See also: Somalia (homonymy)

The Somalia (in Somali: Soomaaliya and in Arab: الصومال, Have-Soumal) is a country at the Eastern end of the Corne of Africa.

History

See also: History of Somalia

During antiquity, Somalia was known by the Egyptians under the name of the country of Pount. The coast was known by the Romans, the Greeks and the Nubians since it was the most important shopping mall for the myrrh and the incense like in a less importance for ebony and gold. The north of the country was attached to the kingdom Ethiopia N of IIe at the 6th century; then the Arab tradesmen settle on the coast and Somalis converts with the Islam (Islam which is established definitively as from the 13th century); it is the beginning of the Sultanate. During the Middle Ages, the relations with the kingdom close to Ethiopia become tended. In the 16th century, the Portugal is interested in the coast, but does not succeed in settling there. As from 1875, the Great Britain, the France and the Italy assert its territory, while the emperor Ménélik II, in Ethiopia, projects to invade the country. In spite of a resistance to the Western occupation organized by Mohamed Hassan, Italy, directed by Mussolini ends up controlling Somalia, as well as Ethiopia and the north of the Kenya until the Second world war.

The current Drapeau was adopted on October 12th 1954.

Political history

See also: Political of Somalia

In 1949, the the United Nations grant to Italy a protectorate on Somalia while one year earlier, the area of the Ogaden was allotted to Ethiopia.

In 1959, Somalia reaches independence. The Somali State is born from the fusion of the Italian colonies (Somalia) with the South and British in North (Somaliland). In addition, France had assumed as of 1862 the future republic of Djibouti, which becomes an independent Sovereign state in 1977.

Of 1960 with 1969, and under the presidency of Aden Abdullah Osman Daar, Somalia tries to found a democratic government but clannish fights between the north and the south of the country, the relations tended with the countries bordering, make these years one period unstable.

The era Bars

In 1969, following a , coup d'etat Mohamed Siyad Barre takes the head of the supreme revolutionary Council.

The Guerre of Ogaden (1977 - 1978) contributes to weaken the capacity of Bar and supports the installation of a endemic Famine whose paroxysm is reached in 1984 (at that time, the citizens of the industrialized countries are invited to make gifts: one speaks to give “rice for the Somali”). To continue to control, Barre is brought to harden its mode. The riots of 1990 force it with the abandonment.

In 1991, the north of the country declares its independence and takes the name of Somaliland, where Issak, one of the five large clans (with Darod - Bar was Darod -, Hawiyé, Dir and Sab) are majority. Siad Barre is finally relieved the January 26th 1991. Ali Mahdi Muhammad succeeds until November 1991 to him, without never succeeding in imposing itself politically and militarily on the whole of the territory.

Somalia did not have a central government since the end of the dictatorship of Siad Barre.

Intervention of the United Nations of 1992

Following the civil war and to the threats of famine, the the United Nations launch an operation known as humane in Mogadiscio as from April 1992: the Operation of the United Nations in Somalia. The “blue helmets” Pakistan board undergoing of heavy losses vis-a-vis the Somali factions, the great powers intervene.

In December 1992, under mandate of UNO, the United States launch an operation known as humane framed by its army: the operation “ Restore Hope ” (“To return the hope”). It is about the first intervention carried out in the name of the humane international law of interference.

The October 3rd 1993, of the Special forces (Rangers and Delta Force) the United States stopped close relations of Mohamed Farrah Aidid, one of the war leaders whom they sought to apprehend since August 1993, but the intervention turned to the urban guerilla warfare and finally to the fiasco; it is the Bataille of Mogadiscio during which 18 American soldiers (one 19th dies a few days afterwards) as well as a blue helmet Malaysia N and nearly a thousand of Somali found death. The events of October 1993 between American Aidid and the Ranger S inspired the film the Fall of the black falcon of Ridley Scott in 2001.

Of 1993 with 1995, the United Nations send a gripping force of the peace badly accepted by the population. In front of the American losses after the operation of the October 3rd 1993, Bill Clinton decides to withdraw her troops, and UNO takes over; impotent to standardize the situation, it will be withdrawn definitively in 1995. The human account for UNO is of 151 foreign blue helmets and 3 civilians employees by the United Nations killed at the time of this operation.

In 1998, the North-East of the country, the Puntland, declares its independence.

August 26th, 2000, the Parliament of transition in exile elects a new president in the person of Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, in a particularly difficult context. The country remains with the catches with clannish competitions.

