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Essay on Clans of Somalia

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Somalia, also known as the Democratic Republic of Somalia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Somalia history can be traced back as far as the Paleolithic period. (Funk & Wagnalls, 1900) Ancient structures, ruined cities, and stone walls found in Somalia, is evidence of a country that once thrived with a sophisticated civilization (p. 132). Somalia is a country that was once known for its rich geographical location located near oil wells in the Persian Gulf and a mainstream for international imports and exports along the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. For centuries, Somalia culture was different from other countries in Africa for the fact that it was not made up of a collection of tribes, but of homogeneous people. To survive, …show more content…

The clans of Somalia are strong social units that play a central part in Somalia culture and the countries politics. Unfortunately, clans are an invitation to divide and rule politics as well. During the British and Italian rule of Somalia in the early to mid-nineteenth century, clans were not seen as a growing problem. The British and Italians used clans to their advantage to help keep the country stable. In the mid-nineteenth century, the British introduced democracy in Somalia, which created many political parties within Somalia. Control of Somalia would then be debated for many years between the weak democratic political parties in Somalia. This instability in Somalia opened the doors for General Mohammed Siad Barre, who would eventually defeat the fragile democratic political parties in Somalia. In 1969, General Mohammed Siad Barre became president of Somalia and declared Somalia a socialist state. Backed by the U.S. who supported the Siad Barre regime, with economic, diplomatic, and military power, which eventually fell into the hands of the militant clans, Siad Barre dictatorship turned the clan politics of divide and rule into a bloodbath. Using his own militant clans, Siad Barre murdered thousand of opposing clan members creating a war zone in Somalia that pitted clans against each other fighting for power and control. Former U.S. ambassador to Somalia, Frank Kredller stated, “We supported him

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