Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan

Jaale
Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan
محمد سعيد حيرسي مورغان
11th Minister of Defense
In office
9 September 1990 – 26 January 1991
PresidentSiad Barre
Preceded byHussein Sheikh Abdirahman
Succeeded byAbdirahman Mahmud Ali (2005)
7th Chief of Defence Force
In office
9 September 1990 – 26 January 1991
PresidentSiad Barre
Preceded byMaslah Mohammed Siad Barre
Succeeded byIsmail Qasim Naji (2005)
Personal details
Born(1949-01-01)1 January 1949
Qardho, Italian Somaliland
Died28 May 2025(2025-05-28) (aged 76)
Nairobi, Kenya
Resting placeMuscat, Oman
Party
Other political
affiliations
Military service
Allegiance
Branch Somali National Army (1967 – 1991)
Service years1967 – 2025
RankMajor General
Conflicts1982 Ethiopian–Somali Border War Somali Civil War Somali Rebellion Islamic State insurgency in Puntland

Jaale Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan, better known as General Morgan (Somali: Maxamed Siciid Xirsi Moorgan; Arabic: محمد سعيد حيرسي مورغان; 1 January 1949 – 28 May 2025), was a Somali politician and senior military official. He served as Minister of Public Works and Housing from 1989 to 1990 and was the last Minister of Defence under Siad Barre's regime. Additionally, he held various position including Chief Commander of the Somali Armed Forces.[2]

He was the son-in-law of Siad Barre and belonged to the Harti sub-clan of the Majeerteen, part of the larger Darod tribe.[3] The general had a distinguished career with the Somali National Army. Nicknamed the "Butcher of Hargeisa," Morgan was one of the architects of the Isaaq genocide from 1987 to 1989.[4] After the collapse of the state he was a member of the Somali National Front (SNF) and later the Ethiopian backed Somalia Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC).[5]

In later life, he served as a security advisor for President of Puntland Said Abdullahi Deni, playing a significant role in the anti-ISIS campaign in Puntland.[6] In his final years, General Morgan resided in Garoowe, Puntland, serving as a security advisor to the Puntland administration.

Early life and education

Morgan was born on 1 January 1949 in Qardho district.[7][8] He studied at Haji Mire primary and secondary school in Bosaso, his father later sent him to Mogadishu, where he completed his education at a school then known as “Allaah.” Subsequently, the general joined the military. In 1967, he was among the officers sent by Somalia for military training in the Soviet Union, returning to the country in 1970.[9] Morgan's family lives in the United States.

Career

Siad Barre Government

Morgan received his military training in Italy and the United States. As a colonel, he was commander of the Mogadishu sector, where the elite units of the Armed Forces were stationed (ca. 1980).[a][10]

Morgan then went on to become commander of the Red Berets,[11][12] responsible for the suppression of the revolt of the Majerteen United in the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) in 1982. From 1986 to 1988, as a general, he was the military commander of the 26th Sector (the region of Somaliland), in which he led numerous successful battles against the Somali National Movement (SNM) and overseen the bombardment of northern cities.[13] In September 1990 Morgan was appointed minister of defense and substitute head of state.[12] He was also minister of public works and housing from 1990 to 1991.[8] After the collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic, Morgan was a militia commander of the pro-Siad Barre group called the Somali National Front (1991–2003), which committed atrocities against the people between the Juba and Shabele rivers by skirmishes, killing, and destroying, the irrigation systems, and looting their stored grains (Bakaar), which ultimately led to the great 1992 Somali famine (Caga barar famine) in which nearly 300,000 people (mainly Digil and Mirifle) starved to death because of the aftermath of the rebel's genocidal tactics particularly Mohamed Farrah Aidid's refusal and looting of the humanitarian aid brought by Operations Restore Hope or the Unified Task Force (UTF).[14] Morgan plainly stated in a public video[15] that "his militia are surviving on looted Rahwayn's grains", in order to promote the 'endurance' of his militia and motivate his tribal leaders to support his militia.[16]

Somali Civil War

Main articles: Isaaq genocide and Somaliland War of Independence

Before the fall of the government and the subsequent civil war, Morgan was recognized as a state-sponsored war criminal. Morgan was one of the main government officials who spearheaded the state-sponsored genocide in Somaliland against the Isaaq clan. This information was thoroughly documented by Human Rights Watch. Morgan was never tried by the international courts for his crimes against humanity.[17]

In January 1986, Morgan, who was Barre's bodyguard before he married his daughter[8] reportedly told Isaaq nomads at a waterhole "if you Isaaqs resist, we will destroy your towns, and you will inherit only ashes".[18] Morgan (later to be known as the Butcher of Hargeisa)[19] was also responsible for the policy letter written to his father-in-law during his time as the military governor of the north.[20] In this letter which came to be known as 'The Letter of Death',[21][22] he "proposed the foundations for a scorched-earth policy to get rid of 'anti-Somali germs'".[18]

