Fri, 07.01.1960 Somalia Gains Independence From Britain
On this date in 1960, Somalia gained its independence from Britain. This repaired the invasion of the 1884 Berlin Conference, the high point of white European competition for territory in Africa, a process commonly known as the Scramble for Africa.
Situated in the horn of East Africa, early Somalia's economy was based upon the nomadic herding of animals. From the time of America’s Reconstruction (the 1870s) until World War II (1942), Britain gained control over the Italian portions of Somalia. In 1887, Britain became concerned with keeping the route to India open through the Suez Canal, which was opened in 1869. As a result, Britain proclaimed Somalia a British protectorate and named it British Somaliland.
At the beginning of the 20th century, native uprisings challenged British control. In 1910, the British abandoned the interior of Somaliland and withdrew to the coastal regions. Italy seized the opportunity to extend its control inland and took over many of the British abandoned regions. After WWII, Italy relinquished control, and Somalia was given to the United Nations. It was a UN trust territory under Italian administration for ten years until 1960, when Somalia was granted independence, merged with the former British protectorate, and the Somali Republic was formed.
Four years later, Somalia fought with Ethiopia over the Ogaden region. A civilian government ran the country for the first few years until the 1969 military coup of General Muhammed Siad Barre. Siad Barre held power for more than two decades. He attempted to regain the territories the Somalis had lost over the years, including portions of Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya, invading the Ogaden region in 1977. Two years later, a new constitution was passed into law, ensuring the rule of dictatorship with one political party.
While Siad Barre maintained his military dictatorship, foreign capital flowed into Somalia. The money came from aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and individual countries as capital investment. Foreign aid often came in loans, which led to massive foreign debt. Coupled with periods of severe drought, the debt soon made the economy unsustainable. The years of military dictatorship had disintegrated the social fabric of Somalia, and its people had no trust in the government.
During these years, under Reagan and Bush, Sr., the United States gave General Siad Barre more than the U.S. $100 million annually. By the late 1980s, the economy of Somalia was unsustainable, and foreign aid, including that from the International Monetary Fund, was withdrawn. With the collapse of the Somali economy, civil unrest directed against the oppressive Barre regime began in the North. The Somali National Movement (SNM) began the activity, and for the next three years, different anti-government factions fought Said Barre until he fled the country in early 1991.
The collapse of the Siad Barre regime plunged Somalia into chaos, with many factions fighting to seize power. One of them, the United Somali Congress (USC), appointed a temporary president, which caused a civil war. Unarmed Jubba villagers starved, died, and fled by the hundreds of thousands, and Somalia’s river valleys became war zones.
In 1992, The UN Security Council mounted “Operation Restore Hope,” led by the U.S. By September 1993, the American Congress sought a way to withdraw from Somalia without losing credibility. The military forces would not withdraw until March 1995. During and after the civil war, many Somalis left the country. Refugee status was granted to many Somalis by the United States government. The largest Somali population in the United States is in Minnesota.
FAQs
Type: None. Independence: July 1, 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK in June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on July 1960 to form the Somali Republic).
How did Somalia gain independence from Britain? ›
On 26 June 1960, British Somaliland was formally granted independence by the United Kingdom as the State of Somaliland. Five days later, on 1 July 1960, the State of Somaliland voluntarily united with the Trust Territory of Somalia (the former Italian Somalia) to form the Somali Republic.
Who colonized Somalia and why? ›
Somalia was colonized by European powers in the 19th century. Britain and Italy established the colonies of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland in 1884 and 1889, respectively. These two Somali lands eventually united and gained independence on July 1, 1960.
What was Somalia called before 1960? ›
1950 - Italian Somaliland becomes a UN trust territory under Italian control. 1956 - Italian Somaliland renamed Somalia and granted internal autonomy. 1960 - British and Italian parts of Somalia become independent, merge and form the United Republic of Somalia; Aden Abdullah Osman Daar elected president.
