 By the late 1980s , Barre 's regime had become increasingly unpopular . The authorities became ever more totalitarian , and resistance movements , encouraged by Ethiopia 's communist <unk> administration , <unk> up across the country . This eventually led in 1991 to the outbreak of the civil war , the toppling of Barre 's government , and the disbandment of the Somali National Army . Many of the opposition groups subsequently began competing for influence in the power vacuum that followed the <unk> of Barre 's regime . Armed factions led by United Somali Congress commanders General Mohamed Farah Aidid and Ali Mahdi Mohamed , in particular , clashed as each sought to exert authority over the capital . 