The policy letter (also known as the Morgan Report)[23] was officially a top secret report to the president on "implemented and recommended measures" for a "final solution" to Somalia's "Isaaq problem".[24] Morgan indicated that the Isaaq people must be "subjected to a campaign of obliteration" in order to prevent them from "rais[ing] their heads again". He continued: "Today, we possess the right remedy for the virus in the [body of the] Somali State." Some of the "remedies" he discussed included: "Balancing the well-to-do to eliminate the concentration of wealth [in the hands of Isaaq]."[25] In addition, he called for "the reconstruction of the Local Council [in Isaaq settlements] in such a way as to balance its present membership which is exclusively from a particular people [the Isaaq]; as well as the dilution of the school population with an infusion of [Ogaden] children from the Refugee Camps in the vicinity of Hargeisa".[26]

More extreme recommendations included: "Rendering uninhabitable the territory between the army and the enemy, which can be done by destroying the water tanks and the villages lying across the territory used by them for infiltration"; and "removing from the membership of the armed forces and civil service all those who are open to suspicion of aiding the enemy – especially those holding sensitive posts".[24]

During the late 1980s, forces under Morgan's command in Northern Somalia were severely constrained by shortages of arms and equipment. Efforts by Morgan to secure more supplies for his forces made little headway as the SNA country-wide was suffering a logistical crisis.[27]

In May 1988, Morgan and the Ethiopian deputy minister of Defence signed a peace accord in Hargeisa, resulting in Ethiopian troops being transferred from the Ogaden to Eritrea.[28] William Clarke writes that Morgan was appointed Somali National Army commander-in-chief on 25 November 1990.[29]

Post-1991

On 8 January 1993 Morgan was one of the signatories of agreement reached at the UN-sponsored Informal Preparatory Meeting on National Reconciliation, and the March 1993 Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia, both in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.[30][31] However, fighting continued in the country unabated.

In December 1993, Morgan's troops captured Kismayo, and awaited the departure of Belgian UN peacekeepers who were stationed there. His troops had taken advantage of the UN's preoccupation with Mohamed Farah Aidid and had rearmed and regrouped.[32] In the late 1990s, Morgan began receiving Ethiopian military backing. Flights of weaponry were dispatched from Ethiopia to his forces.[33]

Transitional National Government

Further information: Transitional National Government of Somalia and Transitional Federal Government of Somalia

The United Nations observed that Ethiopia had provided Morgan with arms and logistical support during his 2001 attempt to capture Kismayo.[34] The Transitional National Government (TNG) publicly accused Morgan of relying on Ethiopian support to seize Kismayo from TNG allied forces. Morgan was a member of the Ethiopian backed Somalia Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC), which opposed the TNG.[5]

Morgan made several attempts to capture Kismayo in the early 2000s. The BBC reported that had backing from the Ethiopians and was "...only major militia leader to refuse to participate in the peace process."[35]

Morgan was present at the conclusion of the peace talks in Kenya (2002–2004) in which a transitional Somali Transitional National Government (later to become the Transitional Federal Government) was formed. This conclusion, however, was put to risk in September 2004 by the withdrawal of Morgan, who prepared his forces to attack Kismayo, controlled by the JVA which had ousted him in 1999.[36]

According to Amnesty International "his presence at the peace talks, more than any of the other warlords, had highlighted the significance of the issue of impunity and its effect on human rights in the future."[37]

In May 2005 Morgan left Nairobi to pay a short visit with his militia in Mogadishu and talked to representatives of the USC.[38]

Death and funeral

On 28 May 2025, Mohamed Siad Hirsi Morgan died at a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. He was 76.[7] According to his family, as reported to Horseed Media, he had been unwell in Kenya for several days, having experienced stomach pain while in Bosaso, the commercial hub of Puntland in the Bari Region.[9]

The general had been residing in Garowe, the capital of Puntland, where he served as a senior advisor to the President of Puntland on matters concerning the restructuring of Puntland's armed forces.[39]

Shortly after the death, President Said Abdullahi Deni released a statement honoring Morgan's legacy, calling him a "states man, charismatic, and humility". His body was transferred to Garowe for an official state funeral and three days of mourning beginning on 28 May 2025.[40]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ This was probably Sector 77

