Hersi Boqor, rebel leader of the Majeerteen Sultanate, Somalia, between 1925 - 1927.

Illustration from "Storia d’Italia", vol. VII, by Paulo Giudici, 1938. 

Hersi Boqor, (also Herzi Bogor, or Xirsi Boqor), was the son and heir apparent of Boqor Osman of the Sultanate of Migiurtinia, also known as the Majeerteen Sultanate in Puntland, Somalia. He is remembered for leading a large scale rebellion against Italian colonial expansion into the sultanate between 1925 and 1927. 

“The Italians were meeting fierce resistance on many fronts. In December 1925, led by the charismatic leader Hersi Boqor, son of Boqor Osman, the sultanate forces drove the Italians out of Hurdia and Haafuun, two strategic coastal towns on the Indian Ocean. Another contingent attacked and destroyed an Italian communications centre at Cape Guardafui, on the tip of the Horn. In retaliation Bernica and other warships were called on to bombard all main coastal towns of the Majeerteen. After a violent confrontation Italian forces captured Ayl (Eil), which until then had remained in the hands of Hersi Boqor.

In response to the unyielding situation, Italy called for reinforcements from their other colonies, notably, Eritrea. With their arrival at the closing of 1926, the Italians began to move into the interior where they had not been able to venture since their first seizure of the coastal towns. Their attempt to capture Dharoor Valley was resisted, and ended in failure. 

De Vecchi [Cesare Maria De Vecchi, an Italian soldier, colonial administrator and Fascist politician who served as governor of Italian Somaliland between 1923 to 1928] had to reassess his plans as he was being humiliated on many fronts. After one year of exerting full force he could not yet manage to gain a result over the sultanate. 

In spite of the fact that the Italian navy sealed the sultanate's main coastal entrance, they could not succeed in stopping them from receiving arms and ammunition through it. It was only early 1927 when they finally succeeded in shutting the northern coast of the sultanate, thus cutting arms and ammunition supplies for the Majeerteen. 

By this time, the balance had tilted to the Italian's side, and in January 1927 they began to attack with a massive force, capturing Iskushuban, at the heart of the Majeerteen. Hersi Boqor unsuccessfully attacked and challenged the Italians at Iskushuban. To demoralise the resistance, ships were ordered to raze and bombard the sultanate's coastal towns and villages. In the interior the Italian troops confiscated livestock. 

By the end of the 1927 the Italians had nearly taken control of the sultanate. Defeated and humiliated, Hersi Boqor and his top staff were forced to retreat to Ethiopia in order to rebuild the forces. However, they had an epidemic of cholera which frustrated all attempts to recover his force.” 

- “The collapse of the Somali state: the impact of the colonial legacy”, p. 44-45, by Abdisalam M. Issa-Salwe