Mandera Assault

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Mandera Assault
Part of Somaliland War of Independence
Northern Prisoners freed from the Mandera Prison
Date 2 January 1983[3] Location Mandera Prison, near Berbera, Somaliland[4] Result SNM victory[3]
Belligerents
Somali National Movement[1]	Somali Democratic Republic[2]
Commanders and leaders
Mohamed Hashi Lihle Ibrahim Koodbuur[3]	Mohamed Siad Barre Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan Unknown local prison authorities[1]
Strength
~50 SNM commandos[5]	Unknown[2]
Casualties and losses
Minimal[5]	Moderate (exact numbers unknown)[3] Over 700 prisoners freed (SNM claim); ~12 freed (independent estimates)[5][2]

The Mandera Prison Assault was a pivotal military operation conducted by the Somali National Movement (SNM) on 2 January 1983 during the early stages of the Somaliland War of Independence. The assault targeted Mandera Prison, a high-security detention center near Berbera in northern Somalia, where numerous political dissidents from Somaliland were held. Under the command of Colonel Mohamed Hashi Lihle, SNM commando units freed over 700 prisoners, though independent sources estimate that around a dozen prominent political detainees escaped.^[5][2] The operation, considered the SNM's first major military success, significantly boosted the morale of the resistance movement and highlighted the deteriorating grip of the Somali government in the northern regions.^[3]