Somali National Movement

The Somali National Movement (, ) was a 1980s-1990s Somali rebel group. Founded and led by Isaaq members to protect the clan's interests,Helen Chapin Metz, Somalia: a country study, Volume 550, Issues 86-993, (The Division: 1993), p.xxviii. it was key in the formation of Somaliland, a self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia.

Formation

In April 1981, a group of Isaaq dissidents living in east London (Whitechapel) formed the Somali National Movement (SNM), and at the end of 1981 it was announced in London, which subsequently became one of the Somalia's various insurgent movements. According to its spokesmen, the rebels wanted to overthrow Siad Barre's dictatorship.

SNM Insurgency in Somalia 1982-1988

The Isaaq clans of northwestern Somalia also resented what they perceived as their inadequate representation in Siad Barre's government. This disaffection crystallized in 1981 when Isaaq dissidents living in London formed the Somali National Movement (SNM) with the aim of toppling the Siad Barre regime. The following year, the SNM transferred its headquarters to Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, from where it launched guerrilla raids into the Woqooyi Galbeed and Togdheer regions of Somalia. Like the SSDF, the SNM had both military and political wings, proclaimed itself as a nationwide opposition movement, and tried to enlist the support of...
Read More