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WATCH THE MINI-DOCUMENTARY ABOUT SOMALILAND'S FORGOTTEN GENOCIDE

Between 1987 and 1989, the regime of Somali dictator Siad Barre massacred an estimated 200,000 members of the Isaaq tribe, the largest tribal group Somalia's northwest (present-day Somaliland). At the time, some Isaaqs supported Somaliland independence. To eliminate this threat to his dictatorship, Barre attempted to exterminate the entire tribe, including men, women, and children. Experts now say there are more than 200 mass graves in Somaliland, most of them in the so-called Valley of Death.

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Since the genocide, there have been few consequences for the perpetrators, including Somalia's political leadership and military. There have been no apologies, no internationally-supported truth and reconciliation commission, and no criminal trials. Somaliland has little funding to investigate—let alone prosecute—the perpetrators, some of whom continue to serve in Somalia's government or have close ties to leadership.

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Somaliland Genocide: About
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