Thoughts on the Ogaden War?

Horrible and unfortunate, a dark chapter in African socialism and pan-Africanism. It could easily be mistaken as being only "divide and rule" tactics at play - except both were socialist states, meaning it was more of a catastrophic failure of socialist internationalism and especially pan-African sectarianism rooted in unfortunate material conditions which sparked this conflict to begin with. Entrenched national borders and the Cold War did not help either. The Ogaden region was predominantly Somali, and these frontier regions, unsurprisingly, were colonial drawn (see: 1897 Anglo-Ethiopian treaty).

Mohamed Siad Barre, the leader of the Somali Democratic Republic, professed pan-Somalism which was also a national ideology in Somalia (coincidentally, the most homogenous country in Africa as well), rooted in scientific socialism and the belief of the right to self-determination. It is the belief that all ethnic Somalis in the Horn of Africa (including those in Ethiopia's Ogaden, Kenya's Northern Frontier District, and Djibouti) should be united under one flag. What little people know is that it is referred to by nationalists as "Greater Somalia" (but NOT to be categorized alongside the settler colonial and expansionist fantasies like "Greater Morocco" and "Greater Israel" which are rooted entirely in false narratives and historical revisionism).

a tl;dr is that for Somalia, it was national liberationist irredentism at play rooted in colonial borders, and for Ethiopia, it was a matter of territorial integrity.

It's a fucking shame because both of them were socialist, USSR-aligned and staunchly opposed to Western imperialism. The USSR was even the primary arms supplier of both sides. Both Cuba and the USSR ended up aligning with Ethiopia, due to perceived "aggression" from Somalia which led the initial offensive, and I guess Ethiopia being viewed as a more "strategic" partner and fellow AES state. In Somalia, this wasn't viewed kindly, and Barre expelled Soviet diplomats and advisors.

..and yes, the US saw an opportunity in this on the Somali side to quietly coerce it moving forward. Look at Somalia today - ravaged by US imperialism. Ethiopia, despite being capitalist now and facing poverty in most regions, is sovereign and a BRICS+ member.

It's such an ugly chapter in socialist history because it's a literal war being fought between several AES countries at the time that goes unmentioned due to Western left tendencies to often ignore anything that isn't the USSR, DPRK, Cuba or the PRC as far as the Cold War era is concerned. The reality of colonial borders and divide and rule tactics are the entire reason the term "Balkanization" exists in the first place - also look at Sykes-Picot in West Asia, Kashmir, among countless others.

Not good. Bad for both countries but much worse for Somalia. Look at the state of Somalia now vs Ethiopia. Ethiopia has had serious problems and internal conflicts (in which the US also had a hand, i remember only a few years ago they were backing the Tigray rebels and making propaganda for them), but they are still in much better shape than Somalia.

The Somalians were cynically used as a proxy by the US and it ended for them the way it ends for all such sacrificial pawns. The US then, after first supporting them, later invaded and bombed Somalia, so they can't even say that they won the US's favor by doing their dirty work. Now they are probably losing Somaliland. Wouldn't it have been so much better for the region if both countries had worked together?

Incredible nationalism-induced cringe that dealt a heavy blow to socialism in Africa.