Catalog
20 Shilin / 20 Shillings
| Issuer | Mogadiscio Northern Forces |
|---|---|
| Year | 1991 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Shillings (20 Shilin) (20 SOS) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANKIGA DHEXE EE SOOMAALIYA N20 SHILIN N20 SHILLINGS N20 SHILIN SOOMAALI SUDDOOMIYAHA LACAGXAYAHA MUQDISHO 1991 (Translation: Central Bank of Somalia, N20 Somali Shillings, Governor, Cashier, Mogadishu 1991.) |
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| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Mogadiscio Northern Forces note is among the more obscure quasi-military scrip issues produced during the collapse of the Somali state in 1991. When Siad Barre's government fell in January of that year, the resulting power vacuum fractured along clan and factional lines almost immediately, with multiple armed groups asserting administrative control over different districts. This note reflects that fragmentation — a faction-level currency issued in parallel with the continuing circulation of old Somali shilling banknotes, themselves now effectively unbacked.
Pick R1 designation places it firmly in the emergency/revolutionary scrip category. Cotton substrate with watermark security suggests access to pre-existing banknote paper stock, possibly diverted from state supplies during the chaos of Barre's ouster.