1969 Somali coup d'état

The 1969 Somali coup d'état was the bloodless takeover of Somalia's government on 21 October 1969 by military officers of the Supreme Revolutionary Council led by Siad Barre. Somali troops supported by tanks under the command of Barre stormed Mogadishu and seized key government buildings and ordered the resignation of the country's leaders. The coup deposed President Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein and Prime Minister Mohammad Egal and led to the twenty-one year long military rule by Barre and the imposition of an authoritarian government in Somalia until 1991.

Arising out of the highly contested parliamentary elections of March 1969 and political tensions, the coup led to political repression and Somalia becoming a virtual Soviet satellite state until 1977 at which point it became an ally of the United States. It was the first successful coup, after two previous aborted attempts, in Somali history since the country achieved independence nine years earlier in 1960.