La guerre de l'Ogaden 1977

The Ogaden War pitted Ethiopia and Somalia against each other for control of a desert plateau, populated by nomadic shepherds, on the border between the two states. Taking advantage of the revolution which has just ousted Haïlié Selassie from power in Ethiopia, Somalia launched two liberation movements supported by it to conquer this territory. Faced with their failure, the government then committed its conventional forces from July 1977 to recover this province. This conflict took place in three phases: an insurrectional phase between May and July 1977, a conventional phase from July 1977 to January 1978, then from this date, an Ethiopian counter-offensive which will recover the ground lost until March 1978. This conflict doubles as a ballet opposing the Soviet bloc to the Western powers. But it also pits two Soviet allied countries against each other. The USSR will choose Ethiopia against Somalia, which will allow the reversal of the military situation on the ground. This simulation uses modified and simplified rules from the game Angola 1987-1988 (VaeVictis 154). The game is won on diplomatic terrain. Tipping international organizations (UN, OAU, Arab League) to one’s side has a direct impact on victory but the Somali player can achieve military victory before Soviet and Cuban aid tilts the victory to the Ethiopian side. Better than President Siad Barré, will you be able to conquer this irredentist land that constitutes the Ogaden? Or like Colonel Mengistu will you be able to maintain the integrity of the Ethiopian Empire.