Somalia

Date of Independence: July 1, 1960 Capital: Mogadishu Languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, English Ethnic groups: Somali, Bantu, Arabs Major Religions: Islam Currency: Somali shilling Population: 10.7 million (2005) Main exports: Livestock, bananas, hides, fish

Somalia has the dubious distinction of being the only African state without a functioning central government. It has been without a government since 1991, when President Mohammed Siad Barré was overthrown by rival ethnic warlords.

Somalia is a clan-based society. Clans serve as an identifying political, social and cultural unit. Somalis belong to two major clans: the Samaale and the Rahanweyn clans, which are further sub-divided into many smaller sub-clans. Dominant clans compete with each other for economic and political control. There are minority groups in Somalia which fall outside of the protection of the clan system and thus suffer from exploitation and persecution. These groups include the Somali Bantu and the Benadiri. The Bantu were imported as slaves from the surrounding areas of Tanzania and Mozambique in the 19 th century. Predominantly farmers, the Bantu have been consistently abused and persecuted, and displaced from their traditional lands in the south of the country.

The country received its independence in 1960, after territories ruled by Britain and Italy were combined. As is often the case with former colonial territories, many territories within Somalia refused to come under one national government. In 1969, General Siad Barré took power in a military coup, declaring himself President of Somalia and placing members of his ethnic group in key government positions. Barré established a military dictatorship with communist leanings.

In 1976, General Barré invaded the Ogaden region, a disputed area located in eastern Ethiopia and western Somalia, intending to finally unite all of Somalia, including the Somali-speaking people in eastern Ethiopia. Barre had undertaken the campaign with support from the Soviet Union, but was easily defeated when the Soviet Union changed sides and instead, supported Ethiopia's newly Marxist government. The Ogaden still remains contested today. The defeat served to speed up the disintegration of the already fragile “unity” among the territories of Somalia.

In 1991, Siad Barre was toppled by insurgent forces led by Mohammed Farah Aidid. With the overthrow of Barre, government completely collapsed. Also in 1991, the territory formerly occupied by Britain separated from the rest of the country and declared itself the Republic of Somaliland. Although not formally recognized, Somaliland has established a functioning government and a semblance of peace. Following that, in 1998, Puntland, in the northeast region of Somalia also declared its independence. It has not been able to establish a government however, and remains unstable.

In the south of the country, where the capital Mogadishu is situated, warlords from rival clans have continued to battle each other for dominance. The result has led to complete chaos and untold loss of human lives. It is estimated that over 500,000 people have lost their lives over the course of the civil war. Approximately 2 million people were displaced from their homes, with over 1 million taking refuge in neighboring countries. Over 800,000 of those refugees have since returned but hundreds of thousands remain displaced, many within Somalia itself.

In 2000, a transitional government was set up by clan elders and other political leaders, in the 14 th attempt to restore a central government since 1991. Another attempt was made in 2004 in Kenya. A new parliament was set up and a president, Abdullahi Yusuf, elected. However, this current government has no civil service and no actual government buildings.

Furthermore, it has to contend with an Islamist militia which has taken control of the southern area, including Mogadishu. In the absence of any centralized rule of law clan-based Sharia courts (courts ruling according to the precepts of Islam) sprang up to try enforce laws and justice. These courts hired their own gunmen to enforce their rulings. Eventually, these courts and their militias united in a powerful alliance that in mid-2006 overthrew the warlords. The Islamists have expelled the warlords, brought peace and restored order to the region and many Somali welcome their presence. However, there are fears that they are seeking to create a strict Islamist state. In the West, there are fears that they are sympathetic to terrorists.

Sources:

The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, available at : http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/so.html

Country Profile: Somalia, BBC News, available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1072592.stm

Somalia, MSN Encarta, available at: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554555/Somalia.html

Somalia, Wikipedia, available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia