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.
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