At the close of the period we review here, the political situation had changed dramatically from that a decade earlier at the time of the Ogaden War. Then Somalia nationalism had been buoyant and confident, and General Siyad had been able to mobilise sentiments of national solidarity which, with the exception only of one northwestern clan (based in Jibuti), effectively embraced all the nation’s major clans. In such an expansive context the President’s MOD power base represented a security net. Now, ten years later, with the collapse of national solidarity and an unparalleled growth of inter-clan strife, the MOD framework had been abandoned as General Siyad fell back defensively on the support of the most loyal segments of his own Marehan clan.

I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Som…, loc. 610