An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 20 | by PAUL O'BRIEN MA T he history of Somalia has been marred by extreme vio- lence and social division, resulting in famine and death on an unprecedented scale. Civil war has been raging in the Horn of Africa for decades, leaving the country and its citizens vulnerable to the whims of warlords and extremists and also as a fertile recruiting ground and base for worldwide insurgency. Modern Somalia came into being in 1960 when two separate entities that had been ruled by Italy and Britain since 1880 gained independence and declared themselves a single republic. In 1969 USSR-backed Siad Barre came to power, declaring a so- cialist state. However, Somalia, like many African countries, is trib- al, with different clans struggling for power and control. Warlords took control of large swathes of the country, making a centralised government difficult to maintain. Struggling to hold on to power and with the USSR no longer backing his government, Barre, in the face of an armed Somali National Movement, was forced to flee in 1991. The country's capital, Mogadishu was captured by militants and rival clan militias escalated their struggle for overall control of the country, resulting in civil war. In 1992, hundreds of thousands of people died from starvation and disease, while the war raged around them, adding to their misery. Terrible images of death and suffering were broadcast around the world. The United Nations, with American support, commenced operation 'Restore Hope'. Food supplies were shipped into the country but the unstable situation made it difficult and danger- ous for those distributing these vital supplies to the population. The warlords continued to attack, not only each other but also food convoys and those providing medical assistance. In 1993, in an operation to capture prominent militant clan figures in Mogadishu, two American Black Hawk helicopters were shot down over the city. The downing of the aircraft and the subsequent rescue operation developed into a pitched battle that resulted in the deaths of 18 US Army Rangers and two UN peacekeepers, one Pakistani and one Malaysian. A year later, US forces pulled out of Somalia, formally ending their mission in the country, having had 43 soldiers killed and 153 injured. The UN pulled out in 1995 after international involvement failed to stabilise the country. Other countries followed suit as the broken nation spiralled further out of control and the warlords battled for supremacy. Mohamed Farah Aideed, a leading warlord in this bloody conflict, continued to gain power, and after his Somali National Government soldiers pictured after Al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents attacked the UN compound in Mogadishu, June 2013. Photo: AFP Photo

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