1982 Ethiopian–Somali Border War
| Ethiopian–Somali Border War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Ethiopian–Somali conflict and the Somali Rebellion | |||||||||
Somali National Army soldier stands between two captured Ethiopian BTR-60 armored carriers that were disabled in battle | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Ethiopia SSDF | Somalia | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Mengistu Haile Mariam Abdullahi Yusuf |
Siad Barre Ali Samatar Yusuf Ahmed Salhan Mohamed Farrah Aidid | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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10,000-15,000 Ethiopian soldiers 2,000–5,000 SSDF militia | 2,500 Somali National Army soldiers | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 383 killed, 998 wounded (Ethiopian claim) | 3,506 killed, over 9,500 wounded (Ethiopian claim) | ||||||||
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President of Somalia
Overthrow
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The Ethiopian–Somali Border War took place from June 1982 to August 1983, when Ethiopia launched a large-scale invasion of central Somalia. Backed by warplanes and armored units, Ethiopia deployed a 10,000-man force alongside thousands of Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) rebels.
The operation initially aimed to advance all the way to the Somali coastline and ultimately overthrow the Barre regime. Despite their efforts, Ethiopian troops and SSDF guerrillas failed to capture the key cities of Galkayo and Beledweyne, as the Somali army successfully repelled the main assault. However, the conflict soon devolved into a military stalemate around the border towns of Galdogob and Balanbale. By late 1982, Ethiopian troops had established entrenched positions 30 km inside Somali territory. The invasion ultimately played to the advantage of Somali President Siad Barre, whose regime saw a surge in domestic support.