In march 1977 3 months before the Ogaden war commenced, Fidel castro invited Siad barre, Mengistu, and Rubai Ali (Presedent of south yemen) to Aden.
Barre and Castro
Castro and Mengistu
Rubai and Castro
They all convened in Aden, Mengistu arriving latest. Castro was the first to speak and he plainly said that it'd be foolish for Communist/Socialists states in the same region to be fighting. He demanded that they each stop the propaganda against each other and to stop supporting each other's rebels. Calling for a federation between the three states. Castro also proposed that a joint communist state in the region could easily coerce the french territory of Djibouti to join the federation the moment it became independent. He called it a "Pax Sovietica", a soviet peace in the horn; bringing about it's golden age.
Supreme revolutionary council (Kacaan)
Provisional Military Administrative Council (Th Derg)
Supreme People's Council (South Yemen)
Mengistu had previously agreed to the federation and said it was a good idea, but changed his mind after the meeting in Aden. Siad Barre also agreed to the Federation, but with one condition. That the Somali regions of Somalia, the Ogaden and Djibouti become one joint state of the federation with the arabs and Ethiopians.
The Yemeni President was also keen on listening to the proposals and wasn't opposing it. The meeting was sabotaged by the right hand man of Rubia Ali, abdul fattah ismail who was the leader of the legislative party in Yemen. He jumped in and accused Siad barre of stealing Ethiopian land, the Yemeni president shut him up, but it was already too late. The meeting was chaotic after that. They all agreed to convene again tomorrow for a second day meeting, but literally no one but the Yemenis and Somalis showed up, Mengistu left at night and didn't tell anyone, then Castro left that morning. So Siad Barre and the Somali delegation left that after noon. All parties deciding to go to war.
I myself wouldn't have opposed the Federation as long the Somali regions were joined and made up one state as proposed.
It would've been interesting to see.
The total armed forces if the Rebels all gave up and joined forces with Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Yemen back then would've been around 600,000 active personal, which today would bee around 1,500,000 active personal. Combine that with utter total domination of the red sea and all it's ports, would've been one hell of a super power to reckoned with.
Here's an Article written in the washington post in 1977 talking about this proposed federation
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...871-b0e9-7b53588dca72/?utm_term=.a6656412ae4e
Barre and Castro
Castro and Mengistu
Rubai and Castro
They all convened in Aden, Mengistu arriving latest. Castro was the first to speak and he plainly said that it'd be foolish for Communist/Socialists states in the same region to be fighting. He demanded that they each stop the propaganda against each other and to stop supporting each other's rebels. Calling for a federation between the three states. Castro also proposed that a joint communist state in the region could easily coerce the french territory of Djibouti to join the federation the moment it became independent. He called it a "Pax Sovietica", a soviet peace in the horn; bringing about it's golden age.
Supreme revolutionary council (Kacaan)
Provisional Military Administrative Council (Th Derg)
Supreme People's Council (South Yemen)
Mengistu had previously agreed to the federation and said it was a good idea, but changed his mind after the meeting in Aden. Siad Barre also agreed to the Federation, but with one condition. That the Somali regions of Somalia, the Ogaden and Djibouti become one joint state of the federation with the arabs and Ethiopians.
The Yemeni President was also keen on listening to the proposals and wasn't opposing it. The meeting was sabotaged by the right hand man of Rubia Ali, abdul fattah ismail who was the leader of the legislative party in Yemen. He jumped in and accused Siad barre of stealing Ethiopian land, the Yemeni president shut him up, but it was already too late. The meeting was chaotic after that. They all agreed to convene again tomorrow for a second day meeting, but literally no one but the Yemenis and Somalis showed up, Mengistu left at night and didn't tell anyone, then Castro left that morning. So Siad Barre and the Somali delegation left that after noon. All parties deciding to go to war.
I myself wouldn't have opposed the Federation as long the Somali regions were joined and made up one state as proposed.
It would've been interesting to see.
The total armed forces if the Rebels all gave up and joined forces with Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Yemen back then would've been around 600,000 active personal, which today would bee around 1,500,000 active personal. Combine that with utter total domination of the red sea and all it's ports, would've been one hell of a super power to reckoned with.
Here's an Article written in the washington post in 1977 talking about this proposed federation
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...871-b0e9-7b53588dca72/?utm_term=.a6656412ae4e
Disgusting communist. 
