Atlas of Battles

battle, Cold War

1991 Zeila incursion

1991 Zeila incursion was a battle fought in 1991 at Zeila, in what is now Somaliland. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Zeila. It was part of the Somaliland War of Independence, which ran from 1981 to 1991. The recorded result: SNM victory; USF forces flee to Djibouti and Bosaso; Military end of the Somaliland War of Independence. Recorded strength: 500 against Unknown.

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Fought1991
WhereZeila, Somaliland11.354N, 43.474E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeSNM victory; USF forces flee to Djibouti and Bosaso; Military end of the Somaliland War of Independence
BelligerentsUnited Somali Front (USF); Supported by: Djibouti; Somali regime remnantsagainstSomali National Movement (SNM)
Casualties and lossesUnknownandMinimal
Part ofSomaliland War of Independence1981 to 1991

Where it sits in the Somaliland War of Independence

Burco-Duuray offensive, 1984Battle of the Mountains, 1984Battle of Balidhiig, 1987Bombardment of Burao and Hargeisa, 19881988 Hargeisa-Burao offensive, 1988Battle of Burao, 1988Battle of Cadaadley, 1988Battle of Hargeisa, 1988Capture of Borama, 1991Dilla Massacre, 19911991 Zeila incursion, 1991198419911991 Zeila incursion, 1991
11 placed engagements of the Somaliland War of Independence in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1991 (year precision)
PlaceZeila, Somaliland
11.354N, 43.474E
KindBattle, Cold War
Territorial changeDjibouti drops its territorial claims to the Zeila Triangle; SNM recaptures Zeila, Loyada and Garisa
Strength500Unknown
Casualties and lossesUnknownMinimal; 50,000 Issa civilians displaced
Commanders
  • Hassan Gouled Aptidon
  • Ismail Omar Guelleh
  • Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur
  • Mohamed Hasan Abdullahi
1991 Zeila incursion1991 Zeila incursionBritish attack on BerberaBritish attack on BerberaDjiboutiAli SabihObockTadjouraDikhil100 km11.354N, 43.474E
Placed at Zeila; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1991

1991 Zeila incursion is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q131191523, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article 1991 Zeila incursion, revision 1383325128, read 2026-11-15, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.