Government: War then Peace

      The government in Somalia has been tumultuous to say the least for the past two decades, only recently stabilizing and declaring itself a federation in August 2012. First, it suffered for many years as a military dictatorship under the rule of General Major Mohamed Siad Barre. It was not until Barre got into a car accident in 1986 that people started to doubt him and wonder who would rule next. People began to resist the idea of a military lifestyle and groups broke started to arise in opposition to the government. In 1991, civil war broke out amongst clan-based armed opposition groups that over threw the government and threw the country into a frenzy. By 1992, the UN had agreed to step in with a coalition to try and create peace within the country. The UN arrived in 1993 with troops set out to provide humanitarian aid, but were met with strong opposition by Somalian forces. The UN withdrew from Somalia in 1995 after suffering many loses.

       Hope for Somalia began in 2000 when the Transitional National Government was established and then followed by the Transitional Federal Government. The TFG was able to reestablish the military in Somalia as well as help the people create a 275 member parliament. The parliament later elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the president and Mohamud appointed Abdi Farah Shirdon as prime minister. Thus the Somalia government has gained much more stability and even has earned recognition from the  United States as having a government (something that had not happened since Barre's rule). The declaration of Somalia as a federation was made official in their Provisional Constitution and is a huge step that is sure to mark the beginning of a new era for Somalia.

Pirates!

Somalian Pirates: Not Just a Fairy Tale

      Somalia actually has pirates, but they aren't the kind that you see in movies or read about in children's stories. They are actually causing a lot of problems for international shipping and recently a story in the news was released about the return of 28 Indian sailors that had been kidnapped nearly a year ago by Somalian pirates. The sailors were on a mission on the MV Royal Grace and MT Smrini when they were hijacked in March and have only now been released after a lot of coordinating and communication between multiple agencies to get the men home. 

   
Some people see the pirating as a way of survival. Local fisherman have been hit by illegal fishing in their waters as well as dumping of toxic waste that has seriously hurt their business. Many people think of it as a profitable business to go into since the agriculture in Somalia has decreased due to droughts. Others think of it as a matter of maintaining national pride. The pirates see it as a way of getting justice for all the illegal fishing in their waters, going as far as calling themselves the "National Volunteer Coast Guard".

      A movie is also coming out about a hijacking that happened in 2009 of an american cargo ship starring Tom Hanks. This was the first american cargo ship to be hijacked in over 200 years. 

Below is a link to the trailer:

General Information

Welcome to Somalia! (Also known as the Federal Republic of Somalia)

   

      Somalia is an African country located in what is known as the "Horn of Africa" right along the coastline. It actually has the longest coastline on the continent. With all that water nearby, most people are surprised to find out that Somalia is often plagued with long periods of drought because of the hot, arid temperatures. This was a big issue because their economy used to be mostly agricultural.

Population: 10,000,000 (estimated)

Capital: Mogadishu

Government: Federal Parliamentary Republic
-President: Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
-Prime Minister: Abdi Farah Shirdon

Language: Somali, Arabic


       The common ethnicity is Somali and the common religion is Sunni Muslim. Most of the population is also nomadic or semi nomadic. Even though Somali's identify with a similar religions and ethnicity, many clan-based rivalries have caused civil unrest. It was only in 2012 that Somali's created a 275 member parliament, elected a president, appointed a prime minister, and got recognized officially by the United States as having a government. The government is brand new and is facing some opposition by parts of Somalia, but having a secure government for the first time in years is sure to have positive affects on the country as a whole.