Somali Civil War

Technical (fighting vehicle) in Mogadishu.

The Somali Civil War is an armed conflict in Somalia that started in 1988. The way in which

Colonial Background

When the European colonial powers met to divide Africa among themselves, the area now known as Somalia was divided between the British, the Italians and the French. During World War II, Italian Soalia was combined with Ethiopia within Italian East Africa. Italy briefly occupied British Somaliland in 1940 but a year later the British has occupied Italy's territory. After the war, Italy continued to administer Italian Somalia under a United Nations mandate until internal autonomy was granted in 1956. In 1960, the British and Italian territories both became independent and merged as the United Republic of Somalia. The French territory became independent as Djibouti in independent Somalia had to integrate two territories that had been governed by different colonial powers.

Border disputes took place between Somalia and Kenya in 1963 and with Ethiopia in 1964. This second dispute led to armed conflict. However, armed conflict was in the main absent for the first 17 years of independence, from 1960 until 1977. Then from 1977 until 1991, three conflicts took place: war with Ethiopia (1977-78; civil war in the North-west between the military and the Somali National movement (SNM} over control of that region; internal conflict between government forces and clan-based liberation movements (1989-1990). Following nine years of civilian government, a military coup in 1969 brought Siad Barre into power. A peace accord was signed with Ethiopia in 1988. As well as nationalizing industries, Barre filled government appointments with members of his own Marehan clan while excluding others.

Barre deliberately played different clans off against each other in order to divert attention away from the countries economic problems. His increasingly divisive and oppressive regime sparked the internal revolts that led to his overthrow in 1991 and the unilateral declaration of independence by the former British colony as the Republic of Somaliland. Although this entity does not enjoy formal recognition, it remains the only part of Somalia where any effective government is in place.

Downfall of Siad Barre (1986–1992)

The first phase of the civil war stemmed from the insurrections against the repressive regime of Siad Barre. After his ousting from power, a counter-revolution took place to attempt to reinstate him as leader of the country. It comprises the northwestern section of the country (between Djibouti and the northeastern area known as Puntland, which is also effectively independent. The rest of the country, especially the South, descended into anarchy. One of the world's poorest countries, mass starvation followed.

International Intervention (1992-1995

United Nations Security Council Resolution 733 and Resolution 746 led to the creation of UNOSOM I, the first mission to provide humanitarian relief and help restore order in Somalia after the dissolution of its central government.

UN Security Council Resolution 794 was unanimously passed on December 3, 1992, which approved a coalition of United Nations peacekeepers led by the United States to form UNITAF, tasked with ensuring humanitarian aid being distributed and peace being established in Somalia. The UN humanitarian troops landed in 1993 and started a two-year effort (primarily in the south) to alleviate famine conditions. US President George H. W. Bush had reluctantly agreed to send US troops to Somalia on what was intended to be a short-term humanitarian mission; they were to "end the starvation and leave." His successor, Bill Clinton was persuaded by the UN Secretary-General to extend the mission in order to re-establish civil governance in Somalia. US troops remained as the "backbone of the UN mission" alongside smaller contingents.

Somalis and Australian Army soldiers wait near the loading zone of a US Marine CH-53 Sea Stallion delivering Australian wheat

Critics of US involvement pointed out that "just before pro-U.S. President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, nearly two-thirds of the country's territory had been granted as oil concessions to Conoco, Amoco, Chevron and Phillips. Conoco even lent its Mogadishu corporate compound to the U.S. embassy a few days before the Marines landed, with the first Bush administration's special envoy using it as his temporary headquarters."The cynical assertion was that, rather than a purely humanitarian gesture, the US was stepping in to gain control of oil concessions. Somalia has no proven reserves of oil, but there is considered to be possible reserves off Puntland. Even today, oil exploration remains a controversy. The Transitional Federal Government has warned investors to not make deals until stability is once again brought to the country.

For many reasons not least of which were concerns of imperialism, Somalis opposed the foreign presence. At first, the Somali people were happy about the rations the UN and U.S. troops brought them but soon came to believe that the latter were out to convert them from their religion. This idea is thought by some to have been introduced by the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. His capture was the main objective of the US contingency. In the period between June and October, several gun battles in Mogadishu between local gunmen and peacekeepers resulted in the death of 24 Pakistanis and 19 US soldiers (total US deaths were 31), most of whom were killed in the Battle of Mogadishu. 1000 Somali militia were killed in that battle. The incident later became the basis for the book,Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden and of the Jerry Bruckheimer-Ridley Scottmovie movie, Black Hawk Down and for William Cran-Will Lyman PBS documentary, Ambush in Mogadishu. Two US Blackhawk helicopters were shot down and US soldiers were chased through the streets of Mogadishu. These scenes were broadcast across the world. Public reaction in the USA led to the total withdrawal of US troops on March 25 1994. Public opinion in the US could not tolerate military casualties in a war they did not understand in a place of which they knew very little. US troops suspected that Italian soldiers were tipping off Somalians in advance of US attacks. Much of the humanitarian aid was looted, diverted and sold, failing to reach those who needed help. As US troops tried to track down and capture Alcide, they were unaware that former President Jimmy Carter was engaged on President's Clinton's behalf in peace negotiations with the same warlord. This led to increasing conflict in the capital.

