Mohamed Ainanshe Guled

Mohamed Ainanshe Guled (Maxamed Caynaanshe Guuleed Faarax Caynaanshe), was a Somali Brigadier General and the vice president of the Somali Democratic Republic.

Early life
Ainanshe was born in the hawd region and belonged to the Habr Yunis Rer Ainanshe. As a young man he joined the Italian Carabinieri college and graduated in 1952. After the establishment of the SNA he was made head of the 26th division based in Woqooyi Galbeed. Ainanshe is credited for the coining of most Somali Military terms and nomenclature which replaced the Italian and English systems. During his military career he rose to the rank of Brigadier general serving as the vice-commander and later Chief Of Staff of the Somali armed forces, the highest rank within the military.

Coup d'etat
While paying a visit to Las Anod in the Northern part of the country, Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, then Somalia's president, was shot dead by one of his ilaalos (bodyguards). Just six days after his assassination Major Generals Mohamed Ainanshe and Siad Barre spearheaded a putsch which resulted in a bloodless coup. The Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC) that assumed power after President Sharmarke's assassination was led by General Mohamed Ainanshe, General Siad Barre Lieutenant Colonel Salaad Gabeyre Kediye and Chief of Police Jama Korshel. A power struggle eventually ensued at the SRC's leadership partly due to Siad's increasing nepotism and clannism. In 1971 Ainanshe and Salaad Gabeyre Kediye were charged with attempting to assassinate President Barre. Both men were shortly afterwards found guilty and along with Colonel Abdulkadir Dheel, were publicly executed the following year.

China
On 16 June 1970, Ainanshe led a Somali delegation to the People's Republic of China, he held talks with Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong and Vice-Premier Li Xiannian. At the conclusion of diplomatic visit on 19 June, in Beijing, the governments of the People's Republic of China and the Somali Democratic Republic signed a preliminary agreement for economic and technical cooperation. Ainanshe gave a lengthy speech at the banquet ceremony. In his speech to the Chinese government he reiterated his nation's support for the Chinese people's right to be members of the United Nations, he also outlined the main motivating factors that impelled the Somali Military to stage the coup, among the reasons he cited were the civilian governments financial corruption and unwillingness to liberate the Somali territories under Ethiopia, Kenya and France.

Excerpt from his speech :

"We believe [ in ] and we will tirelessly work for the restoration of the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and the expulsion of the illegal Chiang Kai-shek regime. When this objective is realized, the progressive forces in that world body will have gained a weighty ally and friend [...] After independence, the position of Somalia was not different . Power had passed to reactionary regimes whose single purpose was the amassing of wealth. They found a useful ally in the former colonialists and neo- colonialists. The national purposes of economic development and political independence were thrown overboard. National wealth and aid from friendly nations were shamelessly squandered. Prior to the revolution therefore our country was on the verge of bankruptcy. On the social aspect, decadence, loss of purpose and failing morale prevailed while on the political side, our people were divided and confused. The flare up of civic disorder and internal strife was a close probability. It was because of the development of such a serious situation that the armed forces saw it fit to intervene and put an end to this development."



Chinese economic assistance to Somalia by 1971 far outpaced that of the Soviet Union. The Somali highway connected the north and south of the country was the Chinese government's second-most ambitious project in Sub-Saharan Africa, which they started and finished in the late 1970s. In addition, the PRC started building factories and clinics and gave Somalia more sizable loans.

North Korea
On 13 April 1967, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Somalia formally established diplomatic relations. It was during this late 1950s to early 1960s period when North Korea first proclaimed diplomatic autonomy.

Because of their common beliefs and geo-political objectives, North Korea and the Somali Democratic Republic had close contacts during that time. In the framework of the larger Cold War, both nations nominally supported anti-imperialism and Marxism–Leninism and sided with the Soviet Union. In 1970, the DPRK and the Supreme Revolutionary Council established diplomatic ties. During his vice presidency, Ainanshe travelled to Pyongyang for the first time in 1970 meeting and having talks with General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Il Sung. Following their meeting, the Somali Republic and North Korea signed a bilateral agreement for technical support and trade.