SOMALIA: MILITARY PARADE MARKS EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COUNTRY'S SOCIALIST REVOLUTION.

Record ID: 1056527

  • Title: SOMALIA: MILITARY PARADE MARKS EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COUNTRY'S SOCIALIST REVOLUTION.
  • Date: 24th October 1977
  • Summary: 1. SV: Military parade with large placard being carried. 0.06 2. SV OF: President Mohamed Siad Barre saluting troops. 0.13 3. SV: Women parading while chanting and singing. 0.21 4. CU ZOOM OUT TO SV: Crowd watching. 0.26 5. SV: Women parading with guns. 0.32 6. SV: President Barre saluting. 0.35 7. SV: Women in Arab headdress with swords. 0.43 8. SV: Young boys parading, with guns in uniforms and Arab dress. (TWO SHOTS) 0.58 9. CU: Gun-toting boys in Arab clothing parading. 1.04 10. SV: People watching. 1.07 11. SV: Commando soldiers high-stepping march. (TWO SHOTS) 1.18 12. GV PAN: To jets flying over procession of tanks. (THREE SHOTS) 1.38 In his speech before the parade, President Barre said: "We believe it is extremely dangerous for the international community to silently watch the development of such a state of affairs (in the Ogaden)". He appealed to other nations to stop the Soviet Union and other Socialist countries giving arms to Ethiopia. The United States, Britain and France have promised the Somalis arms to defend themselves. But Somalia wants a whole range of modern weapons which the West is loath to supply. Nor can West Germany help much. Despite all the good will generated by last week's joint operation in storming the hijacked Lufthansa plane, Bonn has long pledged not to send arms to areas of tension anywhere in the world. Initials JS/2145 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 7th November 1977 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Access Restrictions:This media cannot be downloaded as there may be copyright restrictions. Please contact us for more information
  • Location: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
  • Country: Somalia
  • Reuters ID: LVA49LPX4Q05UX3W7PKBBQTZJZ04
  • Story Text:Somalia's military President Mohamed Siad Barre has accused the Soviet Union of supporting Ethiopia for strategic reasons. Speaking on Friday (21 October ) the eighth anniversary of Somalia's Russian-backed socialist revolution, President Barre said the Soviet arms build-up in Ethiopia had jeopardised relations between his country and Moscow. The President later reviewed a spectacular military parade staged to mark the anniversary.

    SYNOPSIS: A crowd of 7,000 people in Mogadishu watched by the hour-long processions, which seemed to feature almost as many participants. President Barre reviewed it from his official enclosure.

    Although it was largely a display of military might, women played a large part, with the crowds responding to their singing and chanting.

    And the women weren't there just for decoration, as these women soldiers demonstrated.

    In his speech earlier, President Barre had appealed to world powers to urge the Soviet Union to stop its "dangerous supply of arms" to Ethiopia. Somalia has been under Moscow' influence since its revolution. But, source observers of the war being fought by the Somali Liberation Front in the Ogaden region, contend the Soviet Union has taken the side of Ethiopia.

    Somalia's youth was well represented to an audience which included Soviet and American diplomats, as well as representatives from other countries.

    The Somali commandos who took part in the storming of the hijacked West German plane last week received special applause. Their joint operation with West German special police was said by Reuters News Agency to have marked a favourable change in the country's attitude to the West. But, judging by President Barre's earlier speech, Somalia now thinks less warmly of the Soviet Union, which had supplied these tanks and MIG jets in earlier years.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS - SOURCE TO BE VERIFIED
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register