National Security Service (Somalia)
Encyclopedia
The National Security Service was the primary intelligence service of the government of Siad Barre
and the bedrock of its repressive internal security apparatus, existing from 1970 until 1990 when it was formally abolished.
(who would later be a one-time President of Somalia under the Transitional National Government
.) Conceived in the Soviet model and organized with the help of the KGB
, the NSS was an elite organization whose key officers maintained close links to Barré's Supreme Revolutionary Council.
, another branch of the military police; the Guulwadayal
(or "Victory Pioneers"), a uniformed paramilitary group; and the investigative wing of the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party
(SRSP).
Similarly, the decision to dismantle the NSC did not guarantee a fair system of justice because other courts, such as the Mobile Military Court and the Regional Security Court, retained the power to sentence people to long prison terms and even death without any pretense of due process. In an effort to show that the government was opening the political system, President Barre resigned as Secretary General of the ruling party, only to be replaced by a son-in-law who for many years headed the NSS.
Ethiopian president Meles Zenawi
and Eritrean president Isayas Afewerki also had reported contacts to the NSS; according to a Somali government official quoted by IRIN news, Zenawi and Afewerki "lived together in a villa behind Tawfiq Hotel, north Mogadishu, and were handled by the National Security Service, provided with travel documents and Somali passports, trained and given a Tigrayan radio frequency". Zenawi's NSS handler was the father of TFG minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi
.
Siad Barre
Mohamed Siad Barre was the military dictator and President of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 1991. During his rule, he styled himself as Jaalle Siyaad ....
and the bedrock of its repressive internal security apparatus, existing from 1970 until 1990 when it was formally abolished.
Organization and structure
The NSS was subordinate to the Interior Ministry, and (in the closing years of the Barré regime) was headed by Abdiqasim Salad HassanAbdiqasim Salad Hassan
Dr Abdiqasim Salad Hassan is a prominent Somali politician. He was President of Somalia from 2001 to 2004, and previously served as Interior Minister and Finance Minister in the government of Mohamed Siad Barre.-Biography:...
(who would later be a one-time President of Somalia under the Transitional National Government
Transitional National Government
The Transitional National Government of Somalia was established in April–May 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Djibouti....
.) Conceived in the Soviet model and organized with the help of the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
, the NSS was an elite organization whose key officers maintained close links to Barré's Supreme Revolutionary Council.
NSS prisons
The NSS headquarters and interrogation center in Mogadishu, referred to as Godka or "the Hole", was particularly notorious. Other NSS centers included Mogadishu Central Prison, and stations at Lanta Bur, Labtanjirow and Burwein.1990 dissolution
In 1990 the NSS was formally dissolved as a palliative measure. However, its abolition was not accompanied by the demise of other security agencies who also had effectively unlimited powers of arrest and detention and similarly notorious reputations for torture and ill-treatment of detainees. These include the President's own bodyguards, the Red Berets; the Dhabar Jabinta (or "Backbreakers") a branch of the military police; the HangashHangash
The Hangash a Somali acronym standing for Military Intelligence Unit) was a notorious secret police unit in Somalia under the regime of Siad Barré until its collapse in 1991.- Overview :...
, another branch of the military police; the Guulwadayal
Victory Pioneers (Somalia)
The Victory Pioneers were a neighborhood-level internal security unit active in the closing years of the Siad Barré regime in Somalia, until its ousting in 1991. Numbering approximately 10,000, they were also known as the "People's Militia".-Synopsis:...
(or "Victory Pioneers"), a uniformed paramilitary group; and the investigative wing of the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party
Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party
The Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party was the governing political party in Somalia from 1976 to 1991.- History :XHKS was created by the military regime of Siad Barre under Soviet guidance. A founding congress was held in June 1976. The congress elected a Central Committee, with Barre as the...
(SRSP).
Similarly, the decision to dismantle the NSC did not guarantee a fair system of justice because other courts, such as the Mobile Military Court and the Regional Security Court, retained the power to sentence people to long prison terms and even death without any pretense of due process. In an effort to show that the government was opening the political system, President Barre resigned as Secretary General of the ruling party, only to be replaced by a son-in-law who for many years headed the NSS.