What happened to Somalia after WWII? ›
This would last until Italy's loss of the region in 1941, during the East African campaign of World War II. Italian Somalia then came under British military administration until 1950, when it became a United Nations trusteeship, the Trust Territory of Somalia under Italian administration.
Who gave Somalia independence? ›
Independence: July 1, 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK in June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on July 1960 to form the Somali Republic).
What did Britain do to Somalia? ›
During WWII Great Britain also took over these areas and ruled them as military protectorates until 1949, at which time the newly formed United Nations granted Italy a trusteeship over most of present-day Somalia. The British maintained a trusteeship over what is today the self-declared state of Somaliland.
What is the old name for Somalia? ›
The Somali republic, formed in 1960 from the former British Somaliland (the North) and the former Italian Somalia (the South), is situated in the Somali peninsula. It is the Somali republic, in disarray in the early 21st century, that is popularly known as Somalia.
Are Somalis Arabs? ›
Somalis are a people indigenous to the Horn of Africa. They possess no Arab origin nor lineage. They do not speak Arabic, they speak a Cush*tic language known as Somali. Their culture, which is distinct from Arab cultures, is more similar to other Cush*tic or northeast African cultures.
Is Somalia still a colony? ›
In the late 19th century, Somali sultanates were colonized by the Italian and British Empires, who merged all of these tribal territories into two colonies: Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland. In 1960, the two territories united to form the independent Somali Republic under a civilian government.
The incumbent President of Somalia is Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Where did Somalis come from originally? ›
The origin of the Somali people which was previously theorized to have been from Southern Ethiopia since 1000 BC or from the Arabian peninsula in the eleventh century has now been overturned by newer archeological and linguistic studies which puts the original homeland of the Somali people in Somaliland region, which ...
What is Somalia famous for? ›
Somalia is home to Africa's earliest known and most pristine rock art at Laas Geel. Although centuries have passed since artists swirled red and white paint on the cliffs of northern Somalia, the paintings still retain their fresh brilliance.
How did the Italians treat Somalis? ›
As an example one could mention the De Vecchi's governorship (1923-1928), when thousands of indigenous people were subjected to forced labor. In the same period, the Italian governor undertook a campaign of aggressive military expansion marked by a violent repression against the civilian population.
What did the Italians do to the Somalis? ›
After Italy forcefully took over and brutally colonized the country, the first thing it did was to dismantle Somalia's traditional governance system, he said. It also destroyed Somalia's thriving economy and Somali kingdoms and city-states among the Geledi Empire, which was based in the Lower Shabelle region.
Why did the US invade Somalia? ›
In December 1992, the United States began Operation Restore Hope. President George H.W. Bush authorized the dispatch of U.S. troops to Somalia to assist with famine relief as part of the larger United Nations effort. The United Nations' United Task Force (UNITAF) operated under the authority of Chapter VII of the U.N.
How did colonization end in Somalia? ›
British Somaliland, nominally independent as the State of Somaliland (now Somaliland) for four days, merged as planned with the trust territory in 1960. Together, they formed the independent Somali Republic under a civilian government, the Somali National Assembly, headed by Haji Bashir Ismail Yusuf.
When did Somalia become an independent country? ›
Pre-Crisis Phase (July 1, 1960-October 14, 1969): Somalia formally achieved its independence from United Nations (UN) trusteeship under Italian administration on July 1, 1960. Adan Abdullah Osman Daar, president of the Legislative Assembly, was elected provisional president.
What was the independence movement in Somalia? ›
'Somaliland Liberation War') was a rebellion waged by the Somali National Movement (SNM) against the ruling military junta in Somalia led by General Siad Barre lasting from its founding on 6 April 1981 and ended on 18 May 1991 when the SNM declared what was then northern Somalia independent as the Republic of ...
Who ruled Somalia before independence? ›
In the late 19th century, Somali sultanates were colonized by the Italian and British Empires, who merged all of these tribal territories into two colonies: Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland. In 1960, the two territories united to form the independent Somali Republic under a civilian government.
