Somali Government and History

This web site is entirely devoted to explaining the political organization and government of Somalia . Since 1977, Somalia has been a country of civil unrest and political instability. Somalia 's government has failed to protect its citizens and provide a high quality of life. Many are Somalis are starving, and health is a major concern across its borders. As a result of the turmoil, the area to the northwest of Somalia has broken off and formed its own province called Somaliland . Another major result from this political instability has been the unbelievable drop in the quality of life for the citizens of Somalia . Today, about 60% of Somalis are nomadic farmers, who raise cattle, camel, sheep and goats. The aforementioned problems all stem from one major problem, a very weak, unstable, decentralized government.

Located north of the equator, Somalia is on the east African coast between the Gulf of Aden to the north, and the Indian Ocean to its east. Bordering countries are Djibouti on the northwest, Ethiopia on the west, and Kenya on southwest. Somalia is a physically diverse land. The northern landscape is hilly, with altitudes between 900 and 2,100 metes (3,000 ft.-7,000 ft.) above sea level. On the other side of the spectrum, central Somalia is relatively flat with an average altitude of less than 180 metes (600 ft.). Major physical features of the country are the Jubba and the Shebelle Rivers. Both of these rivers flow south towards the Indian Ocean, however the Shebelle River does not reach the sea. The Jubba River is a river that begins at the border with Ethiopia where the Dawa and Gebele rivers meet, and flows directly south to the Indian Ocean. The Jubba River's valley is mainly occupied by Marehan tribe of Somalia . The Shebelle River located to the western side of Somalia recently flooded in May of 2000, and caused major problems for the people residing on its banks. Somalia experiences extremely high temperatures, with little relief from prevailing monsoon winds. The average temperature ranges from 60°F to 85°F.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/somalia/images/somalia_overview.jpg (right)

Somalia ranks 88 th in the world in terms of population. They have an estimated 9,890,000 people, but census data is unreliable due to the unstable state of the country. Somalia is viewed as one of the most rapidly growing countries in Africa, and in the world. With a rapid population growth rate, experts have estimated that the country could have as many as forty million people by the year 2050 (People of Somalia).

Somalia is one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world. A large factor contributing to this is a lack of natural resources. In addition, civil war is devastating the economy. Agriculture and farming are the most important sectors, with livestock accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings (Somalia Economy). Following livestock, the second largest Somali export is bananas. In terms of domestically used products, sugar, sorghum, maize, and fish are the most profitable raw materials sold. The GDP per capita is $550 compared to $37,600 of the United States (Somalia Economy). Somalia ranks 228 out of 229 countries listed. The United States is ranked second on that list. To put it in perspective, the United States GDP per capita is 68.36 times larger than the per capita GDP for Somalia (People in Somalia).

To understand the present political organization of Somalia , it is necessary to first understand the country's history. Early on, Egyptian explorers often traveled to Somalia and referred to it as it “God's Land.” Chinese merchants also visited Somalia , and returned to their homeland with giraffes, leopards, and tortoises.

In the 18 th century Somalis developed a way of life which is still practiced today. Pastoral nomadism and Islamic faith are still common practices that influence Somali culture. During the latter half of the 18 th century Somalia was separated into five smaller colonies: British, French, Italian, Ethiopian, and the Northern Frontier District. Britain was interested in the Northern coast for its abundance in mutton and other livestock (Somalia History). The French wanted to acquire the coaling station to strengthen their navy (Lahneman, 56) . The Italian and British segments merged to form a Somalia Republic . Territorial disputes erupted between Ethiopia and Kenya . Ethiopia defended itself against European colonists. During the 19 th century Somalia was heavily occupied by European powers. In 1969 General Mahammad Siad Barre seized power through a bloodless military coup. General Barre maintained his position for two decades. Barre's main priority while in power was to regain all territories Somalia had relinquished over the years. In 1979 a new constitution was written which ensured a dictatorship and legalized only one political party. Barre doomed the future of the Somali economy by accumulating a severe national monetary debt. By acquiring millions upon millions of dollars in foreign aid, the Somali economy was deemed completely unsustainable by the 1980s (Lahneman, 62). For years, various anti-government rebels and movements, including the Somali National Movement, attempted to remove General Barre from power. His collapse did not come until 1991 when he finally fled the country. In the years to follow their was political and civil unrest within Somalia.

Following the defeat of Siad Barre, an executive committee formed a provisional government and named Ali Mahdi Mahammad as the provisional president. This provisional government was not very centralized and the president's duties were not all listed by the constitution created in 1979. The president was able to name his own prime minister as well his own cabinet members to fill out the executive branch of government. This provisional government also created a new constitution to take the place of the one created in 1979. This provisional government was supposed to last until the country got back onto its feet when true democratic elections could take place. These elections never ended up taking place and some people began to plot to overthrow this provisional government. The leader of this resistance group was General Mahammad Faarah Aidid . Aidid actually created his own government in the southern part of the capital, Mogadishu . Aidid and Mahammad's governments were constantly at odds and small wars broke out. This fighting was very brutal and went on for a long time (Menkhaus, 74) . The part of Somalia that had been run by the British for so long actually broke off and formed its own country called Somaliland . Foreign nations do not recognize it as its own country, but it does not follow the laws of Somalia . Fighting continued throughout Somalia until the United Nations finally stepped in and created an embargo on weapons going to Somalia (Menkhaus, 93) . When this did not work, the UN, OAU, the Arab League and the OIC created a joint appeal for a cease fire between the two rival factions. Aidid and Mahammad both agreed to the terms of the cease fire and ended the civil war that plagued Somalia for so long. Sporadic fighting in parts of Somalia continued after the cease fire was agreed to. The provisional President refused to give up his office and forced the Prime Minister to resign. In 2004, a Parliament consisting of 275 people convened and Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was elected as the new Somali president. This new president and his staff were given five years of office by the Parliament.