Somali politicians with ties to the NSS
Controversy surrounds the activities of the NSS, as well as those politicians who served in or assisted the NSS during the Barre regime. This is a partial list of Somali politicians who had known or alleged ties to the NSS:- Abdiqasim Salad HassanAbdiqasim Salad HassanDr Abdiqasim Salad Hassan is a prominent Somali politician. He was President of Somalia from 2001 to 2004, and previously served as Interior Minister and Finance Minister in the government of Mohamed Siad Barre.-Biography:...
TNGTransitional National GovernmentThe Transitional National Government of Somalia was established in April–May 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Djibouti....
President of Somalia (2001–2004); as Interior MinisterInterior ministerAn interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...
under Siad Barre, was head of the NSS. - Ali Mohammed GhediAli Mohammed GhediAli Mohamed Ghedi was the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia from 2004 to 2007. He was relatively unknown in political circles upon his appointment as prime minister in November 2004. He is affiliated with the Abgaal subclan of Mogadishu's Hawiye clan, one of...
TFGTransitional Federal GovernmentThe Transitional Federal Government is the current internationally recognized government of the Republic of Somalia. It was established as one of the Transitional Federal Institutions of government as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter adopted in November 2004 by the Transitional...
Prime Minister of SomaliaPrime Minister of SomaliaThis page contains a list of the Prime Ministers of Somalia.-Prime Ministers of Somalia :-Affiliations:*SYL - Somali Youth League*SNL - Somali National League...
(2004–present); alleged agent/informer. - Hassan Abshir Farah TFGTransitional Federal GovernmentThe Transitional Federal Government is the current internationally recognized government of the Republic of Somalia. It was established as one of the Transitional Federal Institutions of government as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter adopted in November 2004 by the Transitional...
Prime Minister of SomaliaPrime Minister of SomaliaThis page contains a list of the Prime Ministers of Somalia.-Prime Ministers of Somalia :-Affiliations:*SYL - Somali Youth League*SNL - Somali National League...
(2001–2003), Minister of Fisheries (2004–present); allegedly cooperated with the NSS as regional governor in Barre government. - Dahir Riyale KahinDahir Riyale KahinDahir Rayale Kahin was the third President of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as a part of Somalia. He became the third president of Somaliland on May 3, 2002, after the death of Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal...
President of Somaliland (2003–2010) served as the NSS station chief in BerberaBerberaBerbera is a city and seat of Berbera District in Somaliland, a self-proclaimed Independent Republic with de facto control over its own territory, which is recognized by the international community and the Somali Government as a part of Somalia...
. - Hasan Muhammad Nur ShatigadudHasan Muhammad Nur ShatigadudColonel Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud is a Somali faction leader, and chairman of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army , which sought to establish the autonomous state of Southwestern Somalia. Recently, he is said to have played a role in the capture of Mogadishu by Ethiopian and Transitional Federal...
TFGTransitional Federal GovernmentThe Transitional Federal Government is the current internationally recognized government of the Republic of Somalia. It was established as one of the Transitional Federal Institutions of government as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter adopted in November 2004 by the Transitional...
Minister of Finance (2005–present); PresidentPresidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Southwestern SomaliaSouthwestern SomaliaSouthwestern Somalia was an ostensibly autonomous self-proclaimed state in Somalia founded by Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, leader of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army on April 1, 2002...
(2002–present); Colonel in the NSS - Ismail Omar GuellehIsmail Omar GuellehIsmaïl Omar Guelleh is the President of Djibouti. He succeeded his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, in 1999. He is often referred to in the region by his initials 'IOG'....
, President of DjiboutiDjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
since 1999, was reportedly trained by the NSS.
Ethiopian president Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi Asres is the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Since 1985, he has been chairman of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front , and is currently head of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front .Meles was born in Adwa, Tigray in Northern Ethiopia, to an Ethiopian father from...
and Eritrean president Isayas Afewerki also had reported contacts to the NSS; according to a Somali government official quoted by IRIN news, Zenawi and Afewerki "lived together in a villa behind Tawfiq Hotel, north Mogadishu, and were handled by the National Security Service, provided with travel documents and Somali passports, trained and given a Tigrayan radio frequency". Zenawi's NSS handler was the father of TFG minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi
Ali Mohammed Ghedi
Ali Mohamed Ghedi was the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia from 2004 to 2007. He was relatively unknown in political circles upon his appointment as prime minister in November 2004. He is affiliated with the Abgaal subclan of Mogadishu's Hawiye clan, one of...
.