Factions in the Somali Civil War Over the course of the Somali Civil War , there have been many revolutionary movement s and militia groups run by competing warlord s which have held " de facto " control over vast areas of the country . Factions Founded Prior to the Fall of Siad Barre ( through 1991 ) . Somali Salvation Democratic Front ( SSDF ) . First Somali resistance group . Took part in a 1982 Ethiopia n border offensive against Somalia . The SSDF tried to ally with the SNM in 1983 , but they failed to agree to a common strategy . Somali National Front ( SNF ) . The SNF was a political revolutionary movement and armed militia in Somalia . Initially made up of loyalists to former President of Somalia Siad Barre and the remnants of the Somali National Army forces after his ouster from office , the SNF ' s intent and goal was to recapture Mogadishu and reinstate Barre ' s regime . Later , under General Omar Hagi Masallah , the SNF united the Marehan with the other Darod clans led by General Mohammed Said Hersi " Morgan " , and then attempted to conquer the region around Kismayo to form the autonomous district of Jubaland . Somali National Movement ( SNM ) . Isaaq tribe members had founded the movement in 1981 as emigres to London with the express purpose of overthrowing the Barre regime . They eventually moved to Addis Ababa , Ethiopia , and gained the support of the Ethiopian government . On January 2 , 1982 operating near Berbera , the group attacked Mandera Prison to free political prisoners while simultaneously raiding Cadaadle armory . Between 1985 and 1987 , the SNM conducted many attacks on government facilities and troops based out of camps in Ethiopia . By 1988 , the SNM moved out of their camps in Ethiopia and began operating in northern Somalia , the area now known as Somaliland . They even temporarily occupied the provincial capitals of Burao and Hargeysa . They captured government Toyota Land Cruisers turned them into technicals by mounting 12 . 7 mm and 14 . 5 mm machinegun s , 106 mm recoilless rifle s , and BM - 21 rocket launchers . They also operated various antiaircraft guns , such as the ZU - 23 - 2 . By 1991 , they had taken control of Hargeysa , Berbera , Burao , and Erigavo . On May 18 , 1991 , they declared the Republic of Somaliland . Somali Patriotic Movement ( SPM ) . Begun by a group of disaffected Ogadeni officers . A key accomplishment was the seizure of Balli - Dogle air base in the days prior to Barre ' s flight from Mogadishu . United Somali Congress ( USC ) . On January 26 , 1991 , the USC stormed the Presidential palace in Mogadishu , taking control of the capital and forcing Siad Barre into exile . In November 1991 , factionalism between Gen . Aidid and Ali Mahdi Mahammad caused a split in the USC . Mohamed Qanyare Afrah was chosen to be the Chairman of the smaller , breakaway " USC Madhi " faction . This leadership position was not recognized by Gen . Aidid . Factions Founded After the Fall of Siad Barre through the UN Interventions ( 1991 – 1995 ) . Somalia . The Isaaq - dominated northern Somaliland region of Somalia declared its independence in 1991 , but has not been recognized by any country or international organization as a sovereign nation . Somali National Alliance ( SNA ) . Its constituents included Mohamed Aidid ' s breakaway United Somali Congress faction , the Somali Patriotic Movement , Southern Somali National Movement , and other southern factions . His son , Hussein Aidid , assumed leadership upon his death . The SNA became the core of the SRRC in 2001 . Somali National Front ( SNF ) . Loyalists to Siad Barre , the remnants of his army forces founded the SNF militia after his ouster from office . Their intent and goal was to recapture Mogadishu and reinstate the regime of Siad Barre , and to establish regional state in Gedo , Middle and Lower Jubba . Somali Democratic Alliance ( SDA ) . Pro - Barre faction . Fought against other liberation movements during Barre ' s reign . Reconciled in 1991 with the SNM to form the Republic of Somaliland . Thereafter , sought the independence of Somaliland from the rest of Somalia . United Somali Front ( USF ) . The original USF joined with the SNM in the creation of the Republic of Somaliland . The Issa clan is a Somali clan that spreads across northwest Somaliland and the nation of Djibouti . The " new " USF especially sought to represent the interests of the Djibouti - based Iise . Somali Africans Muke Organization ( SAMO ) . One of the few non - Somali entities . Somali National Union ( SNU ) . A political party that was active in the 1960s but was forced into dissolution during the Barre regime . It revived after his downfall . United Somali Party ( USP ) . The " new " USP had no affiliation to the original group founded in the 1950s . The new group that bore their name were generally pro - Siad , but key participants in the Reconciliation Conference of the Elders of the Republic of Somaliland at Borama in early 1993 . Factions Present at the 1993 Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia . The 1993 Informal Preparatory Meeting on National Reconciliation and the Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia saw the presence of no less than 15 separate factions , including the offshoot SNA branches of USC and SPM . It was a plethora of acronyms : SAMO , SDA , SDM , SNA , SNDU , SNF , SNU , SPM , SPM - ( SNA ) , SSDF , SSNM - ( SNA ) , USC - ( SNA ) , USC , USF , USP . Aidid ' s four SNA - aligned factions comprised a powerful bloc . The progressive tone of the proceedings was undercut by the actual lack of progress in the regions and on the streets of Mogadishu . In time , new factions emerged as the Somali Civil War entered a new phase : disintegration into independent and autonomous states .