Mogadishu riots of July 1989

The Mogadishu riots of July 1989 (Somali: Jimcaha Madoow, lit. 'Black Friday') were a series of violent events that took place in the capital city of Somalia on 14 and 15 July 1989. A significant event in modern Somali history, the riot and killings that followed were the first serious violence Mogadishus had seen and preluded the approaching Somali Civil War. The event was sparked by the assassination of Roman Catholic Bishop of Mog Somalia Salvatore Colombo and the subsequent arrest of several Muslim religious leaders by the Barre regime. According to human rights groups and independent sources, the violence, which was overwhelmingly carried out by government forces, resulted in approximately 400 killed and over 1,000 injured. The Somali government, however, denied these reports and claimed that only 23 people died and 59 were injured. In the aftermath of the riots, around 2,000 people were arrested and 46 men from the Isaaq clan were summarily executed by the military in an event now known as the Jazeera Beach Massacre. The decision to detain the Sheikhs sparked outrage among the Muslim community and is believed to have contributed to the escalation of violence that followed.