WAR AGAINST ITALIANS
In 1925, Omar Samatar, one of the military chiefs of Sultan Ali Yusuf of The Sultanate of Obbio, led a rebellion against the Italians that culminated in the recapturing of El-Buur on November 9, 1925. Soon the rebellion expanded to the local population and the region went into revolt as El-Dheere also came under the control of Omar Samatar. The Italian forces tried to recapture El-Buur but they were repulsed.
On November 15,1925 the Italians retreated to Bud Bud and on the way they were ambushed and suffered heavy casualties. As a consequence of the death of the commander of the operations and the effect of two failed operations intended to overcome the El-Buur mutiny, the spirit of Italian troops began to wane. Meanwhile, the rebellion was gaining sympathy across the country and as far a field as Western Somaliland.
The fascist government was surprised by the setback in Obbio (Hobyo). The whole policy of conquest was collapsing under their nose. The El-Buur episode drastically changed the strategy of Italy as it revived memories of the Adwa fiasco when Italy had been defeated by Abyssinia. Governor De Vecchi took the situation seriously, and to prevent any more failure he requested two battalions from Eritrea to reinforce his troops, and assumed lead of the operations. Rome instructed De Vecchi that he was to receive the reinforcement from Eritrea, but that the commander of the two battalions was to temporarily assume the military command of the operations and De Vecchi was to stay in Muqdisho and confine himself to other colonial matters. Fascist Italy was poised to re-conquer the Sultanate by any means necessary.
On the military front, on December, 26, 1925 Italian troops finally overran El-Buur, and the forces of Omar Samatar were compelled to retreat to Western Somaliland. Samatar led some followers across the border into Ethiopia and campaigned against Italians in the Ogaden at frontier posts.
By neutralizing the Sultanate of Obbio, the fascists could concentrate on Migiurtinia. In early October 1924, E. Coronaro, the new Alula commissioner, presented Boqor Cusmaan Boqor Maxamuud with an ultimatum to disarm and surrender. Meanwhile, Italian troops began to pour into the sultanate in anticipation of this operation. While landing at Hafun and Alula, the sultanate’s troops opened fire on them. Fierce fighting ensued and to avoid escalating the conflict and to press the fascist government to revoke their policy, Boqor Cusmaan tried to open a dialogue. However, he failed, and again fighting broke out between the two parties. Following this disturbance, on 7 October the Governor instructed Coronaro to order the Boqor to surrender; to intimidate the people he ordered the seizure of all merchant boats in the Alula area. At Hafun, the Italians bombarded and destroyed all the boats in the area.
DESTRUCTION OF HAFUN BY ITALIANS
BOMBARDMENT OF BARGAAL