Somaliland campaign

The Somaliland campaign was a long conflict in the Horn of Africa. It is also known as the Anglo-Somali War or the Dervish rebellion. This struggle lasted for 21 years, from 1899 to 1920. It was led by a Somali leader named Sayid Muhammed Abdullah Hassan. He sought to unite Somali people under a single Islamic faith. He called his followers the Dervishes, or "daraawiish." This movement fought against foreign colonial rule.

Before the rebellion, European powers were expanding into the region. The British established a protectorate on the northwestern coast in the late 1880s. Several Somali groups, like the Gadabuursi and Habar Awal, signed protection treaties. In the northeast, the Majeerteen Sultanate was a prominent power. Nearby, Yusuf Ali Kenadid founded the Sultanate of Hobyo. He requested Italian protection in February 1889 to help his political goals.

Conflict grew as the Ethiopian Empire expanded its borders. Emperor Menelik II began moving into the Ogaden region during the 1890s. He imported many modern firearms from European powers. This influx of weapons upset the balance of power. The Somalis could not easily compete with these new arms. In 1897, Britain ceded almost half of its protectorate to Ethiopia. These events caused great tension for Somali clans.

Sayid Muhammed Abdullah Hassan began his preaching in Berbera in 1895. He spoke against British colonial policy and Christian missionaries. He wanted to move past old tribal divisions. He aimed to create a community united by faith rather than clan names. By August 1899, he had gathered about 5,000 armed men. He sent an ultimatum to the British authorities in Berbera.

Fighting broke out in earnest at the start of the century. In March 1900, the Dervishes attacked the Ethiopian garrison at Jigjiga. Nearly 6,000 Dervishes participated in this large battle. They succeeded in recovering livestock taken by Ethiopian forces. The Dervishes then began raiding British-controlled areas for camels and arms. The British responded by launching five military expeditions between 1900 and 1920.

The British and their allies faced great difficulty. The British worked with the Ethiopian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. They also armed rival Somali clans to fight the Dervishes. However, the Dervishes successfully repulsed the British in the first four expeditions. This forced the British to retreat to the coastal regions. The conflict lasted for two decades and ravaged the local economy. It is estimated that one-third of the Somaliland population died during this time.

The end of the rebellion came after World War I. The defeat of the Ottoman and German empires left the Dervishes without allies. The British launched a massive combined arms offensive. They targeted the Dervish forts with great force. The Dervish forces retreated to their capital at Taleh. The British used aerial bombing to attack the capital. After Taleh was captured, the Dervish movement fell. This brought the long and difficult campaign to a close.