Origins of the Somali civil war

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clsarDL0RQY&ab_channel=CaspianReport

Colonialism

France, Britain, Italy colonized different parts of land that Somalians lived in

Britain had to pay allies

  • Offered some of Britain’s Somalia to Ethiopia

French Somalia got independent and made their own country

Many Somalians were outside the country

Battle for lands somali lives on

The government of Mogadishu wanted to retake land that Somalians were living on

Area called “Greater Somalia”

  • Conflict started and Ethiopia destroyed Somalian forces from taking their land
  • Leads to future conflicts

President got assasinated and military coup happened

Barre: set up society with communist values

  • Commune farms
  • Collective education
  • Collective industry work
  • Got help from Egypt and Soviet

Attack against Ethiopia

Military rose up in power and began invading Ethiopia

  • Occupied 80% of what would make “Greater Somalia”
  • Ethiopia announced support of Marxist-Lennin and after Somalia refused negotiation Soviet supported Ethiopia
  • US supported Somalia less money than soviet support of Ethiopia

Somali forces retreated

1/3 of the army died fighting

Result

  • 1/3 of the army died fighting
  • Economy Collapse
  • Refugee crisis: ethnic somali in fighting area fled to Somalia
  • Famine: drought

Outcome of war and start of civil war

Barre lost credibility: ripe for civil war

  • Became more authoritarian: tried to destroy opposition (attacked 3 cities killing 50k)

1991: Barro fled by ?

  • National army and government institutions dissolved

→ Civil war

  • Warlords, separatist,

Issues that still remain

  • AU peacekeepers doesn’t work because lack of stable hosting and funding

  • Irriodentist Innitiative that triggered the crisis??

  • 4.5 system grants autonomy to regional clans

    • Stops the public from participating in government decisions
    • Give power to small groups of elites

    Transclude of Government-selected-by-their-clan-alligence

    Government selected by their clan alligence

    Decentralized