Figure 1.--Here a small group of hungary Somalis await food distribution in 1992. We have no other information on the image, bur at the time Somali had descended into chaos. People were being starved and the differebt clan-based militias were using food as a weapon. Western Governments were trying to help, providing substantial relief shipmenrs. Those humanitarian shipments were being disrupted by the various Somali faction militias. Relief shipments including the trucks were being hijacked and the Western aid workers estorted.

The United Somali Congress (USC) after Barre dled the country seized the capital of Mogadishu, but fighting in Somali continued. The SNM controlled much of the north and declared its territory the independent state of Somaliland. The USC split into two factions (December 1991). One faction headed by Ali Mahdi Muhammad, the interim president. The other actiin was headed by Gen. Muhammad Farrah Aideed. The split was clan-based. The two commanders were from different sub-clans of the Hawiye clan. The fighting not only continued, but the feuding factions focused on civilians, uing food as a weapon. Their tactic was to prevent people from planting and harvesting their crops. Several hundred thousand Somalis perished in the resulting famine. Far more faced the spetre of starvation. Some 0.5 million starving Somalis fled to Kenya. The humanitarian groups in Somalia eere overwhealmed. Inadequate food and medical services were available. As a result, contagious disease spread in the refugee camps. The developing strategy and complete breakdown of all public services in Somali began to be reported in the Western media. The result was demands for the United Nations to intervene. Food relief that was sent was stolen by by the armed clan forces and simple looting. Hunaitarian groups were frustrated ny the asecurity sitiation and their personnel subjected to extortion. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to deploy an international military intervention (UNITAF-United Task Force) to safeguard relief operations (December 3, 1992). The United States was authorized to lead the operation and the security provide permitted the delivery of humanitarian aid and the temprary end of starvation. . No progress was made im creating a national goverment. As a result of an attack on American rangers, the United States decided to withdraw. And the same chaotic condition emerged. Somali factions have coninued attemys to reach agreement. A serious piracy problem began to develop (2005).

Clan-based War Lords (1990-91)

Long-time dictator Siad Barre fled the country, but even before this he had lost control abd the country was cintrolled by rival vlan-based factions and their armed militias. The United Somali Congress (USC) seized the capital of Mogadishu, but fighting in Somali continued. The SNM controlled much of the north and declared its territory the independent state of Somaliland. The USC split into two factions (December 1991). One faction headed by Ali Mahdi Muhammad, the interim president. The other actiin was headed by Gen. Muhammad Farrah Aideed. The split was clan-based. The two commanders were from different sub-clans of the Hawiye clan.

Humanitarian Crisis (1991-92)

The fighting not only continued, but the feuding factions focused on civilians, using food as a weapon. Their tactic was to prevent people from planting and harvesting their crops. Several hundred thousand Somalis perished in the resulting famine. Far more faced the spetre of starvation. Some 0.5 million starving Somalis fled to Kenya. The humanitarian groups in Somalia eere overwhealmed. Inadequate food and medical services were available. As a result, contagious disease spread in the refugee camps. The developing strategy and complete breakdown of all public services in Somali began to be reported in the Western media.

United Nations Intervention/Operartion Restore Hope (1992-95)

The result was demands for the United Nations to intervene. Food relief that was sent was stolen by by the armed clan forces and simple looting. Hunaitarian groups were frustrated ny the asecurity sitiation and their personnel subjected to extortion. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to deploy an international military intervention (UNITAF-United Task Force) to safeguard relief operations (December 3, 1992). The United States was authorized to lead the operation. The United States called the rffort--Operation Restore Hope. Aideed and Ali Mahdi, the two most important clan leaders, by the end of the month had pledged to stop fighting. The UNITAF spread out through the country. Violence at first decreased dramatically. Gradually however, gunmen began to appear again targeting the humanitarian shipments. In responsr, the United States shited their operation unfr the U.N. Mandate toward what U.N. Secretary General Boutros Ghali advused -- confiscate arms and 'technicals' (vehicles with mounted heavy weapons). The problem of relief distribution was largely resolved. There was, however, still no central government, no important natioinal public institutions, and the local warlords with military forces were becoming increasingly emboldened. In short the problem creating the crisis was still not solved and United Ntions (meaning kargely the United States would be stuck in Somalia indefinitely. There were overt over 34,000 troops from 24 UN members (75 percet from the United States) deployed in Somalia (early-1993). Starvation had been largely ended, a defree of order restored, and there was hope for a better future--as it turned out a misplaced hope. Somalis were no closer to a political solution nor had the war lonrds been disarmed. The 15 armed various met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (January-March 1993). It was an effort to reach some kind of agreement to end the political impasse and form a transitional National Council. It was a temporary 2-year attempt to organize a Somali national government. The United States labeled Operation Restore Hope a sucess (May 4, 1993). And the United States began to reduce force levels. Command of the relief, disarmament, and reconstruction work was turned over to the United nations. This further effort was christened UNOSOM II. The troops were Pakistani, American, Belgian, Italian, Moroccan, and French and commanded by a Turkish general. Gunmen ambushed and killed 23 Pakistani soldiers (June 23, 1993). The United Nations Security Council ordered the arrest of the gunmen. Gen. Aideed's forces identified as being responsible. were blamed and a $25,000 bounty was placed on Aideed's head. Mogadishu quickly became a new war zone. A part of the fighting, 18 U.S. Army Rangers were killed and 75 were wounded in a firefight (October 1993). The naked bodies were dragged through the streets (October 1993). American public opinion turned on a dime. Support for Somali relief evaportated. President Clinton decided to withdraw American troops.