Height of ICU power

By June 2006, the ICU succeeded in capturing the capital, Mogadishu, in the Second Battle of Mogadishu. They drove the ARPCT out of Mogadishu, and succeeded in persuading or forcing other warlords to join their faction. Their power base grew as they expanded to the borders of Puntland and took over southern and middle Jubaland.

The Islamic movement's growing power base and militancy led to increasingly open warfare between the Islamists and the other factions of Somalia, including the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Puntland and Galmudug, the latter of which formed as an autonomous state specifically to resist the Islamists. It also caused the intervention of Ethiopia, who supported the secular forces of Somalia. The ICU allegedly obtained the support of Ethiopia's rival, Eritrea and foreign mujahideen, and declared Jihad against Ethiopia in response to its occupation of Gedo and deployment around Baidoa.

Ethiopian intervention and collapse of the ICU

In December 2006, the ICU and TFG began the Battle of Baidoa. Fighting also broke out around the Somali town of Bandiradley in Mudug and Beledweyn in Hiran region. The ICU aimed to force the Ethiopians off Somali soil. However, they were defeated in all major battles and forced to withdraw to Mogadishu. After the brief final action at the Battle of Jowhar on December 27, the leaders of the ICU resigned.

Following the Battle of Jilib, fought December 31, 2006, Kismayo fell to the TFG and Ethiopian forces, on January 1, 2007. Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi called for the country to begin disarming.

US intervention

In January 2007, the United States officially militarily interceded in the country for the first time since the UN deployment of the 1990s by conducting airstrikes using AC-130 gunships against Islamist positions in Ras Kamboni, as part of efforts to catch or kill Al Qaeda operatives supposedly embedded within ICU forces. Unconfirmed reports also stated US advisers had been on the ground with Ethiopian and Somali forces since the beginning of the war. Naval forces were also deployed offshore to prevent escape by sea, and the border to Kenya was closed.

Islamist insurgency and reappearance of inter-clan fighting

No sooner had the ICU been routed from the battlefield than their troops disbursed to begin a guerrilla war against Ethiopian and Somali government forces. Simultaneously, the end of the war was followed by a continuation of existing tribal conflicts.

To help establish security, a proposed African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) was authorized to deploy as many as 8,000 peacekeepers to the country. This mission widened the scope of countries that could participate over the earlier proposed mission led by the Horn of Africa-based nations of IGAD. The Islamist group leading the insurgency, known as the Popular Resistance Movement in the Land of the Two Migrations (PRM), vowed to oppose the presence of foreign troops.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Ali, Taisier Mohamed Ahmed, and Robert O. Matthews. 1999. Civil wars in Africa: roots and resolution. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 9780773517776
• Bowden, Mark. 1999. Black Hawk down: a story of modern war. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 9780871137388
• Bruckheimer, Jerry, Ridley Scott, Ken Nolan, Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana, et al. 2002. Black Hawk down. Culver City, Calif: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. ISBN 9780767870627
• Cran, William, and Will Lyman. 2001. Ambush in Mogadishu. Alexandria, VA: PBS Home Video. 9780780637450
• Hirsch, John L., and Robert B. Oakley. 1995. Somalia and Operation Restore Hope: reflections on peacemaking and peacekeeping. Washington, D.C.: United States Institute of Peace Press. ISBN 9781878379412
• Lyons, Terrence, and Ahmed I. Samatar. 1995. Somalia: state collapse, multilateral intervention, and strategies for political reconstruction. Brookings occasional papers. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution. ISBN 9780815753513
• Muravchik, Joshua. 2005. The Future of the United Nations: Understanding the Past to Chart a Way Forward. Washington, DC: AEI Press. ISBN 084466163X.
• Sklenka, Stephen D. 2007. Strategy, national interests, and means to an end. Carlisle papers in security strategy. Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College. http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS87490.ISBN 9781584873099
• Waal, Alex de. 2004. Islamism and its enemies in the Horn of Africa. Bloomington, IN: Indiana Univ. Press. ISBN 9780253216793

External links

• military history site on battle of Mogadishu. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
• Somali Civil War at Global Security. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
• Somali Civil War at Wars of the World. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
• http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/co_mission/unosom2backgr1.html UN Operations in Somalia.] Retrieved September 17, 2008.
• BBC Time Line on Ethiopia and Somalia. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
• BBC Country profile on Samalia.

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