Safiya Hashi Madar Talks About Her Struggle Against Barre’s Dictatorship

Safiya Hashi Madar, one of the women who were involved in the SNM struggle against Siyad Barre talked with Haatuf newspaper in Hargeysa about some of her experiences during that dark era. Safiya Hashi Madar currently lives in the United Kingdom but is now visiting Hargeysa with her son Abdirahman whom she gave birth to in Hargeysa’s jail twenty six years ago. She said she gave birth to her son only after two days of being thrown in Hargeysa’s jail by Barre’s regime. Later, she was transferred to Mogadishu’s Biyo-Muunda jail. Put together, her stay in those jails spans four years.

Her interview with Haatuf newspaper was published in two segments. Here are parts of it:

Although I was in Lafoole College when the troubles started in Hargeysa, I and the other students from Somaliland were affected by what was happening, especially the arrest of the university graduates in Hargeysa, so I came to Hargeysa in 1982.

The government used to assign the college graduates with good grades to teach in Mogadishu, thus I was sent to teach at Banadir School. We were worried about the educated people who were jailed, which created the uprising of the school children. One of those youngsters who was killed was my student in Biyo-Dhace school. His name was Badhe. I finished my vacation month in Hargeysa under these circumstances. After that, I went back to Mogadishu. By then I had decided to leave the country, but as a first step, I requested to be transferred to Hargeysa which I was able to achieve with the help of the then director general of the ministry of education, Suleiman Mohamood Adan.

I then left for Saudi Arabia where my husband lived. But although I was an educated woman, I could not get a job there and found the situation in that country oppressive and unfriendly to women. So I came back to Hargeysa. Fortunately, I got a good job in Hargeysa and also became deeply involved in the anti-regime activities.

Some of the leaders at the time were: Muhammad Aar Muhammad, Abdirizaq Ahmed (Juxo). There was a woman who organized a cell of six young male students and and 4 females. Among them were: Hassan Osman, Muhammad Hasan, Abdi Abdillahi, Abdikarim, Ilyas Qase who is now in London, Omar Da'ad and Said Dahir Jama who is now in London. Some of the women leaders who were mobilizing people against the regime were: Fahima Dahir Jama, Umayma Ahmed and Nimo Muhumed.

Safiya Hashi Madar went on to say:

The fellow in charge of youth resistance to the regime came to me with his deputy (he was one of my students) and told me: "We are here and doing our work [against the regime] and we want you to be aware of this since you are the only one we trust." So there were a lot of people who contributed to the struggle. Our funding used to mostly come from Djibouti, and I was appointed a member of a finance committee.

I believed that we could only win if we stayed in the country and a result an underground unit composed of six males and four males was created. They were trained to defend themselves. I was pregnant at the time, and I thought I would be the last to be arrested, but it was God's will, and I was arrested because the authorities found a document.

Speaking about how she was arrested, she said:

One day while three young members of the underground resistance were walking together, a group of soldiers who were doing inspection rounds showed up and arrested one of the youth. After subjecting him to a lot of torture, the youth showed them the house where the cell used to meet, and there they found a document. In that document were the names of the members of the organization and what they did. Then after tremendous fighting, one of the leaders of the organization, Hassan Osman, was arrested, and we thought our lives would come to an end because he knew so much.

He was tortured severely but luckily he survived after much blood transfusion.

Explaining her arrest and sentencing, she said:

When our cell was discovered, those involved were given harsh sentences by the military regime. Ahmed Abdi Omar, Saeed Dahir Jama, and Hasan Osman were given death sentences. Ilyas Qase Jama, Fahima Dahir Farah, and myself were sentenced to life in jail. Umayma wa given a 7 year sentence, Nimo was able to leave and she waged a strong struggle from Djibouti and Addis Ababa. So there were many people who contributed to the cause, and I pray for God’s mercy on those of them who died while those who are still alive should live with honor and pride.

She then added:

The case against me was that I established an organization that was opposed to Somalia’s revolutionary government. All together I was in jail for three years and 10 months in Jail. The three years I was in Hargeysa’s jail and the ten months I was in Mogadishu’s jail. I gave birth in jail. Actually, I don’t like talking about giving birth in jail because my whole mood changes. The reason we were finally released from jail was because of the pressure exerted on the Somali government by many people. Many of my students and colleagues in the struggle played a big role in the campaign to free me. So did Amnesty International. For instance, in 1988, I received thousands of postcards from around the world. 

Siyad Barre was annoyed because of the calls from so many sources for our release. And in may case, he said it is hard to believe that a young woman could have done the sort of things she is being accused of, and he asked that I should be brought to him, and so I was taken to Mogadishu.

Describing the situation in jail, she said:

I had a difficult time in prison. The worst part was that I did not know whether my family, brothers, and children were alive or not. Military planes would take off from Aviszone and fly over us when I was in Biyo-Muunda jail, and we would be told those are the planes that have bombed Hargeysa and Buro. It was a very demoralizing time for me. Then one day, a niece of mine, came to me and told me that the people had fled [from the north] to a place called Dul ‘ad, and that my brother Abdillahi Hashi Madar was killed in the war (he was one of the guerrillas who died in the hills and his body was never found).

On her encounter with Siyad Barre, she said:

When I was released, I was taken to Siyad Barre, and he said, are you telling me this young woman carries weapons to Addis Ababa? Then he added you were misled, you live in a free country, now go and make a life for yourself, especially since you are an educated woman. That day I realized how deep was his animosity toward us. The city of Mogadishu had changed by the time I got out of prison and I could hardly recognize it. I was only able to direct the cab driver to my brother’s home with great difficulty.

Speaking about the plight of former SNM guerrillas, she said:

Whenever I see an ex-guerrilla who is disabled or suffering from mental illness, it distresses me. I think we will accomplish our aim, We will also write the history of the SNM so that it will be a reference for anyone who wants to find out information about the SNM. I told Amnesty International those who died have died, and I have made a documentary film about Ilyas Qase and Hasan Osman in which the wounds from their torture could be seen. They were sent a visa and now they are in the UK. We should work together and show solidarity with each other. Important things take time to accomplish. They are not done in a month or a year. 

Commenting on the present situation in Somaliland and Somalia, she said:

For the last twenty years, every Somaliland government was doing what it could to improve conditions in the country. I commend President Ahmed Sillanyo for his recent surprise visits to small businesses and stores to meet ordinary people. I also urge him to pay special attention to SNM veterans and their orphans.

To the people of Somalia, I say let Somalia and Somaliland go their separate ways. It doesn’t make sense to force someone like my son, who was born in prison, and who is now capable of carrying arms, to be part of something that he does not want.