St
Cloud Area Somali Salavation Organization 
History
October 28, 2010
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Mohamed
Siad Barre
(Somali: Maxamed
Siyaad Barre,
Arabic: محمّد سياد
بري)
(b. 1919
– January 2, 1995) was the President of Somalia from 1969 to 1991. Prior to
his presidency, he was an army commander under the democratic
government of Somalia, which had been in place since independence in
June 1960. During his rule, he styled himself as Jaalle
Siyaad
(Comrade Siad). The word Jaalle also translates as the title Mister. He was a dictator in the
sense that he had an unrestricted power during this reign.Early years
Barre was born into the Somali Marehan clan near Shilabo in the Ogaden, although he later claimed to have been born in Garbahaarreey in order to qualify for the Italian colonial police force.[3] Before joining the police force, Barre had been an orphaned shepherd. He had no formal education but attended some military courses in Italy, eventually becoming Vice Commander of Somalia's Army when the country gained its independence in 1960. After spending time with Soviet officers in joint training exercises in the early 1960s, Barre became an advocate of Soviet-style Marxist government.
Death
After leaving Mogadishu in January 1991, Barre temporarily remained in the southwestern Gedo region of the country, which also happened to be the power base of his Marehan Clan. From there, Barre launched a military campaign to return to power. He twice attempted to retake Mogadishu, but in May 1991 was overwhelmed by General Muhammed Farrah Aidid's army, forcing him into exile.
