Greater Somalia refers to those regions in the
Horn of AfricaThe Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts for hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea, and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
in which ethnic
SomalisSomalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
are and have historically represented the predominant population. Greater Somalia thus encompasses
SomaliaSomalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa...
,
DjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. On the other side of the Red Sea, on...
, the
OgadenOgaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim...
and the
North Eastern ProvinceThe North Eastern Province is one of the seven administrative provinces in Kenya outside of Nairobi. The provincial capital is the town of Garissa, near Coast Province. The overall population is 962,143 and its land area is 126,902 km²....
(the latter two of which are currently administered by
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
and
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
, respectively).
Pan-Somalism refers to the vision of unifying these territories under one Somali flag and nation. The pursuit of this goal has led to
conflictThe Ethiopian-Somali conflict and tension has a background in territorial and political disputes. Animosity between Ethiopia and Somalis dates back a few centuries with wars and conflicts . In recent years, those tensions caused two wars.- Historical background : A broader perspective shows many...
, with Somalia engaging in armed warfare with Ethiopia over the
OgadenOgaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim...
region, as well as supporting Somali insurgents in the so-called
Shifta WarThe Shifta War was a secessionist conflict in which ethnic Somalis in the Northern Frontier District of Kenya attempted to join with their fellow Somalis in a Greater Somalia...
against Kenya.
During
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, Britain secretly reached an agreement with Italy to transfer 94,050 square kilometers of its Somali-inhabited
JubalandJubaland or Juba Valley , formerly Trans-Juba , is the southwesternmost part of Somalia. On the eastern side of Jubbaland is 40–60 km east of Jubba River from Gedo to the Indian Ocean, while western side of the region, the old days "Trans"-Juba), now Jubbland, borders Kenya.Total population...
protectorateA protectorate, in international law, is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity. In exchange for this, the protectorate usually accepts specified obligations, which may vary greatly, depending on the real nature of...
(in present-day southwestern Somalia) to
Italian SomalilandItalian Somaliland was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1941 in the territory of the modern-day Northeast African nation of Somalia.-History:...
.
Greater Somalia refers to those regions in the
Horn of AfricaThe Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts for hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea, and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
in which ethnic
SomalisSomalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
are and have historically represented the predominant population. Greater Somalia thus encompasses
SomaliaSomalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa...
,
DjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. On the other side of the Red Sea, on...
, the
OgadenOgaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim...
and the
North Eastern ProvinceThe North Eastern Province is one of the seven administrative provinces in Kenya outside of Nairobi. The provincial capital is the town of Garissa, near Coast Province. The overall population is 962,143 and its land area is 126,902 km²....
(the latter two of which are currently administered by
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
and
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
, respectively).
Pan-Somalism refers to the vision of unifying these territories under one Somali flag and nation. The pursuit of this goal has led to
conflictThe Ethiopian-Somali conflict and tension has a background in territorial and political disputes. Animosity between Ethiopia and Somalis dates back a few centuries with wars and conflicts . In recent years, those tensions caused two wars.- Historical background : A broader perspective shows many...
, with Somalia engaging in armed warfare with Ethiopia over the
OgadenOgaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim...
region, as well as supporting Somali insurgents in the so-called
Shifta WarThe Shifta War was a secessionist conflict in which ethnic Somalis in the Northern Frontier District of Kenya attempted to join with their fellow Somalis in a Greater Somalia...
against Kenya.
History
During
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, Britain secretly reached an agreement with Italy to transfer 94,050 square kilometers of its Somali-inhabited
JubalandJubaland or Juba Valley , formerly Trans-Juba , is the southwesternmost part of Somalia. On the eastern side of Jubbaland is 40–60 km east of Jubba River from Gedo to the Indian Ocean, while western side of the region, the old days "Trans"-Juba), now Jubbland, borders Kenya.Total population...
protectorateA protectorate, in international law, is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity. In exchange for this, the protectorate usually accepts specified obligations, which may vary greatly, depending on the real nature of...
(in present-day southwestern Somalia) to
Italian SomalilandItalian Somaliland was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1941 in the territory of the modern-day Northeast African nation of Somalia.-History:...
. This was Italy's reward for allying itself with Britain in its war against Germany. The treaty was honored and in 1924, Britain ceded Jubaland. In 1926, Jubaland was incorporated into Italian Somaliland, and was later re-dubbed
Oltre Giuba by the Italians. After its conquest of
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
in 1936, Italy also annexed the
OgadenOgaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim...
region.
In early
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Italian troops invaded
British SomalilandBritish Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. The protectorate incorporated much of what now constitutes the Puntland and Somaliland macro-regions of Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, the Ogaden,...
and ejected the British. However, Britain retained control of
British East AfricaBritish East Africa was an area of East Africa controlled by Britain in the late 19th century, which became a protectorate covering roughly the area of present-day Kenya...
