Half the Somali army officer corps belonged to the Marehan by 1987

Evidence

This entrenchment and expansion of Marehan power was particularly striking in the army, where by the middle of 1987 it was estimated that as much as half the senior officer corps belonged to the President’s clan or related clans, the proportion being even higher in the artillery and tank brigades based in the capital in the new southern command unit headed by Siyad’s son General Maslah. Marehan officials in most ministries and government departments likewise constituted an informal monitoring service, influencing if not determining administrative decisions. — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 604 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

At the close of the period we review here, the political situation had changed dramatically from that a decade earlier at the time of the Ogaden War. Then Somalia nationalism had been buoyant and confident, and General Siyad had been able to mobilise sentiments of national solidarity which, with the exception only of one northwestern clan (based in Jibuti), effectively embraced all the nation’s major clans. In such an expansive context the President’s MOD power base represented a security net. Now, ten years later, with the collapse of national solidarity and an unparalleled growth of inter-clan strife, the MOD framework had been abandoned as General Siyad fell back defensively on the support of the most loyal segments of his own Marehan clan. At the same time, of course, with the ample means at his disposal Siyad continued to exploit other clan connexions and antagonisms. He thus distributed money as well as arms to mobilise ‘friendly’ groups. But since the configuration of inter-clan alliances kept changing, this dangerous policy led to a general proliferation of small arms which readily found their way into the hands of the President’s adversaries. — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 610 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Marehan clansmen came to fill half the army’s senior officer posts — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 604; National solidarity collapsed into exclusive Marehan reliance a decade on; By 1988 Siyad had abandoned the MOD coalition for his own Marehan clan — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 610 (+1 more)

Related

• National solidarity collapsed into exclusive Marehan reliance a decade on (similarity 0.92)
• By 1988 Siyad had abandoned the MOD coalition for his own Marehan clan (similarity 0.91)
• Marehan clansmen came to fill half the army’s senior officer posts (similarity 0.90)
• Clan conflict between Majerteyn and Marehan escalated after the failed coup. (similarity 0.88)
• Siyad’s clan consolidation shattered the old three-clan MOD alliance (similarity 0.84)
• Siyad retreated into clan-based rule after the Ogaden defeat (similarity 0.83)
• Siyad’s weakened state created two rival governments and clan-based army dominance (similarity 0.80)
• Post-Siyad Somalia reverted to Burton’s clan republics but with modern arms (similarity 0.79)
• The Ogaden defeat’s divisive forces corroded Somalia’s political stability (similarity 0.79)
• Siyad’s political survival rested on manipulating clan segment representation (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Marehan clansmen came to fill half the army’s senior officer posts #corroborates (0.95) — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 604
• By 1988 Siyad had abandoned the MOD coalition for his own Marehan clan #corroborates (0.80) — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 610
• National solidarity collapsed into exclusive Marehan reliance a decade on #expands (0.70)
• Clan conflict between Majerteyn and Marehan escalated after the failed coup. #qualifies (0.50) — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 587