Election of Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed

The October 10th 2004, the brought together Somali members of Parliament with Nairobi (Kenya) elected with the presidency Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed, former serviceman 70 years old then president of Puntland. The November 3rd according to, always from Nairobi, the president named Ali Mohamed Gedi, Prime Minister with for mission of forming a coalition government with the various war leaders of the country. The Somali institutions sit in Kenya by security measure with regard to the interior situation of Somalia. The institutions in exile do not have any control on the country apart from certain districts of the capital Mogadiscio, their authority is not recognized inside the country, but only by the foreign governments.

Since February 26th, 2006, the transition government sits at Baidoa, in Somalia.

Takeover by the islamist ones

At the beginning of month of June 2006, the confrontations between the members of the Alliance for the restoration of peace and against terrorism, an alliance between war leaders and the government of swear of Somalia, constant by Washington, and the fundamentalist Moslems of the Union of the Islamic courts, saw the victory of the latter for the control of Mogadiscio.

The re-establishment of the order is done in the name of the only stable and consensual legislative structure of the country, jurisprudence chaféite.

The June 13rd 2006 with Nairobi, the IGAD, which gather the Kenya, the Uganda, the Sudan, Djibouti, the Ethiopia, the Érythrée and the transition government of Somalia, decide to prohibit the access to the territory of its Member States to the militiamans of reducing ARPCT in front of the projection of the Islamic courts. Most important of the Islamic courts of Mogadiscio Hifka-Halane is named. It serves judicial power (civil and penal), by judging the businesses by applying the Charia.

Ethiopian intervention of 2006

At the end of December 2006, the army Ethiopia does not intervene and the Islamic courts flee Mogadiscio. Ethiopia thus takes the control of the major part of the country and the transition government declares the government de facto country.

Before Ethiopia does not intervene in Somalia, the European Union had tried a mediation in order to prolong and legitimate control on the Convention country of the Islamic courts. When Ethiopian action was taken, Louis Michel, mediator of the European Union condemned Ethiopia and called with an immediate suspension of the hostilities. The Organization of the Islamic conference (OCI) and the Arab Ligue, they also, called with a withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops.

The January 5th 2007, the Somali president recognized by the International community, Abdullaï Youssouf Ahmed, claimed “ the immediate application of the deployment of a force of African peace ” in its country, during the meeting in Nairobi (Kenya) of the Group of international contact on Somalia. Mr. Youssouf asked that this force sets up “ quickly ”, “for on the bases” of the resolution 1725 of the Safety advice of adopted UNO on December 6th, 2006, which authorizes the deployment of troops of the African Union IGAD (IGAD, regional organization grouping seven African Eastern European countries: Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Érythrée and Djibouti) to support the capacity in place.

For the Somali president, “ there is a real opportunity ” of today putting a term at sixteen years of civil war in the country.

The January 8th 2007, a AC-130 of the American army intervened in Somalia to bombard what it indicates like a bastion of terrorists affiliated to Al-Qaida. Washington officially recognized this first intervention on the Somali territory since its departure of 1993. This one aimed at islamist combatants suspected of having taken part in the attacks against the embassies of the United States in Kenya and in Tanzania in 1998.

January 19th, the UA decides to deploy a gripping force of the peace of approximately 8.000 men: the AMISOM.

The Washington Post brings back another air attack in the south of Somalia by an American AC-130 on January 22nd.

January 23rd, 2007, the Ethiopian troops begin officially their withdrawal of Somalia.

Since the departure of the capacity of the Islamic courts, Somalia turns over to criminality present during the sixteen years of civil war. The hacking of ships circulating around the coasts Somali is become again current.

Geography

See also: Geography of Somalia

Surrounded by the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean, Djibouti, the Ethiopia and the Kenya, Somalia has 3  025 km of coasts and 2  366 km of border of which more half with Ethiopia.

The basement contains Uranium, ore of Fer, Bauxite and Cuivre.

Certain zones of Somalia, although distant from 4  500 km of the epicentre, were devastated by the Tsunami of December 26th, 2004. Some villages on the coast of the Indian Ocean were destroyed by the tsunami and approximately 110 people (primarily of the fishermen) were killed.

Areas

Somalia is divided into 18 administrative areas (Somali: gobolka , in the plural gobollada ):

The areas are gathered in four states, by order of importance:

Demography

See also: Demography of Somalia

The country counted approximately 7 million inhabitants in 2000. The estimates are difficult because of the big number of nomads and refugees who try to flee the Famine and the wars inter-clannish.

Economy

The civil war blocked the economic development of the country. Its principal zone of activity remains agriculture. The salt mines also represent a considerable complementary resource.

Education

School “Al Mathal” is most famous of Mogadiscio. It forms nearly 700 pupils of the college and the college.

Codes

Somalia has as codes:

See too

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