Local governments in Somalia are puppets of the central government. As of May 1992, there has been a trend in the local governments towards decentralized sub national governments similar to those prior to the 1969 coup. Siad Barre, after his coup reorganized local governments into sixteen regions, each containing three to six districts, with the exception of the capital region Banaadir, which was segmented into fifteen districts (Somalia Government Facts). Most of the districts are urban, and some of the districts were urban communities mixed with a rural way of life. Prior to 1979, local government officials were appointed by the central government. In 1979, a democratically influenced law was passed that allowed district council elections. However, this law reserved the right of the central government to approve the candidates being elected, and gave them the power to change the candidates if they were not satisfied with them. In rural areas, village counsels were elected, but the council candidates also had to be approved by the central government. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is the authority of local government. When Siad Barre was the ruler of Somalia for twenty one years, military officials usually held office in the ministry. Along with the ministry, military figures were also appointed chairmen of regional councils (The World Factbook). Most of these regional and district councils were members of the army, police, or security personnel. This was in an effort to ensure that those in charge at the local level were directly responsible to Mogadishu . All positions in all levels of local government are appointed and approved by central authorities, despite local elections. Local governments are allowed to plan local projects, tax their citizens, and raise capital (with prior ministerial approval), all in an effort to perform projects that are helpful to the community, but the projects must be approved by the central government.

Foreign relations with Somalia and its neighboring countries have always been very shaky. Somalia has also had very poor relationships with its immediate neighbors, Djibouti , Ethiopia , and Kenya . These countries have warred with Somalia for the past twenty years over certain areas of land that each country feels belongs to them. During the reign of Siad Barre , Somalia actually took the side of guerilla fighters during civil disputes in Ethiopia . There was a lot of mistrust between the leaders of these countries and none of the peace agreements that were signed were actually put into place. Each country was extremely nervous and insecure with the other leaders in power. During the civil wars in 1991 in Somalia , many refugees fled from their homes and went to Kenya and Djibouti . Kenya and Djibouti were very accepting towards these refugees and allowed them to stay in refugee camps that were set up by their respective governments.

Somali relations with the United States started during the cold war. Since the communist Russians had strong ties with Ethiopia , the United States needed a naval port in the continent of Africa . The United States agreed with the Somali government to get access to Somali ports and airfields in return for military and economic aid. The United States used Berbera as a base for its Operation Bright Star exercises in 1981, and American military advisers were permanently stationed there one year later (Keating, 143). Berbera was also used in the Persian Gulf War to deploy personnel and military supplies to Saudi Arabia . Aside from a military base, the United States has been involved in conflict with Somalia . Controversy over human rights issues policies. Barre's repression in the north of Somalia raised criticism in the United States congress, and led the Foreign Affairs Committee to hold numerous hearings on human rights issues in 1988. President George Bush cut off military aid to Somalia in 1989, but the United States still continued to supply food operate a small International Military Education and Training program. Due to unpaid bonds in 1990, the United States cut off any further aid to Somalia . In 1991, the United States closed down its embassy, and evacuated personnel from the country. The United States embassy was destroyed by mobs at the end of Barre's reign. Shortly after the fall of Barre's regime, the United States recognized the provisional government set up, but to this day still does not recognize the independence of Northern Somalia .

Somalia is in dire need of a strong leader with a strong centralized democratic government. Somalia has been a very unstable war-torn country for most of it's life. Since the departure of Mahammad Siad Barre in 1991 Somalia has been a country searching for a stable political leader as well as a stable political structure. During Barre's reign threw the country into economic turmoil and also managed to push away some of Somalia's closest allies. Somalia has had a provisional government since 1991 with no absolute standing government.

Somalia needs to make many changes in order to improve itself economically, politically, and socially. The first thing that Somali leaders should do is re-write Somalia's constitution to set up a two-party democratic political system. This political system should also have caucuses and primary voting so that the people can choose which candidates they want on the ballots. The economy is another major issue that needs to be addressed. In order to stimulate the economy, political leaders should try and capitalize on Somalia's many natural resources. This should lead to increased trade amongst other nations and will pump more money into the Somali economy. Some of this new money should be put into the technological sector of the country. Somalia is technologically so far behind the rest of the world that it needs to spend more money trying to keep up. Somali leaders should also consider instituting a welfare system similar to the ones found in Canada and Germany. This will allow the enormous amount of impoverished citizens to feed and clothe their families. These are just some ideas that Somali leaders could use in order to ensure a brighter future for their country.

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Horowitz, Shale and Albrecht Schnabel. 2004. Human Rights and Societies in Transition: causes, consequences, response

Keating, Tom and Andy W. Knight. 2004. Building Sustainable Peace. United Nations University Press. New York .

Lahneman, William J. 2004. Military Intervention: Causes in Context for the Twenty- First Century. Rowman & Littlefield

Menkhaus, Kenneth John. 2004. Somalia : State Collapse and the Threat of Terrorism. Oxford University Press. New York.

People of Somalia . (http://www.appliedlanguage.com/country_guides/somalia_country_people.shtml ).

Somalia Economy. (http://www.photius.com/wfb/wfb1999/somalia/somalia_economy.html).

World Factbook, The: Somalia . (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/so.html).