Afraad Rebellion
| Afraad Rebellion | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Somaliland War of Independence | |||||||||
Mohamed Farah Dalmar Yusuf, also known of Mohamed Ali, leader of the rebellion. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Afraad Movement SNM (from April 1981) | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Mohamed Ali Mohamed Hashi Lihle |
Siad Barre Mohammad Ali Samatar Mohammed Hashi Gani Abdullahi Mahmoud Hassan Mengistu Haile Mariam | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| unknown | heavy casualties | ||||||||
The Afraad Rebellion was an armed Isaaq insurgency that took place between 1978 and 1982 in the Hawd region of what is now Somaliland and Eastern Ethiopia, waged against both the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) and the Somali National Army. It was led by Mohamed Farah Dalmar Yusuf, a former army officer who organized the rebellion in response to escalating atrocities committed by WSLF fighters and Somali government troops in the region, including massacres, rapes, extrajudicial killings, and widespread looting.
The name "Afraad" (literally "the Fourth") referred to the movement's military structure, which referred to it being the Fourth Brigade. After years of resistance, Mohamed Farah Dalmar Yusuf and his entire movement formally joined the Somali National Movement at its founding, with the Afraad Fighters forming the core of its military wing. This marked a key turning point in the organized armed resistance against the regime of Siad Barre. The Afraad Rebellion is widely considered to be the catalyst for the broader Somaliland War of Independence, laying the groundwork for the SNM's later successes in mobilizing mass resistance across the Somaliland. It remains a defining chapter in Somaliland's Liberation Struggle, remembered for its grassroots origins, disciplined leadership, and fierce opposition to state-led violence in the Haud.