From Independence to Anarchy

Somalia's history is one of conquest and anarchy. Prior to European colonization, what is now known as Somalia was a land traded between empires. First under the rule of their neighbors to the west, the Ethiopians, Somalia has only rarely in it's history been united.

Prior to Europeans Colonization

Islam, the main religion of Somalia and followed by over 99% of it's inhabitants today, was brought by Arab merchants not long after the religion was founded. Somalia, like Ethiopia and Eritrea, have always been close to the Arab peninsula right across to Yemen. Therefore, Islam was accepted by the masses soon after the initial wave of Muslim merchants came from Yemen.

Before the colonization of Somalia by the Europeans, warlords and kingdoms would rule sections of Somalia and these sections would be traded between these warlords often. Some states lasted hundreds of years while others last no more than a few. It wouldn't be till the fourteenth century that the word 'Somali' would be used to describe the people who inhabited the region. Ironically, the name was coined by a Coptic king of Ethiopia.

As time went by and Somalia was re-divided, conquered and re-conquered again and again by Muslim sultans and kings, Somalia would eventually come to be colonized by the Europeans.

European Colonization

Italy had just been unified as a state around the time that the British and French began to look toward Somalia as a possible candidate for colonization. With Somali Berbera being of great strategic importance for the absolute control of the red sea, the British soon claimed northwestern Somalia as their own. The Italians, having just being unified, did not want to get involved in any wars against any other European power. They wanted colonies regardless of whether they were of strategic importance or were even beneficial. They took over what the British had left to be conquered which included the city of Moghadishu. The French on the other hand had purchased Djibouti - a country today that would never again reunite with greater Somalia.

The Italians, having been unified in 1961 under the title 'the Kingdom of Italy', Italy soon wanted to take over the rest of the horn of Africa and the Somali dominated region of eastern Ethiopia. The Italians marched into Ethiopia only to be defeated by the Ethiopian army of 100,000 at the battle of Adwa on 1896. The Italian army was outnumber about 5 to 1 and was under equipped.

The Somalis would continue to be ruled over foreign powers until 1961 when both Italy and the UK would grant both their Somali territories almost simultaneously. They would join to become Somalia we know today geographically.

Decolonization and Independence of Somalia

The Italians had divided Somalia, Ethiopia (including Eritrea which would not gain independence from Ethiopia for decades after Ethiopian independence) and Djibouti into new states. Somalia was now 'greater Somalia' which included much of what is now eastern Ethiopia. British Somaliland, with the coming of World War Two would be briefly be taken over by Italian occupation forces (which subsequently was the only Italian victory against allied forces without the help of other axis forces). They would be kicked out almost as quickly as they came though.

Ethiopia was granted independence and complete control over the western portion of Greater Somalia (known primarily as Ogaden). The Somalis would continue to be ruled over foreign powers until 1961 when the UK would grant both their Somali territories independence almost simultaneously. They would join to become the Somalia we know today geographically.

Somalia continued to have, like in the hundred years before colonization, tribes that continued to rival for power in various positions. Prior to the takeover of the government by the military, Somalia was a democratic state. However, that changed when a coup d'etat took place with the assassination of the country's first president in 1969. The military formed a political party of it's own known as the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP). Although the party claimed to be one that sponsored the growth of Islamic socialism and raised the literacy rate in the country to 55% and had only previously been at five percent, the Somali people came to resent the government.

Somalis grew further disenchanted with their government with the Ogaden war against Ethiopia. Somali forces dominated almost every battle fought in Ogaden (Somali majority eastern Ethiopia). They eventually arrived in Addis Ababa but failed to conquer it. They were ousted soon thereafter there defeat out of Ethiopia.

With the end of the cold war in sight, the people of Somalia yearned for change. Several political opposition movements rose up in 1991 against the SRSP and ousted the government from it's position of complete dominance. Tribal warfare soon followed the uprising and not to long thereafter Somalia was divided into several different regions. By 1998, many of these states either declared themselves autonomous of the central government (which had lost control of Mogadishu and had been reduced to controlling a single town in southern Somalia). Till this day, the Somali government with the assistance of Ethiopia and other nations has yet to gain control of Somalia.

Last Word

Somalia has been invaded, re-invaded and is perhaps the world's one and only true anarchist state. The capital of this supposed unified state has seen only on rare occasions peace and calm since the civil war began in 1991. The civil war has sent Somalis across the world to places as close as Kenya or as far as the US. Since the war began about 17 years ago, currently there seems like there is no end in sight. For Somalia, tribal violence and rivaling claims to the right to control the central government may be something that may not change for decades.