The Eritrean Nakfa is a hundred times more worthless than the Birr of Ethiopia. Yet the Eritrean protested that the exchange rate should be one for one. When this movement was stopped suddenly and concisely by the Ethiopian government, the Eritreans attempted to take some Ethiopian controlled boarder land. This led to armed retaliation by the Ethiopian government and eventually led to an all out war.
Somalia has been torn by conflict for most of its 48 years of independence. The collapse of the state itself came in 1991 when President Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown. “Following the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991, various groupings of Somali factions sought to control the national territory and fought small wars with each other.” (Business World Complete p.5) My analysis is that without any formal, structured government, the Somalia people went to what they value, clans and kinship. Unfortunately, they were all vying to be the clan in control. The inter-clan fighting prevented people from planting and harvesting crops and caused the death of several hundred thousand Somali. Ultimately this constant fighting led to a total breakdown of public services. Remember that Somalia culture is based on traditions and their ideology of kinship. Coalitions among clan warlords led the central government to crumble and it’s these same clan rivalries that prohibit
North against South, Muslims against non-Muslims, brother against brother. The civil war in Sudan split the country apart, literally. South Sudan currently a mix of religion and North Sudan now a Muslim majority. This conflict has caused thousands of people to come to the United States over the past decade.
- Somalis are aware of foreigner and the fear of possible renewed colonization because of past colonization with the British, French, and Italians
Conflicts within the nation of Somalia were sometimes planned as a means to an end. Whereby the United States Government supported a certain regime before they used their power to gain control of the situation and overthrow the tyrant. In other cases the use of national power was used such as the Islamic Courts Union to gain control over Somalia by implementing logical line of operations by providing the people their needs and services to gain their trust. In these situations it would be considered as an irregular warfare environment, because they were violent struggles
Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the east. With the longest coastline on the continent, its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains, and highlands. It is made up of the former British Protectorate of Somaliland and Italy’s former Trust Territory of Somalia. Somalia’s modern history began in the late 1800’s, when European powers began to trade and settle in the Somalia area. These events and the events that occurred during the 20th century helped shape the modern Somalia government and culture today.
Affirmation of Somaliland is crucial because the encouragement of African action should not become the basis for inaction on the part of the United States. Jendayi Frazer, in her report on “Somaliland: Time for African Union Leadership,” states that the United States would recognize Somaliland if the others acted first. But Somaliland deserves recognition from a purely U.S.-centric national security perspective. The United States has always stood to protect the values that it was founded upon. Somaliland, in its entirety fits this impression. The Somaliland government and population embody a moderate voice in the Muslim world that rejects radical interpretations of Islam, including that espoused by the Council of Somali Islamic Courts currently in control. It would serve as a bulwark against the further expansion of radical ideologies in the Horn of Africa by offering a brilliant case of how
Somalia is a small country in the eastern part of Africa, known as “The Horn of Africa”. According to the CIA World Factbook (2016), Somalia has a population of roughly 10.4 million, and 85 percent of people are Somali. Additionally, a significant part of the population is Muslim, (CIA World Factbook, 2016), whom have contributed to the current conflict. In this report, we analyze the recent violent conflict and U.S. intervention in Somalia.
As chaos erupted in Somalia in the early 1990s, the United Nations came to the conclusion that intervention was the only method of preventing the nation from total loss. Drought and disease combined with oligarchic rule resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians across the country. The U.N. took immediate action, mobilizing a relief effort to provide food aid and humanitarian assistance to Somalia. However, once in country, members of the U.N. Security Council realized the magnitude of the situation they had become involved in. The recent death of Dictator Muhammad Siad Barre had left the country in ruins as local warlords fought violently for power over the region. The result, civilians were caught in the crossfire of
On globalsecurity.org, the writers state that, “On 30 November 1996, President Kabbah signed the Abidjan Peace Agreement with the Revolutionary United Front.” This agreement sought to unite the country under peace by giving the RUF roles in government. However, a coup led by a portion of the army, known as the AFRC, put many high-ranking officials out of office and incorporated the RUF into their newly taken government to lead (globalsecurity.org). The United Nations later has to step in to fix the broken country. To prevent the importation of weapons and military materials, the United Nations placed an embargo on the country of Sierra Leone. Neighbouring African countries and the UN deployed troops to neutralise the hostile Sierra Leone traitors and the Revolutionary United Front, finally leading to the war’s end on 18 January 2002 (globalsecurity.org). This allows for former government officials to reclaim their positions in
Before knowing, the conflict of colonialism of Kenya; you need to know about colonialism. Colonialism is “the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.” It was said that Kenya was the “study for human history”. It was a learning process of colonialism and imperialism, of conquered other countries for the needs of materials (or any way to supply your country).
Throughout the 1960’s and the 1970’s, the world viewed Kenya with optimism. Portrayed as one of the few democracies in Africa, with government elections and nonviolent transitions between leaders, the country beaconed democratic prosperity. At the time, neighboring countries–Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania¬–were involved in military coups. In a contrast to these states, Kenya was “the best Africa could hope for” (wa Maina, 1992). Even in 1992, the first multi-party elections since independence from British colonial powers mobilized Kenyan nationals. The country headed in the right direction with regards to liberalization of economic policy and a democratization of politics. However, an unintended consequence of colonial rule created
When tensions began to rise Siad Barre started trying to control the Isaaq merchants trade routes. He had also given the Ogaden tribe refugees permission to move onto the Isaaq tribes land. After a couple more events the Isaaq and several ally clans began the SNM. The SNM is an acronym for Somali National Movement.(“CombatGenocide”) When the government caught wind of this they armed the
The history of Somalia is a bloody one, filled with failed occupation, anarchy and civil war. Early Somalia established itself as a merchant state. Its key geographical location by the natural strait between the Horn of Africa and Yemen made it a focal point for trade.This essay will explore the history of internal struggles of the Somalilands and its many wars. It will investigate the colonial influences and conflicts between Somalia and its imperial occupiers and how these influences set the stage for future conflicts between the clans. Also, it will attempt to define the reasons why Somalia has become a failed state. The importance of United States foreign policies will be discussed as they have
In 1998, fighting began over what is said to be a minor border dispute, as well as differences on ethnicity and economic progress. This is highly understandable considering the various ethnicities in each country, the religious differences, and the tribal conflicts that have been taking place in the region. This fighting began a two-year long war, in which countless men and women were killed and the economies of the two countries ravaged by the military expenditures (Abbink, 2003, p. 410-16). In the end, Ethiopia’s size, military power, and armament won out over Eritrea’s enthusiasm, and the two countries formed a tenuous peace that has lasted through the present (Abbink, 2003, p. 416-17).