Battle of Jijiga

The Battle of Jijiga was a series of battles that was part of the Ethio-Somali War. The battles were fought in Jijiga, Ethiopia and were the largest battles of the Ethio-Somali War.

First Battle of Jijiga (September 1977)

In mid September 1977, during the Somali invasion of the Ethiopian Ogaden region, SNA forces attacked the Ethiopian held garrison in Jijiga. By September more than 90% of Ogaden was in SNA control and on September 12 the Somali forces captured Jijiga, a strategic success. Jijiga overlooked the nearby Marda Pass where Ethiopian troops were entrenched, halting any further Somali advance into deeper Ogaden land and the city was scene was a major Ethiopian base.

Local defenders at Jijiga garrison consisted of roughly 25,000 Ethiopian infantrymen and local militia enlisted into army ranks. The SNA attack on Jijiga came the same day Dire Dawa fell into Somali hands.

The Ethiopian army had begun to receive Soviet aid by the time of the battle however moral was low and when a British journalist visited the battle field afterwards he claimed that large quantities of weapons had been abandoned by the fleeing Ethiopian forces.

Parts of the battle, including the massacre of both Jijiga's Somali population by the Ethiopian Army and the Somali army's shelling and sniping of refugees attempting to flee the city, are described by Nega Mezlekia in his autobiographical book, Notes from the Hyena's Belly.

Second Battle of Jijiga (March 1978)

After the Somali advance on Harar had been turned back at the Battle of Harar, the Ethiopian forces launched a counter-attack against the Somali Army (starting on January 22, 1978) with the help of Cuban forces. The Ethiopian forces outflanked the Somali forces and inflicted major losses on them. On March 5, 1978 the Ethiopians recaptured Jijiga and on March 9,1978 Somali's President, Siad Barre announced all Somali forces would leave Ogaden, ending the war.