Somalia is the name of a country located on the peninsula of the same name in eastern Africa. Today this word has become a household word, meaning devastation and lawlessness. Probably everyone knows that Somalia is one of the most dangerous states in the world, and it can be called a state at a stretch. On the territory of the peninsula, there are three relatively stable state formations and from a fifth of situational associations that appear and disappear after the next military raid.
Everyone knows about Somali pirates - these guys hijack ships passing in the territorial waters and demand ransom. This fishery brings local (and most likely not only local) gangs more than a hundred million dollars annually. Everyone knows about the downed American helicopter - even a good film was made about this event. But still, how did it happen?
Why is there chaos in this geographically beautiful place?
Scientific socialism, but with a market
The modern history of most African countries begins with one person who took power after the colonial era and, as a rule, sat on the throne for 20-30 years. In Somalia, this one person was Mohammed Siad Barre, who did not come to power immediately, but of course, as a result of a military coup in 1969.
The predecessor was shot by his own bodyguard; most of the ministers also went there. The parliament, political parties and public organizations were dissolved. Barre attributed the coup to the impossibility of more tolerating the unfair distribution of benefits, bribery and nepotism.
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From that moment on, the Somalis proclaimed a course towards scientific socialism and building a society based on labor and social justice. The Soviets approved, immediately sending Barre assistance in the form of military advisers and specialists from various civilian industries. The nationalization of the oil and banking sector began, while practically all the banks in the country belonged to foreign states. However, the main sources of wealth for the middle class, such as farms and banana plantations, remained in private hands. It turned out to be a kind of hybrid of a planned and market economy. The same hybrid form was established in the ideological field when attempts were made to combine scientific socialism with religion and the cult of the individual. On the streets of Mogadishu in the 70s, posters of Lenin, Marx, and Mohammed Barre next to them could be seen everywhere. On the other side of the road there could well have been a mosque and a bank branch.
Only in the mid-70s did Somalia have its own written language - before that, Italian, English and Ahmar languages were used. A campaign to eradicate illiteracy has begun, quite serious economic and technological projects have been carried out (for example, a project to secure sand dunes that threaten desertification in some regions). The ports were modernized, in particular the Berber ports, where military and civil ships of the USSR were based for some time. However, socialism (especially in Africa) cannot do without repression. The one-party system was enshrined in the constitution, and all dissent was suppressed decisively.
Greater Somalia Project
Now it sounds ridiculous to us, and in the mid-70s Mohammed Siad Barre took the project quite seriously. Yes, and laughter, of course, laughter, but such an idea is better than the endless personal enrichment that is classic for Africa. The plan called for the unification of all indigenous Somalis together with the territories where they lived. Thus, Greater Somalia was to receive part of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. The total area almost doubled, and the population would have reached 17-20 million people. Which again does not look like an impressive figure, but this figure has not yet been achieved.
In 1977, a political crisis broke out in neighboring Ethiopia, and there was an internal struggle for power. Mohammed Barre, having a military background, understood that this was the best moment to implement the project. The war for the Ogaden region began - this is, by the way, the largest region in Ethiopia. Despite the military successes of the first weeks, the offensive soon failed. The Cubans and the Soviets came to the aid of the Ethiopians, with whom Barre broke off relations before the attack. In those years, Ethiopia was one of the most promising allies of the USSR in Africa, moreover, it is a country with an Orthodox population.
We can say that an exchange has taken place. Ethiopia, which until then was friends with the United States, after the coup turns to the USSR. Somalia does exactly the opposite: it removes portraits of Lenin and Marx, expels the Soviet fleet and launches new, Stars and Stripes, allies. Later, Mohammed Barre would note with regret: "Washington promises a lot, but does little."
The defeat in the war with Ethiopia had, though not instantaneous, but very serious consequences. Barre's credibility was dealt a blow, and the loyalty of the population began to decline as a result. Each time, the government had only one effective answer: repression and brutal suppression. The point of no return was the 1988 bombing of Hargeisa. For several months, government forces bombed the second largest city in Somalia. As a result, about 70% of the buildings were destroyed, the death toll is unknown. From that moment on, a full-scale civil war began.
Non-healing scars
Now on the territory of the peninsula, in addition to the official Somalia with a transitional government, there is Puntland and Somaliland. The central government controls no more than a third of the country. It is during the day. Well, at night, the authority of the official government extends only to the capital, and even then it is very conditional. The clearest example of this is the impossibility of independent tourism in the country. You simply will not be released beyond the checkpoint without armed local guards. All videos about self-tourism in Somalia were filmed in Somaliland and Puntland. These are also far from the safest places on earth, but still more accustomed to tourism, if only because of close contacts with the same Ethiopia and Djibouti.
If you look at the map, you will be surprised to find that the new states that broke away from Somalia almost perfectly coincide with the borders of the former colonial possessions of Italy and Britain. Somaliland is almost 100% consistent with British Somalia, and Puntland is hindered by the central government, otherwise this entity would have reclaimed the entire territory of former Italian Somalia.
It is likely that Somalia will one day be recorded as a Failed State, or a failed state. The authorities in Mogadishu do not control the situation so much that the breakaway territories not only have their own currency, passports and other state attributes, but also fight among themselves. Moreover, in the wars for resources, the unrecognized Puntland and Somaliland create new puppet states on the territory of Somalia, which exist literally for several months or a couple of years, if some field commander accumulates enough "fat". If you start digging in the hope of establishing how many state entities are currently on the territory of Somalia, then you will not be able to find an exact figure. Maybe 9 or 11, but that's not accurate. Today there is education, but tomorrow it is gone, while the day after tomorrow it appears again and at the same time creates a couple of satellites.
Naturally, such a situation is ideal for the germination of terrorist organizations and various sects. The largest terrorist attack in history occurred in the United States - then 2,977 people died. The second place is taken by the explosion in Mogadishu in 2017 - then 587 people died. The UN, of course, took care and wished good health to the victims, but in general, this is the whole reaction. Imagine if something like this happened somewhere in Europe. All the world's media would write for a couple of weeks only about this monstrous tragedy! Social media avatars would be painted in the colors of any flag.
Well, what about Somalia? They live there, how do they? Somalis, in general.
Author: Mikhail Malakhov