, which included the almost exclusively Somali-inhabited Northern Frontier District that is currently administered by Kenya.
Britain regained control of British Somaliland in spring 1941, and conquered Italian Somaliland and the Ogaden. In 1945, the
Potsdam conferenceThe Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
was held, where it was decided not to return Italian Somaliland to Italy. The UN opted instead in 1949 to grant Italy trusteeship of Italian Somaliland for a period of ten years, after which time the region would be independent.
Meanwhile, in 1948, under pressure from their World War II allies and to the dismay of Somalis, the British "returned" the
Hawd (an important Somali grazing area that was presumably 'protected' by British treaties with the Somalis in 1884 and 1886) and the Ogaden to Ethiopia, based on a treaty they signed in 1897 in which the British ceded Somali territory to the Ethiopian Emperor
MenelikMénélik, now MNLK , is a French-born rapper.-Biography:He went to France at the age of nine. Then he met MC Solaar and started to write songs for artists such as No Sé, DJ Jimmy Jay and RPM. In 1995, he released his first album entitled Phenomenelik and participated in Solaar's concerts...
in exchange for his help against plundering by Somali clans. Britain included the
proviso that the Somali nomads would retain their autonomy, but Ethiopia immediately claimed sovereignty over them. This prompted an unsuccessful bid by Britain in 1956 to buy back the Somali lands it had turned over.
Somali Republic
The first armed conflict following the independence and unification of the former British and Italian colonies, known collectively as the Somali Republic, began in 1963 in an ethnic Oromo and Somali district,
ElekereElekere is one of the 47 woredas in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Afder Zone, Elekere is bordered on the south by Afder, on the southwest by Cherti, on the west by Guradamole, on the northwest by the Oromia Region, on the northeast by the Shebelle River which separates it from the...
, then part of Bale province, instigated by the Oromo founder of the United Liberation Forces of Oromia,
Waqo GutuGeneral Waqo Gutu was an Ethiopian rebel figure, leader of the United Liberation Forces of Oromia since the 1960s in the Bale Province in southern Ethiopia. The General had been elected chairman of ULFO in 2000...
. The Bale revolt, a peasant revolt stemming from issues involving land, taxation, class, and religion, raged in the province for several years until a number of developments took the energy out of the militants, as well as the decision of Somali Prime Minister Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal to focus his country's resources on economic development. Rebels began to surrender to the Ethiopian government at the end of 1969; Waqo Gutu, who had been the foremost of the insurgents, was surrounded with his command of barely 200 men in Arana by the Ethiopian army in February 1970 and surrendered. Pacification was complete by the next year.
Djibouti gained its independence in 1977, but a referendum was held in 1958 on the eve of Somalia's independence in 1960 to decide whether or not to join the Somali Republic or to remain with France. The referendum turned out in favor of a continued association with France, largely due to a combined yes vote by the sizable
AfarAfar are an ethnic group in the Horn of Africa who reside principally in the Danakil Desert in the Afar Region of Ethiopia, as well as in Eritrea and Djibouti...
ethnic group and resident Europeans. However, the majority of those who voted no were Somalis who were strongly in favor of joining a united Somalia as had been proposed by one
Mahmoud HarbiMahmoud Harbi was a Pan-Somalist from Djibouti. Prior to independence, he was the country's Prime Minister and the Vice President of its Territorial Assembly from 1957 to December 1958.-Early years:...
. Harbi was killed in a plane crash two years later, and
Hassan Gouled AptidonHassan Gouled Aptidon was the first President of Djibouti from 1977 to 1999....
, a French-groomed Somali who campaigned for a yes vote in the referendum of 1958, eventually wound up as Djibouti's first president post-independence (1977-1991).
Between 1977-1978, Somalia and Ethiopia waged a war over control of the predominantly Somali Ogaden region. In 1978 and with the help of
SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
and
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
n troops, Ethiopian troops drove back the Somali army from the Ogaden, effectively marking the end of the
Ogaden WarThe Ogaden War was a conventional conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia in 1977 and 1978 over the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. In a notable illustration of the nature of Cold War alliances, the Soviet Union switched from supplying aid to Somalia to supporting Ethiopia, which had previously been...
.
In 1981,
Siad BarreMohamed Siad Barre was the President of Somalia from 1969 to 1991, and has been described as a dictator. Prior to his presidency, he was an army commander under the then young democratic government of Somalia...
visited
NairobiNairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi Province. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters"...
, and stated that Somalia was relinquishing its claim on the North Eastern Province (NFD). Improved relations with Kenya led to the signing of a pact in December 1984 agreeing to cease hostilities along the border.
Following renewed hostilities in the Ogaden with an August 1982 border clash, Ethiopia and Somalia signed a peace treaty in 1988.
