Northern opposition to the 1961 constitution included senior civil servants and the governor

Evidence

Hussen realized that, despite Somalia having a government of national unity in which opposition parties had representation in the cabinet, the opposition was clearly trying to undermine the government by openly campaigning against the constitution. Northern elements among the opposition were linked with some civil servants still in the North, such as the governor of the entire North, Osman Ahmed Indhoole. Unlike the governor, his deputy, Ahmed Jama Jengale, supported the government’s position on the constitutional referendum. Another key Northerner, Jama Mohamed Qalib, commanded the police in Hargeisa. He wrote confidential police reports that described the anticonstitutional activities of some senior officials in Hargeisa. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 710

Categorization

Category: Factual Claims

Related

• Northern civil servants campaigned against Somalia’s new constitution in 1961 (similarity 0.95)
• Voting for the constitution ratified the permanent union of Somaliland and Somalia (similarity 0.84)
• Opposition to the 1961 constitution was driven by patronage disputes, not charter content. (similarity 0.78)