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| Federal Republic of Somalia Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka Soomaaliya جمهورية الصومال الفيدرالية | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
 Light green territory disputed with Somaliland | |
| Capital and largest city | Mogadishu |
| Official languages | Somali Arabic |
| Demonym(s) | Somali |
| Government | Federal parliamentary constitutional republic |
• President | Hassan Sheikh Mohamud |
• Prime Minister | Hamza Abdi Barre |
| Area | |
• Total | 637,657 km² |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 18,143,378 |
The Federal Republic of Somalia, also known as Somalia, is a country in East Africa located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Kenya to the southwest, Ethiopia to the west and Djibouti to the northwest as well as having an eastern coast on the Indian Ocean.
History
Colonialization
In the late 19th century and early 20th century the region of Somalia was partitioned between the imperialist powers of Italy, the UK and France (the latter's colony of French Somaliland would later become Djibouti). This colonization spurred on a national liberation movement led by Muḥammad ibn 'Abdallāh Hassan which lasted from 1899 to 1920. The struggle against the imperialists forced the British to retreat to the coast in 1910 and in the wake of the First World War the rebels were given a reprieve, however, this would only last until 1919 with the Somalis being defeated in 1920.[1]
The colonists seized the best of the land and a large portion of the livestock as well as taxing the native population whilst leaving them in poverty. The exploitation of the population intensified when the fascists came to power in Italy but in both British and Italian Somaliland the living standards were low and industry was non-existent.[1]
In the Second World War Somalia was a battleground with the Italians seizing British Somaliland in August 1940 before the British drove the Italians out of Somalia in early 1941. During the war years a number of manufacturing industries sprung up allowing the establishment of a small local bourgeoisie and intelligentsia which in turn led to increased agitation for independence. In November 21, 1949 the UN placed Italian Somaliland under international trusteeship but the Italians were still allowed to administrate and oppress the population.[1]
Independence
On June 26,1961 British Somaliland gained independence and on July 1 Italian Somaliland joined it to form the Somali Republic.[1]
Socialist era (1969–1991)
See main article: Somali Democratic Republic
Somali Civil War
The Somali National Movement fought against the socialist government of Siad Barre and overthrew him in 1991. Secessionists led by the SNM then split northwest Somalia from the rest of the country and formed the Republic of Somaliland.[2]
The United Nations, led primarily by the United States, launched an invasion of Somalia in 1992 and again in 1993 under the guise of providing relief and humanitarian aid, when it was really killing thousands of Somalis. They sent troops to secure areas with oil fields owned by four Statesian corporations, those being Conoco, Amoco, Chevron, and Phillips 66.[3]
Modern era
In 2006, Somalia reunified under one government after over a decade of Somali Civil War. George W. Bush soon overthrew the government of Somalia with support from Ethiopia under Meles Zenawi.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 A. M. Khazanov (1979). The Great Soviet Encyclopedia: 'Somalia; Historical survey'.
- ↑ Pavan Kulkarni (2023-01-17). "Protests in breakaway Somaliland call for reunification with Somalia" Peoples Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
- ↑ William Blum (2002). Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower: 'A Concise History of United States Global Interventions, 1945 to the Present' (pp. 133–134). [PDF] Zed Books Ltd. ISBN 9781842772201 [LG]
- ↑ Chris Banks (2022-05-22). "U.S. troops sent back to Somalia: behind the Pentagon’s latest aggression" Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2022-06-20.