Somali Civil War
With the start of the
Somali Civil WarThe Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia, that began in 1991. The conflict has caused destabilisation and instability throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to the rebel...
, the vision of uniting the various historically and predominantly Somali-inhabited areas of the Horn of Africa into a Greater Somalia was temporarily sidelined. Thousands of refugees have been granted political asylum in Kenya. Talk of pan-Somali unification movements for the moment took a backseat, as the Republic splintered into a few autonomous smaller regional or clan-based governing zones. The government of the secessionist region of
SomalilandSomaliland is an autonomous region, which is part of the Somali republic located in the Horn of Africa. Those who call the area the Republic of Somaliland consider it to be the successor state of the former British Somaliland protectorate...
in northwestern Somalia has consistently attempted to break away from the Somali Republic and launched an unsuccessful though persistent campaign to seek recognition from international organizations and countries. Somaliland further clashed with
PuntlandPuntland is a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe , whose leaders declared it an autonomous state in 1998. A third of Somalia's population lives in the province, which likewise represents about a third of the nation's geographical area. Unlike neighbouring Somaliland, Puntland does...
over control of the
SoolSool is a province located in the northwestern interior of Somalia. Its regional capital is Las Anod . The region is historically known for the anti-colonial movement referred to as Darwiish.-Territorial dispute:...
and
SanaagSanaag is a region in northern Somalia. It is claimed by the autonomous Puntland and Somaliland macro regions of Somalia. It was the largest region of the former British Somaliland protectorate, and its capital city is Ceerigaabo ....
regions. Though there was no unified government and thus no formal policy towards irredentism, individual militia leaders clashed with Ethiopian troops between 1998 and 2000.
Islamic Courts Union
In late 2006, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, head of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) that then controlled much of southern Somalia, declared, "We will leave no stone unturned to integrate our Somali brothers in Kenya and Ethiopia and restore their freedom to live with their ancestors in Somalia." These aims were sidelined after the decisive defeat of the ICU in the
Battle of BaidoaThe Battle of Baidoa began on December 20, 2006 when the Somali Transitional Federal Government's forces allied with Ethiopian forces stationed there attacked advancing Islamic Courts Union forces along with 500 alleged Eritrean troops and mujahideen arrayed against them.The battle began with...
and the subsequent actions of the war in Somalia by the allied forces of the Somali
Transitional Federal GovernmentThe Transitional Federal Government of the Republic of Somalia is the present internationally recognized government of Somalia. It was established as one of the Transitional Federal Institutions of government as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter adopted in November 2004 by the...
(TFG), the autonomous governing zones of
PuntlandPuntland is a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe , whose leaders declared it an autonomous state in 1998. A third of Somalia's population lives in the province, which likewise represents about a third of the nation's geographical area. Unlike neighbouring Somaliland, Puntland does...
,
Southwestern SomaliaSouthwestern Somalia was an ostensibly autonomous self-proclaimed state in Somalia founded by Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, leader of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army on April 1, 2002...
,
JubalandJubaland or Juba Valley , formerly Trans-Juba , is the southwesternmost part of Somalia. On the eastern side of Jubbaland is 40–60 km east of Jubba River from Gedo to the Indian Ocean, while western side of the region, the old days "Trans"-Juba), now Jubbland, borders Kenya.Total population...
, and
GalmudugGalmudug, is a secular, decentralized state in the central region of Somalia. The administrative capital, South Galcayo, is based in the southern half of the city and district of Gaalkacyo. To the north is Puntland, to the west is Ethiopia and to the south and east is the rest of Somalia,...
and their military backer,
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
. However the Islamic Courts Union reformed and have taken back most of their former terroritres. They have pushed the Ethiopian/African Union and TFG troops to the brink of defeat. The Islamic Courts split into two factions. One faction wants to sign a peacedeal and merge with the TFG while the other one wants to defeat the Ethiopian troops and kick out the African Union soldiers before any peace agreements.
See also
- Ogaden
Ogaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim...
- North Eastern Province
The North Eastern Province is one of the seven administrative provinces in Kenya outside of Nairobi. The provincial capital is the town of Garissa, near Coast Province. The overall population is 962,143 and its land area is 126,902 km²....
- Ogaden War
The Ogaden War was a conventional conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia in 1977 and 1978 over the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. In a notable illustration of the nature of Cold War alliances, the Soviet Union switched from supplying aid to Somalia to supporting Ethiopia, which had previously been...
- Shifta War
The Shifta War was a secessionist conflict in which ethnic Somalis in the Northern Frontier District of Kenya attempted to join with their fellow Somalis in a Greater Somalia...
- Territorial dispute
A territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more states, or over the possession or control of land by one state after it has conquered it from a former state no longer currently recognized by the occupying power....
Further reading
- Pierre Petrides, The Boundary Question between Ethiopia and Somalia. New Delhi, 1983.
External links