References

  1. ^ "Warning and Forecast Report: Sub-Saharan Africa" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. 17 February 1987. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  2. ^ The estimate of 40,000 killed is given in SOMALIA ASSESSMENT, Version 4, September 1999, Country Information and Policy Unit of the Immigration & Nationality Directorate, Home Office of the United Kingdom Government, Section OGADEN WAR & OPPOSITION TO BARRE, paragraph 3.13.
  3. ^ "Somalia: Fourteenth time lucky? by Richard Cornwell, Institute for Security Studies, Occasional Paper 87 (section the fall of Siyad Barre)" (PDF).
  4. ^ https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/valley-death-somalilands-forgotten-genocide
  5. ^ a b "Somalia Accuses Ethiopia of Armed Incursion". Reuters. 4 October 2001.
  6. ^ "Who Was General Morgan, Who Died in Nairobi?". Hiiraanweyn. 28 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  7. ^ a b "General Morgan — Former Defense Minister of Somalia's Last Central Government Dies in Nairobi". Radio Dalsan. 28 May 2025. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Mukhtar, Mohamed Haji (25 February 2003). Historical Dictionary of Somalia. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6604-1.
  9. ^ a b "Gen. Moorgan oo ku geeriyoodey dalka Kenya. | Horseed Media". Horseed Media. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  10. ^ Ahmed A. Deria. "A letter to the editor of "Horn of Africa" journal published in U.S.A. (Vol. 2 No. 4) 1980–81". Nairobi.
  11. ^ "italosomali ancis ANCIS italia Somalia Italosomali Italo somali comunit italo somala Resources and Information". www.italosomali.org.
  12. ^ a b Harned, Glenn M. (2016). Stability Operations in Somalia 1992–1993: A Case Study. United States Army War College Press.
  13. ^ Harden, Blaine (2 July 1988). "Somali Rebels Score Major Battle Gains". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 24 June 2025. Informed observers said the civil war has caused as many as 10,000 deaths in the past four weeks. The fighting has flattened a number of towns in the region.
  14. ^ Samatar, Abdi Ismail. "Genocidal politics and the Somali famine". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  15. ^ Tariikhda SDM (15 November 2018). Xasuuqii Morgan uu ugeystey Raxweyn sanadkii 1991–1993. Retrieved 18 April 2025 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ "Somali Factional Leader Returns for Peace Talks – 2004-09-27". Voice of America. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  17. ^ Einashe, Ismail; Kennard, Matt (22 October 2018). "In the Valley of Death: Somaliland's Forgotten Genocide". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  18. ^ a b Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye (2001). Culture and Customs of Somalia. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-31333-2.
  19. ^ "Analysis: Somalia's powerbrokers". 8 January 2002. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  20. ^ Lewis, I. M. (1994). Blood and bone : the call of kinship in Somali society. Internet Archive. Lawrenceville, N.J. : Red Sea Press.
  21. ^ Jones, Adam (July 2004). Genocide, war crimes and the West: history and complicity. Zed Books. ISBN 978-1-84277-191-4.
  22. ^ Africa Events. Dar es Salaam Limited. 1989.
  23. ^ Richards, Rebecca (24 February 2016). Understanding Statebuilding: Traditional Governance and the Modern State in Somaliland. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-00466-0.
  24. ^ a b Robins, Nicholas A.; Jones, Adam (2009). Genocides by the Oppressed: Subaltern Genocide in Theory and Practice. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-22077-6.
  25. ^ Mburu, Chris (2002). Past Human Rights Abuses in Somalia: Report of a Preliminary Study Conducted for the United Nations (OHCHR/UNDP-Somalia).
  26. ^ Mburu, Chris (2002). Past Human Rights Abuses in Somalia: Report of a Preliminary Study Conducted for the United Nations (OHCHR/UNDP-Somalia).
  27. ^ Africa Review (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. 22 January 1988.
  28. ^ Ayele, Fantahun (30 October 2014). The Ethiopian Army: From Victory to Collapse, 1977-1991. Northwestern University Press. pp. 159–160. ISBN 978-0-8101-3011-1.
  29. ^ Clarke, Walter S. (December 1992). Background Information for Operation Restore Hope (PDF). Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Strategic Studies Institute. p. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  30. ^ "The General Agreement signed in Addis Ababa". The United Nations and Somalia 1992–1996. 8 January 1993. Archived from the original on 29 December 2006.
  31. ^ "Addis Ababa Agreement concluded at the first session of the Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia". The United Nations and Somalia 1992–1996. 27 March 1993. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008 – via United States Institue of Peace.
  32. ^ "Spinning Dunkirk: The Pentagon Quits Somalia". The New Republic. 9 December 1993. Archived from the original on 21 February 2007 – via etext.org.
  33. ^ Gilkes, Patrick (1999). Somalia/Somaliland: Is There a Way Forward?. P.S. Gilkes. p. 24. During the fighting, General Morgan received the assistance of Ethiopia, three plane loads of weaponry arrived at the end of April...
  34. ^ Letter dated 25 March 2003 from the Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) concerning Somalia addressed to the President of the Security Council. United Nations Security Council. 25 March 2003. p. 23.
  35. ^ "Militia advances on Somali port". BBC. 6 September 2004. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  36. ^ "Somali warlord prepares assault on rival as peace talks falter". The Independent. 8 September 2004.
  37. ^ Somalia: Urgent need for effective human rights protection under the new transitional government Amnesty International (PDF)
  38. ^ "Somalinet May 25, 2005 "General Morgan left Nairobi for Mogadishu"".
  39. ^ "Gen. Maxamed Siciid Xirsi Moorgan oo galabta ku geeriyooday magaalada Nairobi ee Xarunta dalka Kenya". Puntland Post. 28 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  40. ^ Farmaajo, Mohamed (28 May 2025). "Waxaan tacsi tiiraanyo leh u dirayaa qoyska, qaraabada & guud ahaan ummadda Soomaaliyeed ee uu ka baxay, Alle ha u naxariistee, Janaraal Maxamed Siciid Moorgan oo ka mid ahaa saraakiishii sarsare ee Dowladdii Dhexe, soona hoggaamiyey wasaaradaha Howlaha Guud iyo Gaashaandhigga. (@M_Farmaajo)". Twitter. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
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