Somali Resistance to Italian Occupation

The Anglo-Italian agreements of 1891 gave Italy the triangle of land known as the Horn of Africa as her ‘sphere of influence.' Until the outbreak of the First World War, Italy was unable to consolidate her control over these territories. All attempts, both military and political, failed due to active resistance from the inter-riverine people of southern Somalia. In the late 19th century, the inter-riverine region was the center of religious ferment and economic resistance against European colonization. The so-called Gosha Revolt (1890-1907), led by Nassib Buunto, emerged from the struggle against slavery. Nassib Buunto recruited the bulk of his fighters from the freed slaves who deserted their Italian landlords and Somali ‘Abans’ (overseers). He established a center named after him to give these men a better way of life by developing communal ways of forming and cattle herding, training in new handicraft skills, new techniques for building houses and for manufacturing tools and weapons. It was the free men of this center who fought against the Italians, including numerous clans of the coast like the Biyamals, the Tunnis, the Gheledis, the Wa’dans, the Abgals, the Shikhals and others. A coalition of these clans prevented the Italian penetration into the fertile hinterland of the inter-riverine region for over two decades (1886-1908).

Another focal point of resistance was the Banadir. The Banadirians of the interior were concerned that the occupation of the port by foreigners would mean the diversion of the external trade from their control. The Banadir ports played a significant role in the region’s external and internal trade, making the Banadir revolt (1888-1910), though religious in origin, the motivation of economic factors. The Banadirians blockaded the Italians on the coast for more than two decades, from 1888-1910.

Some other honorable mentions of the Somali anti-colonial resistance movement against Italian occupation are Sheik Aways Al-Qadiri, Sheik Hassan Barsane Sharif Aliyow and Sufi Baraki.

- Genava