On this day in 1960, Somalis thronged the stadium to celebrate the independence of the country. It marked the unification of the Italian Somalia and British Somalia to form the Republic of Somalia.
Subsequently, Abdullahi Issa and Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal formed a government under a trusteeship.
Abdullahi Issa and Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal.
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The first days of independence were peaceful until 1969 when Somali political life fell into turmoil, partly because of the disintegration of alliances and the fragmentation of clans.
President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was assassinated in 1969 and a coup d’etat took place the day after his burial led by Mohamed Siad Barre, who went on to rule the country until 1991.
Abdirashid Ali Shermarke and Mohamed Siad Barre
Here is a footage of the day of independence in Somalia.
