
[[Category:Looting in Africa]]
[[Category:1989 controversies]]
[[Category:1989 in international relations]]
[[Category:Protests in Somalia]]
[[Category:20th-century attacks on mosques]]