Somalia – In the news, but soon forgotten… again

photo by ctsnow Mogadishu, Somali

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the release of the Canadian and Australian freelance journalists that had been held hostage inside Somalia. Since then the Toronto Somali community has been shocked by the disappearance of five young Somali men that many are speculating have gone to Somalia to fight with a terror group called Al-Shabaab.

These current events, coupled with the rise of Somali pirates over the last few years, has meant that Somalia has had a rare and somewhat prolonged time in the news.

So what has brought Somali to where it is today, and why is it so rarely in the news?

Some recent history

The most striking moment in Somalia’s recent history is perhaps the events that began on October 3, 1993. On this day a US special forces operation was to storm into the capital, Mogadishu, and physically remove warlord Muhammad Aideed from power to help secure a coalition government for Somalia. The mission went very wrong and had far reaching consequences beyond the borders of Somalia.

Long before this, Somalia gained independence from British and Italian influence on July 1, 1960 and they elected their first President, Aden Abdullah Osman Daar. The young and unstable country, that never even existed in its entirety before the colonialists drew the border lines on a map, fell victim to clan power struggles, and border disputes with neighbours Ethiopia and Kenya. Through the instability Muhammad Siad Barre assumed control during a coup in 1969, and things continued to spiral downwards. Beyond the political violence and general lack of order, drought and famine also devastated the country further.

In 1991 President Barre was ousted by, among others, warlord Mohamed Farah Aideed. By this time, parts of the country were also splintering off and declaring their independence.

In 1992 the disintegration approached its climax as a US-backed UN mission was launched and some early successes lead to the eventual mission to remove Mohamed Farah Aideed. By the time it was all over, 48 hours later, 18 US soldiers and between 315 and 2000 Somalis lost their lives (figures vary widely on the number of Somalis who died).

The failure of the mission was brought home to the American public on CNN with the bodies of dead US soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, and another battered soldier being held hostage by Aideed’s group.

This marked a change in US foreign policy concerning Africa. From that point on America, with some of the International community following its lead,  no longer wanted to get there hands dirty in Africa. Many believe that the events of October 3 and 4, 1993 led to the inaction of the world in the genocide in Rwanda that began less than a year later and resulted in over a million deaths, and millions more in the ensuing war in the Congo.

Somalia has since had peace talks, transistional governments, an African Union Peacekeeping force, attacks from Ethiopia, and an increase in extremist forces within its borders. What hasn’t happened since 1993 is international support on a grand scale to protect the people in Somali that are most effected by the ongoing trajedy.

When the five Toronto Somalis fade deeper into the web of jihadist groups and while the former captive journalists begin to return to their normal lives, will the world again turn away from Somali, and wait for a more bad news?

Further Reading

BBC’s historical timeline of Somalia.

Wikipedia’s account of the Mogadishu battle.

Wikipedia’s account of the Somalia Affair that deeply scarred Canada’s international military reputation.

Report of a recent US operation in Somalia that somehow stayed off the radar of much of the world media.

CIA Factbook on Somalia.