Renewed Chaos (1995)

The United States completed its withdrawal from Somalia (March 1995). Mogadishu returned to the same chaotic situation that existed before the Americans arrived. The last of three major battles was fought after the peace talks between the factions collapsed (November 1996). Some 300 people, including many civilians and aid workers, were killed in just a month of fighting. There was some hope of peace when Gen. Aideed died (August 1, 1996). Rival warlprds declared a cease-fire. His son and successor, Hussein Muhammad Aideed, however, vowed revenge and took up the struggle. The The Somali factions dis not have imprtant ideological, religious, or issue differences. It was simply a struggle for power and the wealth that could be generated by power that incentivized individual clan leaders. And because there was not one dominant clan, the struggle appeared interminable. There was thus little rael hope for agreemebt as to a restored central government.

Arta Peace Conference and the Transitional Government--TNG (2000)

After 3 years of renewed fighting, Somali by 2000 was divided into four sections. They were four sections: Somaliland in the north, Puntland in the northeast, South Mogadishu controlled by Hussein Muhamad Aideed, and North Mogadishu dominated by Ali Mahdi. Islamic Sahria courts took on the responsibility for establishing a degree law and order. Col Qadafi in Libya attemoted to influence the situation. Clan elders met again in neighboring Djibouti at the Arta Peace Conference (August 26, 2000). They agreed to a 3-year Transitional Government (TNG) with Abdiqassim Salad Hassan as president. The hope dor the TNG was to reach a consensus amd end the fighting. Littkle real progress was made. The TNG never controlled more than pockets of the capital and a few other enclaves. TNG was scheduled to expire (August 2003).

An Election (2003)

One of the factions actually decided to hold a election. The self-declared republic of Somaliland held an election to chose a president (April 14, 2003). It was the country's first multi-party presidential election. As can be imagined, the results were disputed. The Kulmiye Party's presidential candidate, Ahmad Muhammad Silanyo, however said that the intervention of elders and others had persuaded him to accept the outcome. There may have been promises for a power-sharing deal. Incumbent President Dahir Riyale Kahin of the Unity of Democrats Party (UDUB) was as a result, designated the winner by the Somaliland Election Commission (SEC). This was later confirmed by the constitutional court.

Kenyan Peace Conference (2003)

More than 350 Domali delegates gathered for a national conference hosted in Kenya (July 2003). This would be Somalia's 14th peace talks in 10 ten years. They were attempting to select a natioanl parliament that would choose an interim president. The president would then appoint a prime minister. Delegates were attempting to elect a president from among more than 30 prospective candidates. They managed to resolve major differences by reaching agreement on a federal system. They nominated a 351-member parliament to serve a 4-year term. However, Abdiqassim the TNG interim president threatened to walk out of the talks. He had various issues, including his contentiion that the proposed parliament was too large, that it should be the elders alone that should elect the president, and that Arabic should not be used as a second language. And he did not like the idea of federating the country based on existing warlord jurisdictions. Abdiqassim it would perpetuate the dismemberment of Somalia into small independent states and only worsen the existing divisions. Indeed, some co He was not the only voice that thought a federal system would promote warlordism and create safe havens,most omimnously for international terrorists. No deadline was set, it was hoped that delegates had created transitional government to the TNG.

Somali Piracy (2005-13)

Piracy off the coast of Somalia began to develop in the 21st century, around the same time as the second phase of the Somali Civil War. The pirates initially threatened foreign industrial fishing vessels often operating in inshore waters and fishing out grounds on wgiuch the Somali artisanal fishermen were depebdent. SDomali fishing villages responded by forming armed groups to deter the foreign fishermen. They began hijacking the foreign vessels. This soon developed into a much more lucrative than fishing. They learned that large ransom payments could be demanded. And protecting their fisging gounds turned in flat out piracy. Once the pirates realized what they could do, they expanded operatioins into the international shipping lanes with shipos caring somnethinhg more valuable than frozen fish. The pirates began operating It spred to the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and Somali Sea. Dirt poor Somali fishermen turned themselves iknto millionaires. Maritime groups express concern over the growing piracy racket. It posed a high cost to global trade and rising insurance costs. The Somali government has been active in policing the area, but its colapse 1991 meant that there was no longer any national control. And the war lord groups began participating on the new racket. The vessels were seized were Asian and European. An anti-piracy coalition known as Combined Task Force 150 established a Maritime Security Patrol Area in the Gulf of Aden, aided by the Indian Navy and Russian Navy. Many of the pirates were anxious to seize an American shipmthinking that the ransoms would be substantial. They finally succded with the MV Maersk Alabama 2 (April 2009). It did not, howevergo well for the pirates when the crew resisted and then when the USS Bainbridge arrived. The Task Force 150 patrols were ckearly paying off (2010). There was a steady drop in the number of incidents. It took a while to get the histages out of Somalia, but the piracy enterprise collapsed (2013).

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Created: 10:11 AM 6/10/2019
Last updated: 10:11 AM 6/10/2019