Bombardment of Burao and Hargeisa 1988
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| Bombing of Hargeisa and Burao (1988) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Somaliland War of Independence | |||||||
 Hargeisa after the bombardment campaign | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Somalia |
 SNM | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Mohamed Siad Barre Mohamed Said Hersi Morgan |
Siilaanyo Mohamed Farah Dalmar Yusuf † Ibrahim Degaweyne Mohamed Kahin Ahmed Muse Bihi | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy |
10,000–20,000 killed[1][2] 500,000 displaced | ||||||
The destruction of Hargeisa and Burao (Somali: duqayntii Hargeysa iyo Burco) occurred in 1988 during the Somaliland War of Independence. It was part of a counteroffensive launched by the Somali government under President Mohamed Siad Barre against the Somali National Movement (SNM), an opposition group active in northern Somalia (modern-day Somaliland).
The campaign involved indiscriminate aerial bombardments and ground assaults on the cities of Hargeisa and Burao, resulting in large-scale destruction and civilian casualties.[3] It is estimated that 90% of Hargeisa and 70% of Burao were destroyed, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians.[4]
Throughout the 1980s, civil conflict proliferated throughout the Somali Democratic Republic as domestic opposition against the regime of Siad Barre intensified. The Somali National Movement (SNM), composed primarily of members of the Isaaq clan, sought to overthrow the government and establish autonomy in the northern regions.[5]
At the end of May 1988, the SNM force of around 10,000 men launched an offensive and captured key areas in the major urban centers of Hargeisa and Burao.[6] In response, the Somali regime initiated a massive military operation to retake the cities and crush the rebellion.[7]
Destruction of Hargeisa
General Said Hersi Morgan of the Somali National Army ordered the bombing of Hargeisa.[8]
The city of Hargeisa, home to approximately 500,000 people at the time, faced heavy aerial bombardments by the Somali Air Force. Residential neighborhoods, markets, and infrastructure were targeted indiscriminately.[9] It is reported that 90% of the city was destroyed, with widespread civilian casualties.[10] Survivors described the city as being "reduced to rubble," with entire neighborhoods leveled. The destruction caused mass displacement, with most residents fleeing to refugee camps in neighboring Ethiopia.[4] Some 5,000 civilians reportedly died in the northern part of the city which had suffered heavy shelling.[11]
Some Somali Air Force pilots deserted rather than carry out attack on their own cities.[12]