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The Story of

Somalia

1900 – 2023

Sovereign state in Africa

  1. Dervish War

    1900–1920

    The Dervish War was a conflict in the Horn of Africa, between the Dervish State, and the imperial powers of Abyssinia, Britain and Italy, initially from 1900 to 1904, which was followed by a peace treaty-protectorate period with the Italians from 1905, other diplomatic measures in the following years, and a resumption of conflict with the colonial powers from 1913 to 1920. The opening battle of the rebellion saw the Dervish attack the Ethiopian garrison at Jigjiga in March 1900 and take control of parts of the eastern Ogaden region.

  2. Shifta War

    1963–1967

    The Shifta War or Gaf Daba (1963–1967) was a secessionist conflict in which ethnic Somalis, Muslim Borana, Sakuye, Gabbra and Rendille in the then Northern Frontier District (NFD) of Kenya attempted to join Somalia. The Kenyan government named the conflict "shifta", after the Swahili word for "bandit", as part of a propaganda effort.

  3. 1964 Ethiopian-Somali Border War

    1964

    The 1964 Ethiopian–Somali Border War, also known as the First Ogaden War marked the first military conflict between the newly established Somali Republic and the Ethiopian Empire, lasting from February to April 1964. The border conflict was preceded by a rebellion in the Ogaden region during mid-1963 that was waged by Somalis seeking self-determination from imperial rule.

  4. 1969 Somali coup d'état

    21 October 1969

    The 1969 Somali coup d'état was a bloodless military takeover of the Somali Republic on 21 October 1969, led by Somali National Army officers of the Supreme Revolutionary Council under General Siad Barre. After the assassination of President Abdirashid Shermarke in Las Anod, the Somali National Army under Barre's command stormed Mogadishu, seized key government buildings, and demanded the resignation of the country's leaders.

  5. Ogaden War

    12 July 1977 – 23 March 1978

    The Ogaden War, also known as the Ethio-Somali War (Somali: Dagaalkii Xoraynta Soomaali Galbeed, Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሶማሊያ ጦርነት, romanized: ye’ītiyop’iya somalīya t’orinet), was a military conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia fought from July 1977 to March 1978 over control of the sovereignty of the Ogaden region. Somalia launched an invasion in support of the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) insurgency, triggering a broader inter-state war.

  6. 1982 Ethiopian–Somali Border War

    1982

    The Ethiopian–Somali Border War took place from June 1982 to August 1983, when Ethiopia launched a large-scale invasion of central Somalia. Backed by warplanes and armored units, Ethiopia deployed a 10,000-man force alongside thousands of Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) rebels.

  7. Somali Civil War

    26 January 1991

    The Somali Civil War (Somali: Dagaalkii Sokeeye ee Soomaaliya; Arabic: الحرب الأهلية الصومالية al-ḥarb al-’ahliyya aṣ-ṣūmāliyya) is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta led by Siad Barre during the 1980s.

  8. Famine in Somalia

    December 1991 – December 1992

    The 1992 famine in Somalia resulted from a severe drought and devastation caused by warring factions in southern Somalia, primarily the Somali National Front, in the fertile inter-riverine breadbasket between the Jubba and Shebelle rivers. The resulting famine primarily affected residents living in the riverine area, predominantly in Bay Region, and those internally displaced by the civil war.

  9. United Nations Operation in Somalia II

    March 1993 – 28 March 1995

    The United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II) was the second phase of the United Nations intervention in Somalia and took place from March 1993 until March 1995, following the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991. UNOSOM II carried on from the transitory United States-controlled (UN-sanctioned) Unified Task Force (UNITAF), which had been preceded by UNOSOM I. Notably, UNOSOM II embarked on a nation-building mission, diverging from its predecessors.

  10. Battle of Mogadishu

    3 October 1993 – 4 October 1993

    The Battle of Mogadishu (Somali: Maalintii Rangers, lit. 'Day of the Rangers'), also known as the Black Hawk Down Incident, was part of Operation Gothic Serpent. It was fought on 3–4 October 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, between forces of the United States—supported by UNOSOM II—against Somali National Alliance (SNA) fighters and other insurgents in south Mogadishu.

  11. 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

    26 December 2004

    On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a Mw 9.2–9.3 earthquake struck with its epicenter off the west coast of Aceh, in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known in the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, was caused by a rupture along the fault boundary between the Burma plate and the Indian plate, and reached a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX in some areas.

  12. Battle of Mogadishu

    2006

    The Second Battle of Mogadishu was fought for control of Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu. The opposing forces were the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT), and militia loyal to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).

  13. Battle of Baidoa

    2006

    The Battle of Baidoa began on 20 December 2006 when the Somali transitional federal government forces (TFG) allied with Ethiopian forces stationed there attacked advancing Islamic Courts Union (ICU) forces along with 500 alleged Eritrean troops and mujahideen arrayed against them. The battle began with most reports depicting the government forces defecting and its position on the verge of collapse.

  14. Battle of Bandiradley

    2006

    The Battle of Bandiradley in Somalia began on December 23, 2006, when Puntland and Ethiopian forces, along with faction leader Abdi Qeybdid, fought Islamic Courts Union (ICU) militants defending Bandiradley. The fighting pushed the Islamists out of Bandiradley and over the border south into Adado district, Galgadud region, by December 25.

  15. War in Somalia

    20 December 2006 – 30 January 2009

    The Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, also known as the Ethiopian occupation of Somalia was an armed conflict lasting from mid-2006 to early 2009. It began when Ethiopian military forces, supported by the United States, invaded Somalia to depose the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and install the Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

  16. capture of Mogadishu

    28 December 2006

    The Fall of Mogadishu was a major episode of the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia. It occurred on 28 December 2006, when the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) entered the capital in support of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), following the withdrawal of Islamic Courts Union (ICU) troops deployed in southern and central Somalia.

  17. Battle of Jilib

    31 December 2006 – 1 January 2007

    The Battle of Jilib took place on the last day of 2006 during the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia. It was fought when Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) troops and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) militia launched an offensive on the town of Jilib, held by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).

  18. Battle of Bargal

    2007

    The Battle of Bargal occurred in June 2007 around the town of Bargal in the northern province of Bari, in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

  19. Fall of Kismayo

    1 January 2007

    The fall of Kismayo occurred on January 1, 2007, Ethiopian military forces backing the Transitional Federal Government entered the Somali city of Kismayo unopposed. It came after the Islamic Courts Union's forces faltered and fled in the Battle of Jilib.

  20. Battle of Mogadishu

    2008

    The 2008 Battle of Mogadishu began when soldiers from Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) entered parts of the capital held by the insurgency on 19 April, sparking heavy street fighting in the northern part of the city. The battle spread out over several districts of Mogadishu, predominantly Daynile, Yaaqshiid and Huriwa resulting in the most fierce fighting between the Ethiopians and the insurgency since the start of 2008.